Key to this industry is sourcing recoverable material from commercial retailers such as grocery, electronic, hardware and pretty much all big box as well as manufacturing.
As a modern industrialized strategy paperboard recycling is important because Canadians use millions of tonnes of paper and paperboard. Not only does recycling this recoverable save millions of trees but it also saves 40% of energy in the manufacturing process. However, like most modern recycling business models, profit is measure down to pennies not just dollars. Therefore, management is constantly looking for an edge to efficiency.
Multi Source means Multi-Task
With recycling being an already integral part of most companies recovering strategy finding sources is not difficult. Unused box board that over a decade ago would have ended up in the garbage is now collected and sold for profit. Companies collecting the discarded box board utilize local LTL transportation companies to collect the bailed box board and bring it to the processing plant for refinement. With literally thousands of sources and product SKU’s marrying the logistic component with product component was quite labor intensive.
The reclaimed profit is determined by type of product and more importantly weight. With a 3-stage process including source, transport and processing facility determining the right process is the difference between thousands of man hours, potential mistakes. Weighing and classifying at the source means the creation of new process and how do you know the information is correct when it arrives at the processing facility? LTL carriers do not weigh and classify product, waybills that initiate the run are what starts the process. The current process of sorting through bailed product at the process plant was taking up too much space, created increase labor hours and extremely taxing on administration with accruals and mistakes.
A Little Goes a Long Way
Contacted by the recycling company we were asked if we could provide scales that would help them weight the product as it came in. Throughout the discussion it was clear that source of product was just as important as weight. Therefore, we examined the process start to finish to find the best most efficient point to marry the two key pieces of information. Working with all three partners in the staging process of the product it was determined that small improvements with little to no change would go a long way. At the source product identification was easy because the location of origin and product type was already known. All product is staged at the LTL carrier’s hub which meant the best most efficient place to attach weight would be there prior to receiving.
The solution was simple and what brought it all together was a SkidWeigh ED4 -board weigh scale with specialized ‘ScanWeight’ software and a Symbol LS3578 scanner. Starting the process each source location was easily able to print a large barcode label that detailed the type and location of origin. This was place on the top right of the paperboard bail prior to pick up. When the product was picked up and brought back to the staging hub is was weighed SkidWeigh ED4.
With the creation of ‘ScanWeight’ software and the use of the Symbol scanner no additional work was required for the transportation company or the operators. Simply when the product reaches the staging dock the operator simply scans the easily assessable barcode label which automatically, with no buttons to push, tells the operator to lift load. Within seconds the load is weighed and the SkidWeigh ED4 combines the two pieces of critical information and sends them to the Base Station for download.
Delivered with box board bails is also a complete identification report that includes where the product came from, what type of product and how much it weighs. Subtle changes in the first two stages of product recovery, along with the SkidWeigh ED4 utilizing the ‘ScanWeight’ software meant that upon receiving the product it can go straight to processing and the report goes straight to admin. picture.
