Light-weighting - the way forward to a Sustainable Automotive Supply Chain

OEMs and Tier Suppliers are reviewing the average weight of packaging in their supply chain, focusing on analysing fuel costs and carbon emissions.

It is essential that LLP’s share cost down opportunities for carrying less weight in their transport operations.

With the shift to electric vehicles, there is a greater importance to identify ways of reducing environmental impact throughout the Automotive supply chain with packaging being a simple area of automotive supply chain and logistics review.?

Lightweight packaging is best way to comply with stringent CO2 requirements in EU, China and US.

By removing heavy packaging, such as steel stillages, from returnable packaging loops, removes significant tonnage off trailers and containers, providing an immediate reduction in carbon emissions through the fuel consumed and the associated costs.

Example Fuel Cost Savings

With the information published by the GLEC, you can see by reducing the weight of a truck by just 1,000kg there will be $13,000 saving over 200km. This is based on fuel price at $1.30 per litre.

?If this is scaled up across an OEM's transportation operation globally, there is the potential of savings running into hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

?By replacing metal stillages with foldable plastic packaging, you have the potential to reduce the average weight by 2000 – 4000kgs per trailer per trip.

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Up to 35% weight reduction

One OEM has recently completed a study where they identified 72,000 Metal stillages that could be replaced by plastic. Therefore, allow them to reduce the weight in their transport operations by up to 35%.

The cost savings are significant and the sustainability advantages are equally significant.

Improve pack density with lightweight Packaging

Using lighter plastic packaging you can transport more component parts per trip as you have a greater weight capacity to use which isn’t being taken up by heavy metal stillages.

EuroBin has 900kg capacity and can be produced to several size specifications, making it suitable to ship light and heavyweight component parts.

With 30-40% fewer parts per vehicle and the Light-weighting of component parts being necessary for electric vehicles – it is necessary to review the light-weighting of packaging.

How can it make sense to transport 30kg of plastic parts in a metal stillage weighing 180kgs?

We urge Tier suppliers and OEM’s to put more emphasis on demanding cost-saving opportunities from their LLP’s going forward with light-weighting of their trucks.