Tricor Packaging & Logistics AG has unveiled its new centre of excellence in Germany. The ‘Proof of Concept Centre’ is believed to be one of the first complete Supply Chain simulation and testing centres in Europe, tailored to the creation of a 40 foot shipping container.
“Modern packaging is much more than a simple container for goods,” said Martin Müller, CEO. “It needs to protect against the real-world environment, from potential damage by fork lift trucks, turbulence during flights through to tropical temperatures and humidity.”
Thanks to this new centre, Tricor can now offer customers the ability to test their packaging solutions with a maximum weight of 2 tonnes against every possible hazard and environment.
Martin Müller opens the Proof of Concept Centre.
Supply Chain Simulation
The ‘Proof Of Concept Centre’ was opened on 12th June 2018 at Tricor’s state of the art factory in Bad Wörishofen, Germany. “This completes the total service we offer customers, with the ‘Design and Innovation Centre’, supply chain modelling and now the ‘Proof of Concept Centre’ creating a total supply chain simulation,” continued Müller. “This is a major investment to offer our customers insight into their supply chain and the end to end performance of their packaging solutions. Using our latest tools, we work with customers to model their total supply chain, including modelling costs and risks for every step.”
Collaboration
“Working closely with our customers’ experts, the Tricor Design & Innovation Centre brings our deep insight into packaging solutions, reducing costs and risks,” explained Müller. “This includes innovative designs to reduce handling costs, maximise usability and recycling.”
The total supply chain simulation centre now enables Tricor to test every element of the packaging solution for its customers. They can now test and control: temperature, humidity, crushing, tipping, impacts, vibrations and falls.
BCT testing
Guaranteed Performance
The process starts with a Customer Workshop in the collaboration facility, to understand every path in the Supply Chain for each customer and its product line. “Our engineers use our latest supply chain analysis tools to build a detailed Supply Chain model,” continues Müller. “During interactive sessions, the entire supply chain, the vulnerability of the product and the packaging method are examined thoroughly with the customer.”
Tricor can support the full range of modern testing methods, including ISO, ISTA and ASTM. The company has also teamed up with Lansmont, the leading company for test equipment. Since 1971, Lansmont have been designing and building testing equipment to help engineers’ measure hazards in the field and then use those measurements to test for packaging and product vulerabilities. In order to simulate the total supply chain, the ‘Proof of Concept Centre’ is equipped with:
- Lansmont Horizontal Impact Test System (HITS): This simulates horizontal shock effects of rail switching, truck docking and other types of horizontal impacts that occur during distribution and handling. The HITS is specially designed to test in accordance with ASTM, ISTA and other corporate specifications.
- Lansmont Vibration Test System: The Vibration system is specially designed to test in accordance with ASTM, ISTA and other corporate and industry standards. Maximum payload of 2 tons.
- Lansmont quick release drop tester: Designed with a maximum payload up to 1.5 ton
- Two sets of Lansmont shock & vibration environment recorders: Portable shock and vibration recorder measuring shock, vibration temperature and humidity along with location, heading and speed. Embedded GPS hardware provides location information. Temperature ranging from -40°C up to 80°C and humidity ranging from 10-95%
- Zwick/Roell compression tester: Up to loads of 10 tonnes.
Quick release drop testing
Performance is Key
Co Kroon, Chief Business Development Officer, explains, “When we design packaging solutions, we have the full supply chain in mind. We always look at the package and behaviour throughout the supply chain. We want to understand from our customers what is the warehouse situation, how do you store the products, how do you handle them, what are the handling tools and the equipment that you will be using? How does the packaging go on a trailer, train or in an ocean bulk-container? All these aspects are really important, because this all costs a lot of money.
“What we do is not only create the new solution, but we then go ahead and test it in the ‘Proof of Concept Centre’ to prove the performance of the packaging solution. Everything that we do should have positive ROI for our customer and that is usually measured in lower cost and management of risk.”
Martin Müller concludes, “We are widely recognised as a centre of expertise and excellence. The Tricor ‘Proof of Concept Centre’ is the ultimate tool to help us reduce cost and management of risk for our customers in this dynamic environment. It gives us the opportunity to create real performance based packaging specifications, by using all test result collected and evaluated during the workshop and the supply chain tests. This leads to a more objective and reliable comparison during tender processes from our customer and potential customers. With this extensive investment program, we will provide an outstanding range of benefits for our customers.”
Vibration testing.
