Unitisation

"Unitisation" is based upon the theory that all shippers should pack their cargo so it may be moved and handled entirely by mechanical equipment, throughout the distribution network. This practice reduces the need for labour, the handling of boxes, and the amount of damage. Also, it allows for faster loading and unloading by transportation equipment, more efficient distribution centre operations and a reduced level of pilferage. The reduced costs of the distributor in terms of labour and time often result in cost discounts for the exporter.

The ‘primary unit load’ is a standard ISO container, approximately 8' wide and 8'6 or 9’6 high, and one of 3 standard lengths (20', 40’ and 45').

The most common unit load is the pallet, built up, perhaps, from separate packages in the form of a rectangular block, handled as a single lot and capable of being stacked onto other similarly palletised unit loads.

The most common pallet sizes are 1200 mm x 1000 mm (CP1), 1200 mm x 800 mm (Euro), 1160x1160 (Australia) 1100 x 1100 (Japanese). The 48 x 40 inches (1219 mm x 1016 mm), as used in the United States, is comparable to the 1200 mm x 1000 mm pallet and integrates very well into the metric system.

It is wrongly assumed that pallets fit efficiently into standard containers. They don’t. Most pallets are loaded into containers using a pin-wheel configuration.

Pinwheel or pin-wheeling: refers to a method for loading trailers where you alter the direction of every other pallet. Basically you use pin-wheeling when the depth of the pallet is longer than half the container width, but the depth plus the width is less than the container width.

Straight loading: The SeaCell2 allows allow two pallets to be loaded side by side with clearance space between the pallets and the container. This is the quickest method of loading pallets and makes maximum use of the containers internal width

Not having to Pin-wheel means that in some cases 20% more pallets can be loaded into a SeaCell than a standard container.

Standards for packages

The International Standard Organisation (ISO) gives a series of dimensions for rigid rectangular packages based on a standard plan dimension or module of 600 x 400 mm. This is the external size of a package unit when fully loaded (including 'bulge'). No plus tolerance is allowed, although a minus tolerance of up to 10 mm is accepted.

Both the OECD and MUM standards have pallet size 1200 mm x 1000 mm as a standard unit and derive the sub-multiples from these sizes. The OECD and MUM standards are less comprehensive than the ISO standard.

Recommended sizes in mm for OECD and MUM standards are:

	OECD	MUM
Pallet size (mm)	1200 x 1000	1200 x 1000
	1200 x 800
Box size (mm)		600 x 500
	600 x 400	600 x 400
		500 x 400
	500 x 300	500 x 300
	400 x 300	400 x 300

Unitised loads using Slip-sheets

Unitised cargo helps maximise the loads that a SeaCell2container can carry. These unitised loads usually consist of smaller loads packaged in carefully designed packing cartons, and stacked efficiently onto wooden pallets. Sometimes the cost of one way pallets can deter a shipper from ‘unitising loads’.

In the USA and Europe each year tens of millions of slip-sheets (thin sheets of plastic or fibreboard, costing less than $1.00) are used instead of pallets.

It has been shown during the last decade that using slip-sheets in the place of wooden pallets has resulted in a much higher load density in the transportation of cargo.

The slip sheet is used as a unit load support device in vehicle delivery and transportation of products. When slip sheets are supported by a pallet board, roller conveyor surface, flat load carrying surface, or a cart or lift truck, the structural strength of the slip sheet supports the product loads weight [1]. With the slip sheet supported by one of these transportation devices the unit load can easily be transported both internally within a facility and externally between two facility locations [1]. The basic setup for lifting the slip sheet unit load is seen below (Fig. 1).

SLIP SHEET SIZES and TYPES:

Slip sheets are available to match all pallet sizes. There are several types of slip sheets that can be used for the transportation of a unit load depending upon the desired use of the sheet. The slip sheet is shaped and dimensioned to the size of the product or unit load. Normally the type of slip sheet varies depending on both the number of lip extensions and the material from which it is manufactured (Fig. 2)

Slip Sheet Advantages:

• Using slip sheets instead of wooden pallets allows for 12-15% more products in containers
• Slip sheets do not require maintenance, but can easily be replace
• Significant reduction in material handling costs
• Decreases loading/unloading time by up to 60%
• Weighs 20 times less than wooden pallets, saving shipping weight
• Can be customized to fit any size load
• Eliminates the need for pallet exchange
• Eliminates the cost of one way pallets.
• Not subject to Phytosanitary controls.
• Reusable and reliable
• Most are recyclable
• Is cost-effective

Inexpensive, hygienic, freely available & environmentally friendly, slip-sheets are ideal use in the SeaCell2 Container.

Heavy Payload Cargo

"Unitisation" is based upon the theory that all shippers should pack their cargo so it may be moved and handled entirely by mechanical equipment, throughout the distribution network. This practice reduces the need for labour, the handling of boxes, and the amount of damage. Also, it allows for faster loading and unloading by transportation equipment, more efficient distribution centre operations and a reduced level of pilferage. The reduced costs of the distributor in terms of labour and time often result in cost discounts for the exporter.

Break bulk, hand stowed cargo

SeaCell2 containers have more internal cubic capacity than standard containers and consequently additional break bulk non palletised cargo can be loaded into each unit. A rough guide as to the additional cargo space in a SeaCell2 is just over one cubic metre per TEU.

This extra cube benefits shippers, consolidators, forwarders and LCL (less than container load) operators, as the extra cube will enable them in loading those few extra and awkward shaped parcels and cartons into the SeaCell2.

More cubic capacity than a standard container

	20' Container	40' Container	45' Container
Palletwide	38.6cum	79.1cum	88.4cum
8' wide	33.0cum	76.4cum	86.0cum
Benefit	+5.6cum*	+2.7cum	+2.4cum

*20ft Containers are normally 8’6 high, whilst majority of 20ft palletwide containers are 9ft6.

SeaCell2 containers are fully equipped with cargo lashing points to secure cargo inside the container.

Carbon footprint

Although marine transportation is considered an efficient method of transportation, there is however still a carbon footprint that results from each container moved. By using SeaCell2 due to the units ability to carry extra pallets, cube and payload, the resultant carbon foot print is reduced as fewer SeaCell2‘s are needed to carry a given quantity of cargo.

As a result of the efficiency of SeaCell2 there are further down line potential benefits which would improve an operators green image. More palletised cargo and more cargo in general loaded into each container would result in a fewer number of containers moved, this would remove pressure from ports and maritime infrastructure and reduce the need to develop ever more capacity to cope with increasing container volume.

As a result of the efficiency of SeaCell2 there are further down line potential benefits which would improve an operators green image. More palletised cargo and more cargo in general loaded into each container would result in a fewer number of containers moved, this would remove pressure from ports and maritime infrastructure and reduce the need to develop ever more capacity to cope with increasing container volume.

This saving is not restricted to ocean freight and goes all the way down and up the transportation chain. If for example 60,000 Euro pallets of cargo are to move from China to Europe the following savings could be identified. A SeaCell2 can carry 60 Euro pallets (30 double stacked) and a standard container only 50 (25 double stacked), consequently for 60, 000 pallets of cargo 1000 SeaCell2’s would be needed, compared with 1200 standard boxes.

The 200 extra standard containers needed would each have the following extra costs.

• Depot handling out of China depot
• Drayage from depot to factory
• Cost of and extra time taken to fit dunnage and lashings to prevent pallets moving in these 200 units and for the 1000 non Sea2 units
• Drayage from factory to port
• Terminal handling cost China
• Freight, CAF, BAF and insurance China to Europe
• Terminal handling cost Europe
• Drayage from port to warehouse
• Time taken to remove lashing and dunnage and cost of disposal of the dunnage for the 200 units and the 1000 non Sea2 units.
• Drayage from warehouse to port (majority of boxes are returned empty from Europe to China)
• Terminal handling cost “empty” Europe
• Cost of empty return to China
• Terminal handling cost “empty” China
• Drayage to depot in China
• Depot handling in China depot

Similar savings can be made for non palletised cargo and heavy payload cargo, but here the percentage savings are smaller, but still significant. As an example if a shipper was moving 100,000 cubic metres of cargo he would need 1265 SeaCell2 units 44 less than the 1309 standard boxes that would be required.

	Container vessel		Rail		Truck	Boeing
	11,000 teu	6,600 teu	Electric	Diesel	Heavy	747-400
Energy use, kWh/tkm	11,000 teu	6,600 teu	Electric	Diesel	Heavy	747-400
Emissions, grams per tkm:
Carbon Dioxide CO2	7.48	8.36	18	17	50	552
Sulphur Oxide NO1	0.19	0.21	0.44	0.35	0.31	5.69
Nitrogen Oxide NO1	0.12	0.162	0.1	0.00005	0.00006	0.17
Particulate Matter	0.008	0.009	n/a	0.008	0.005	n/a

*Source network for transport and the environment (NTM) kWh/tkm= kilowat hours per tonne-kilometres