Insulated case liner reduces shipping costs; frees up space for pharmaceutical firm

Food & Drug Packaging, August, 1998 by William Makely

For years, international pharmaceutical company Boehringer Mannheim Corp. (BMC) has shipped temperature-sensitive diabetic supplies to customers via express freight in insulated cases containing dry ice. A recent change in case lining material developed by Inland Paperboard and Packaging has paid off handsomely in multiple ways, including a cost savings in 1997 of $250,000.

BMC had been shipping its products in a molded foam shipper (also supplied by Inland) within a corrugated case. To control temperature during shipping, dry ice was added to the package. BMC uses several different case sizes, but the most common medium-sized container used 7 pounds of dry ice.

Reviewing the company's packaging procedures recently, BMC's manager of logistics Reiner Franke hypothesized that inserting a foil barrier within the protective foam might provide better insulating properties and reduce the dry ice requirement. He passed on the idea to Inland's project manager, Gary Schimer, who immediately investigated the possibility.

A challenge for the new liner is that it must allow dry ice gases to escape while still providing the insulating protection BMC was looking for. The optimum solution turned out to be a metallized lithographic paper which Inland obtains from a proprietary source then laminates to an E-flute corrugated backing. From the lamination the new liner is made in a ninepanel configuration which is neither glued nor held together by locking tabs--a construction which Inland calls an "unjoined" design.

The unsealed joints of the liner allow the carbon dioxide gas produced by the "melting" dry ice to escape without compromising the effectiveness of the liner's added insulating properties. Once scored, the shape is folded and slipped inside the same foam cooler BMC had already been using.

Needs Less Dry Ice

The fully assembled packaging system--outer case, foam protection and foil/corrugated liner--is shipped to BMC on pallets, ready for filling. BMC employees simply add product and dry ice and ship via overnight express.

"Amazingly," reports Franke, "I had prototypes within three days after I made the suggestion, and new shipping boxes in two months."

Now, the same medium-sized shipment that used to require 7 pounds of dry ice receives the same temperature protection with only 3 pounds, reducing dry ice costs dramatically and also adding 15% more available shipping space to each package. BMC estimates that the new package reduced shipping costs by $250,000 during 1997.

The outer case also carries a message inviting customers to return the empty shipping container to Inland postpaid for reuse, further helping to reduce BMC's container costs.

For more information from Inland Paperboard and Packaging, call (800) 959-9555 or Circle 582.

In a nutshell

Goal: Reduce shipping costs for temperature-sensitive products

How: Add more insulating capability to existing shipping case

Result: Overall packaging savings of $250,000 in one year