Jiffy Bag firm helps Skoda slash number of lorries on road

Skoda previously delivered car parts to its Mlada Boleslav factory in the Czech Republic using a standard plastic box. However, the parts used in the construction of the Octavia Combi are more fragile and because they have to be placed in the box diagonally and touching each other, there was an increased risk of damage during transit.

Pregis’s solution, which has allowed Skoda to halve the number of lorries it uses to transport parts, was to slightly raise the height of the box but retain its footprint. The new box is a standard collapsible PP/PE box from Schoeller Arca Systems. It measures 160cm x 120cm x 100cm, compared with the previous size of 160cm x 120cm x 75cm.

The additional 30% volume enables better positioning of products. A key part of Pregis’s solution was to enable the cross-positioning of the parts on two levels – increasing the number of parts per box from 11 to 21.

The new boxes also features partitioning and cushioning using die-cut 5mm polypropylene from Cartonplast and Trocellen foam.

The system, which Pregis managed to devise within two weeks of being briefed by Skoda was developed by the firm’s design centre in Prague.

In August, Pregis Corporation announced it would increase its pries from September to offset rising costs and falling sales.

The US protective and speciality packaging firm reported a pre-tax profit of $5.2m in the three months to 30 June, up from a pre-tax loss of $4.5m last year, despite falling demand and a negative dollar exchange rate with the pound and euro.

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