Consideration on the Cost of Reusable and Expendable Shipping Container Systems : A Review

Abstract

In order to reduce packaging and logistics costs for any business, it is important to identify opportunities for improvement throughout an entire logistics system including measurement of the performance and cost of packaging. Although the importance of packaging in a supply chain has been recognized by many scholars and experts, the total cost and value of packaging have not been successfully estimated. This paper reviews the recent researches and articles that tried to quantify the value of packaging focusing on the business decision between reusable and expendable shipping container systems. Three key factors such as cost, ownership, and standardization are identified and discussed in terms of impact on supply chain costs and performances. It is important to understand that the decision of a package system can change a logistics activities and even entire logistical system. Hence, the total cost and value of transport packaging should be calculated with understanding of interactions with logistical activities throughout supply chain. Identifying the opportunities and constraints of packaging changes on total logistics cost and activities must be carefully examined before implementation of a packaging system.