Unitisation and standardisation

A unit is a certain quantity or volume chosen as a standard. Several units can be combined to one larger unit (e.g. pallet) or divided into smaller sub-units (e.g. consumer packages).

Unitisation is the process whereby a unit load is being formed. A unit load combines packages or items into a single "unit" of a few thousand kilograms that can be moved easily with simple equipment. A unit load packs tightly into warehouse racks, containers, trucks, and railcars, yet can be easily broken apart at a distribution point, usually a distribution center, whosaler, retail store, etc.

Most consumer and industrial products move through the supply chain in unitized or unit load form for at least part of their distribution cycle. Unit loads make handling, storage, and distribution more efficient. They help reduce handling costs and damage by reducing individual handling.

In order to create the best unit for the product, we must first know how to design our unit load. There are three kinds of unit load design: Component based, systems based, and standards compliant. These have different applications.

Component Based Design
Component based design is the outmoded ad-hoc method of unit load design. Components are sometimes over specified to get assured performance, or tested to get inexpensive economic performance.

Considerable knowledge exists regarding the design of each of these components: their interactions have more recently been studied. When packaging, pallet, and handling systems are designed separately at different locations by different teams, the result might be inefficient unit load systems.

The consequences of independent component based design:
- Unsafe Workplaces
- High Packaging Costs
- Reduction of Environmental Quality

Systems Based Design
Systems Based Design is a proven process of unit load component cost optimization based on an understanding of how the pallet, packaging and material handling equipment interact during product distribution and storage to design the unit load component parts.

Factors considered in unit load systems based design:
-Unit Load Deflections
-Interfacial friction and load stability
-Compression stress and product protection
-Vertical and horizontal stabilization

Standards-Compliant Design ( BEST)
Standards permit a unit load to be designed and tested once, and thereafter work well for the life of the unit load design.

Unit loads move by an unpredictable mix of many types of vehicles and storage areas, the exact set is difficult to predict. Standards provide institutional memory of the many conditions in real logistic trains, and collect the best practices for design and testing unit loads. Standards also describe load requirements, so that logistic providers can plan to meet them.

Material based standards describe proven designs for particular circumstances. These are often used to describe unit load components such as pallets, strapping, seals, caps, retaining rings and battens. Performance standards describe needs and allow flexibility in the choice of matierials. These are applied to particular unit load designs.