Three award-winning options worth a look

When it comes to alternative materials in industrial packaging, the list of contenders is long. And all too often it’s a list of unexpected, even exotic materials. And that, by itself, often limits potential applications quite considerably.

So, while alternative materials sounds sexy, it actually often lacks broad appeal.

But leave it to the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) to put a sharp focus on alternative materials with broad appeal. Just consider the group’s 2023 Excellence in Reusable Packaging awards.

The winners are:

• A reusable plastic pallet program used by 90% of the customer base of OK Produce;
• An electrostatic discharge (ESD) bulk bin from Schaefer Plastics North America, and;
• The Vision Object Recognition (VOR) system that tracks and manages smart pallets using artificial intelligence from Rehrig-Pacific.

Let’s start with OK Produce’s plastic pallet program, which won the RPA’s award for best Reusable System.

This is a California-based fresh produce wholesaler with not just reusable pallets, but a sense of humor. If you’re of a certain mindset, you’ll appreciate key phrases including “Lettuce grow together,” “Produce for the people,” and “Lean green produce machine.”

Personally, I thought the best was “I love it when you call me big papaya,” but not everyone was in Boston for the David Ortiz Big Papi years. You really did miss something, but I digress.

And digress is something OK Produce does not do. It’s sharply focused on working with individual growers, local farms and other produce specialists to get fresh produce to markets as fresh as possible. Reusable plastic pallets are credited with transportation cost reductions, operational efficiencies and solid waste reduction.

That’s a powerful combination of benefits from an alternative industrial packaging material: plastic pallets. By the way, OK Produce’s operations have been at least 70% solar powered since 2018.

Winner of the RPA’s Design Innovation award went to Schaefer’s GROUNDER bulk bin. Its general profile is 48 x 45 x 45 inches (it’s also available in several unique sizes) and protects electronic parts from electrostatic contamination.

While well suited to protecting a range of electronic parts, the bin is targeted at the automotive industry and electric vehicle parts in particular. These bulk bins actually round out a line of ESD packaging systems.

A collapsible option is suited to closed-loop supply chains. Both rigid and flexible dunnage can be used with the bins.

Meanwhile, the RPA’s Product Technology award went to the VOR system from Rehrig-Pacific. And it takes a little bit to get your head around this one because it’s so innovative.

To begin, it validates packaging accuracy from order number to SKU verification as well as identifies mispicks in order assembly. Talk about combining the old and new, the system teams up artificial intelligence with an integrated pallet wrapper.

But, it doesn’t stop there. The VOR system also verifies the pallet is loaded correctly on the right truck in the proper sequence. And visual confirmation at the point of delivery enhances customer satisfaction.

So, there you have it. Three winning industrial packaging solutions recognized by the RPA for combining visionary packaging solutions with commercial success. Wonder what they’ll find for next year’s awards?