Each day, Sony plants around the world receive shipments of many parts and products. Distribution is one of the areas where innovation helps it to reduce resource consumption. Case in point it the example of returnable containers.
To ship parts and products, Sony has adopted reusable, returnable containers, which has reduced packaging material consumption considerably. In Japan, Sony introduced returnable containers for distribution in 2005. As manufacturing started shifting from Japan to overseas sites around 2009, Sony has expanded this approach throughout Asia. As of fiscal 2011, nearly 31,000 sets of returnable containers were in use globally, saving some 312 tons of packaging material annually that would otherwise be used with conventional, one-way pallets.
Convenient, reusable Sony containers are also designed to make the most of the space in sea freight containers. Modular boxes in standard sizes are loaded in returnable containers. More efficient loading is possible with modular boxes that match the size of the parts shipped, which enables an optimal shipping volume per container.
Reproduced by permission of Sony
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