1. For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jen Daniels
jdaniels@whiteandcompany.net
863.533.1148 x.306
White & Co. Announces Advancement In Packaging Waste Reduction
And Launch of Best Load® Packaging Optimizer
Blacksburg, VA – November 7, 2011 –Packaging research and consulting firm White &
Company announced today the development of computer code that models the compression
stress distributions within unitized shipments and research findings that will ultimately lead to
the significant reduction of packaging waste. This announcement came tandem with the launch
of Best Load®, White & Company’s proprietary software for packaging optimization of the unit
load.
“By considering the dynamics of compression stress, we can reduce packaging in unitized
shipments by as much as 20% using Best Load®,” said concept creator and White & Co.
Principal Dr. Marshall S. White. “It is a tool that helps hone in on the most cost effective unit
load design.”
According to White, compression strength is the single largest factor affecting the choice of
packaging when product
is palletized. “If the
package bends, crushes,
rips open or breaks
during shipment there
are direct costs due to
product damage, leakers,
clean-up or possible
safety concerns when
the product is a
hazardous chemical.”
When such damage
occurs, designers will
look first to the
package. “The
traditional solution is to
beef up the packaging
until the damage stops.
Best Load demonstrates
that a pallet designed to
be stiffer with deck
boards placed in ideal
locations for the
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2. package, lessens the stress on the product and package. A stronger pallet can lead to reduced
packaging. The resulting packaging savings more than offset the increased costs of a well-
designed pallet.”
Graduate research completed earlier this year at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s Center For
Unit Load Design proved White’s theory that increasing the bearing area (stiffness) of the pallet
deck will effectively reduce compression stress, a much more cost-effective and environmentally
friendly solution to managing this problem. The research results were mathematically modeled
and the computer code generated.
“These findings are just the beginning of the future for packaging and unit load design,” says
White. “The untapped opportunity of unit load design to reduce packaging waste, improve
warehouse safety and decrease product damage is staggering.”
Prior to Best Load®,
only costly, timely
laboratory or trial and
error field testing could
deliver the information
that the software
generates in seconds.
“The software will
continue to improve as
new capabilities are
added. Currently under
development is
predicting the load
Example: Cost breakdown of package within a typical unit load. Best Load ®
containment or stability research shows thicker pallet deck boards mean less compression stress on the
of unit loads during package, allowing for a reduction in the grade and price of pail being used.
shipping and handling
using different load
stabilizers.”
Best Load® software has been in development since 2007. The packaging optimizer is based on
unit load design principles cultivated under Dr. White’s 31 year tenure as the Director of the
Center For Unit Load Design and the William H. Sardo Pallet and Container Research
Laboratory at Virginia Tech. Unit load design principles maximize the relationship between
design and performance by researching and modeling the interactions of the pallet, package and
unit load material handling and shipping equipment.
Best Load® tools include the ability to design the pallet, package, and unit load. The software
then predicts the bending strength and stiffness of stringer class wood pallets and pallet decks.
Best Load® will predict the compression stress on the distribution packaging as a function of
pallet design, package design, unit load design and unit load storage practices. It will also predict
the compression strength, weight, and optimum dimensions of corrugated fiberboard boxes as
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3. well as select the optimum fit of distribution packaging to pallets and unit loads to shipping
containers. Finally, the software documents packaging mass, volume, and cost data for managing
sustainability goals.
Best Load® packaging optimization services are available exclusively through White and
Company. For information on Best Load consulting and research services, visit the web at
www.whiteandcompany.net or call 540-449-2100. Dr. White will present related research
findings of the compression stress distribution research at the April ISTA conference in 2012.
White & Company was founded in 2007 by Dr. Marshall S. White as an independent packaging
research, software development, and consulting firm, focused on delivering 'systems-based' unit
load solutions to manufacturers and distributors.
Dr. White is a globally recognized expert on unit load analysis and pallet design. Recognized by
Modern Material Handling Magazine as one of the Top 10 MH professionals in the new
millennium, White also led the Virginia Tech team that created NWPCA’s Pallet Design System.
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