Will it fit?
Your buyer is putting together an order for one factory. They want a forty-foot container's worth. They add up volumes in a spreadsheet, using carton sizes from the factory's quote, some of which were for older packaging. The factory comes back saying it will not all fit, or that there is a lot of space left. The buyer adjusts, back and forth by email, while the booking deadline approaches.
The container ships either partly empty, which wastes freight money, or with some lines left behind for the next order.
Why load planning is guesswork
Planning a load needs accurate carton data: dimensions, gross weight, units per carton. Importers often hold this for some products, out of date for others, and not at all for new lines. Weight limits and container types add constraints. And the order is built product by product for sales reasons, with the volume question asked only at the end.
| Data needed | Common problem |
|---|---|
| Carton dimensions | From an old quote, packaging since changed |
| Units per carton | Different from the last order |
| Gross weight | Missing, so weight limits are ignored |
| Stacking limits | Not recorded |
What rough planning costs
Freight is priced per container, so a partly empty container raises the landed cost of everything in it. Lines left behind are out of stock longer. The back and forth with the factory takes time close to booking deadlines. And when goods arrive, the actual carton data often differs from what you planned with, so the same problem repeats.
Weight catches people out as well. A container of dense goods can reach its weight limit long before it is full, and a plan built on volume alone can produce a load heavier than your haulier can take from the port. Finding that out after the factory has packed the container is an expensive way to learn.
The load planner we build
- Carton data is held per product and factory: dimensions, gross weight, units per carton, stacking rules. It is filled from factory packing lists and updated from each shipment's actual packing list.
- Missing or suspect data is listed so the buyer can ask the factory before it matters.
- When the buyer builds an order, the planner shows running volume and weight against the chosen container type.
- If there is space left, it suggests lines to top up based on your reorder planning. If it is over, it suggests which lines to trim or move to the next order.
- A simple load plan, with cartons by line, is produced to share with the factory and forwarder.
- After shipment, the actual packing list is compared with the plan, and carton data is corrected where it differed.
- Carton data that improves with every shipment.
- Orders built with volume in view from the start.
- Top-up suggestions that fit your stock needs.
What ordering looks like after
The buyer sees whether an order fills a container as they build it. Top-ups are chosen from lines you actually need rather than random fillers. The factory receives an order that fits. And the carton data gets better over time, so the plan and the real load get closer each time.
Is this how you plan containers?
- Container fill is worked out in a spreadsheet at the end.
- Factories tell you orders will not fit.
- Containers ship with space left.
- Lines get left behind for the next order.
- Carton data is missing or out of date for many products.