For packaging buyers and logistics in mid-sized companies
A carton a few millimetres smaller can add a layer to the pallet – or change nothing at all. JetPallet follows the option from product dimensions through the shipper and the pallet to the cargo space and sets the result beside what you do today: cartons per pallet, pallets per truck, cost per unit.
What you end up with
Most companies keep a well-maintained Excel file: carton dimensions, units per carton, cartons per pallet. It answers the question that was asked when the item was set up. It doesn’t answer the next one – what happens if the supplier offers a different carton, the product height changes, or the pallet needs to be 1,200 × 1,000 mm instead of a Euro pallet?
At that point, stacking patterns have to be found again, height and weight limits rechecked and truck loads recounted. By the time that’s done by hand, the decision has often been made already – on the carton’s unit price rather than on the cost per product sold.
Workflow
Enter product dimensions, shipper carton, weight, pallet and limits – or load your existing cartons into the stock carton library from a CSV file. This is the baseline for every comparison.
The shipper calculator proposes carton sizes from the product dimensions. The product size comparison varies the product’s dimensions within limits you approve. In the scenario lab you keep up to 4 independent planning states side by side.
With your figures for freight per pallet, pallet cost and cost per carton, JetPallet works out packaging and freight cost per product. The option comparison shows which solutions do well on several objectives at once and lets you weight them.
Reverse planning runs from the product to the vehicle: how many pallets the order needs and how they fit into a truck or container. The cheapest-vehicle choice uses your cost per trip and per kilometre; it is exact for small cases and marked as an approximation for larger ones.
The option comparison and scenarios go to purchasing, management or suppliers as PDFs – with your logo, order number and every input, so the figures can be traced.
In detail
01
Product size, units per carton and wall thickness produce carton proposals, each rated by products per pallet. “Check current carton” tells you whether a carton you already stock holds the required quantity. More under carton optimisation.
02
A 350 × 250 mm carton gives 9 per layer on a Euro pallet in a simple grid and 10 in a two-block pattern. JetPallet finds patterns like this on its own and checks each layer geometrically. Whether it pays off for you is shown in the cost view.
03
The option comparison lines up patterns and carton sizes and highlights the solutions that are not worse than any other on every objective. The comparison PDF includes an evaluation page.
04
You enter freight per pallet, pallet cost, cost per carton and goods value per product. From these come packaging cost, freight per product and total cost per product, with tier sheets and stretch film if you use them. CO₂e scenarios use traceable factors and sources. See cost and CO₂e.
05
A smaller carton or a taller stack changes the load on the bottom carton. JetPallet estimates compression strength with the simplified McKee formula; a measured BCT value from your supplier takes precedence. More under box compression strength.
Questions
The spreadsheet stores results; JetPallet recalculates them. When a dimension changes, the app finds new stacking patterns, rechecks height and weight and recounts the truck load. Existing carton lists and packing lists can be imported as CSV or XLSX.
No. Freight per pallet and cost per trip or kilometre come from your quotes. JetPallet applies them consistently down to cost per product.
Yes. Option comparison, scenarios, packing report and packing instruction are available as PDFs with your logo, order number and reference, in A4 or US Letter.
Read on
Free for 14 days, then USD 99 a year, with no separate editions. For several workstations, please ask via the contact page.
Free for 14 days · then USD 99/year
