Case Study: Reducing Costs of Shipping Paper Rolls

Efficient logistics play a critical role in ensuring uninterrupted production for box plants. Our strategically located warehouse on the Island of Montreal serves as a key link between paper manufacturers and local box plants, ensuring a seamless supply chain for paper bag production. With a dedicated daily shuttle service, specialized handling equipment, and robust certifications, we optimize efficiency, minimize damage risks, and uphold sustainability standards. This case study will explore the solution that PiVAL provided to a box plant, specializing in paper bag production, to improve their overall efficiency and reduce operational costs.

The Challenge

Box plants operate on tight production schedules, requiring a constant and reliable supply of semi-finished goods—50” height paper rolls—to maintain output. Disruptions in our customers supply chain was leading to costly delays and inefficiencies. The key challenges faced by this company included:

• Receiving Damaged Paper Rolls: Paper rolls are extremely heavy, requiring specialized equipment for handling and transport. Inexperienced carriers were delivering damaged rolls, leading to delays to the box plant operations and costly downtime.
• Supply Shortage Due to Damaged Materials: Rolls can suffer from crushing or tearing, requiring specialized handling and repair. The box plant’s paper roll supplier was delayed because they needed to bring back damaged rolls to the mill for repair, leading to a shortage of available inventory that was needed by the box plant.
• Reliable Transportation/Deliveries: The box plants operate on a continuous production model, necessitating reliable, on-time deliveries to prevent downtime. Unreliable deliveries of materials were leading to costly production delays and downtime.
• Sustainability & Compliance: As sustainability becomes a top priority, they needed to improve supply chain sustainability.

PiVAL’s Solution

To address these challenges, PiVAL worked with both the paper roll supplier and the box plant to implement a customized logistics strategy designed for efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. PIVAL received the giant paper rolls directly from the supplier’s mill, unloaded them at our Montreal warehouse, and inspected the rolls for damages. Since our team is equipped to repair damaged paper rolls, we performed the slabbing at our warehouse, avoiding the need to send the rolls back to the mill for repairs. We then set up detailed procedures to safely and efficiently deliver rolls to the box plant daily, while meeting our customer’s sustainability & compliance expectations.

1. Specialized Equipment & Handling Protocols

• Clamp Trucks: To prevent roll damage, we use specialized clamp trucks, ensuring secure handling without crushing or tearing the paper.
• Optimized Loading & Unloading: Our experienced team follows strict procedures to prevent damages to the massive paper rolls and ensure the integrity of each roll upon delivery.
• Slabbing Process: We repair damaged paper rolls through slabbing, restoring their usability and reducing waste.
• Weight Considerations: Given the substantial weight of each paper roll, we have tailored our logistics processes to accommodate safe movement and storage.

1. Reliability & Operational Excellence

• Dedicated Delivery: Box plants rely on nonstop operations, and our dedicated transportation model ensured uninterrupted supply, regardless of external disruptions. It ran like shuttle service, allowing for precise scheduling and minimizing downtime risks.
• Real-Time Tracking & Coordination: Our team monitors shipments and production needs, proactively adjusting delivery schedules as required.
• Customer Portal for Inventory Management: We provide a dedicated customer portal, enabling real-time tracking and inventory visibility for improved supply chain planning.

1. Sustainability & Compliance

• EcoVadis Medal & Sustainability Certification: Our commitment to eco-friendly logistics aligns with global sustainability benchmarks.
• ISO 9001:2015 Certification: Our adherence to ISO standards guaranteed operational excellence, safety, and quality control.
• Minimized Waste: Our optimized transportation model reduced excess emissions and material wastage, further supporting sustainable production.

Results

As a result of partnering with an 3PL experienced with handling all aspects of the Pulp & Paper supply chain logistics, the box plant achieved the following results:

1. Increased Production Efficiency: Continuous supply through our dedicated delivery program ensured box plants operate at peak capacity, reducing bottlenecks and maximizing output.
2. Minimized Damage & Waste: Proper handling techniques, ISO 9001 certified procedures, and specialized equipment to protect and repair paper rolls reduced material loss and prevented material shortages.
3. Enhanced Sustainability: Practices that lead to our EcoVadis bronze medal transferred to our customer and allowed them to improve their own EcoVadis score.
4. Cost Savings: Just-in-time deliveries reduce the need for excessive on-site storage, optimizing warehouse space and operational costs.
5. Improved Inventory Control: The customer portal provides real-time data, improving transparency and decision-making for our customer.
6. Improved Customer Satisfaction: By supporting the paper roll mill, the box plant was much more satisfied with their paper roll supplier, leading to a win-win situation.

PiVAL Can Help Ship Your Pulp & Paper Products

Our customized paper roll logistics solution ensures seamless, damage-free, and sustainable distribution. This case study demonstrates PIVAL’s ability to go above and beyond to provide a solution. Rather than just worrying about our ability to deliver rolls to box plant, we connected with their supplier to create completely new supply chain process that benefited all parties involved. By combining strategic location, specialized equipment, reliability, and sustainability compliance, we guarantee an efficient and resilient supply chain.

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