Fit your shipment in fewer containers
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If your containers are loaded in packing-list order or by eye, you're likely paying to ship empty space. In one example, a 204-item shipment packed in packing-list order needs three 40 ft high-cube containers, and the last one leaves 28% full. An optimized loading plan fits all of it in two.
What a loading plan is
A loading plan says where every item goes inside each container and in what order to load it. A good plan uses as much of the container's volume and payload as possible while keeping the cargo safe: heavy items low, "this side up" crates upright, stacked items properly supported, and the weight within limits.
Three ways to plan a load
| How it works | Good for | Where it falls short | |
|---|---|---|---|
| By hand, or in packing-list order | The warehouse loads items as they come | Simple, uniform shipments | Leaves gaps; easy to need one container more than necessary |
| A generic online load calculator | Enter box sizes, get a 3D plan | Uniform cartons | Your own rules (crates that can't be stacked, items that must stay upright, door order) may not be supported |
| An optimizer fitted to your rules | A model of your items, containers and rules, solved for the fewest containers | Mixed cargo, heavy crates, recurring shipments | Needs your data in a spreadsheet the first time |
Example: 2 containers instead of 3
204 items, from loose cartons to machine crates over a tonne, in 40 ft high-cube containers. Packed as listed, it takes three containers, filled 85%, 58% and 28%. The optimized plan takes two, filled 89% and 82%, with the same items and the same 28.6 t payload limit per container. Every plan stays under payload, keeps "this side up" crates upright, rests at least 80% of every stacked item's base on cargo below, and comes with a loading order the warehouse can follow from the doors. See the full case →
What I need from you
A spreadsheet with each item's size, weight and quantity, plus your rules: which items can't be stacked, which must stay upright, any loading order. From that I can tell you quickly how many containers your next shipment really needs.
How to start
Email me at cdesivo92@gmail.com with a few lines about your shipments, or hire me on Freelancer.com if you prefer the platform's contracts and payment protection. For recurring shipments, I build the optimizer as a tool your team runs itself.