COMMON QUESTIONS CLIENTS HAVE ABOUT SLIPSHEETS.

Our receiver or shipper does not have a push pull unit.

For almost all of our current clients this was the exact same issue they faced, however a number of factors came into play. Firstly; Push pull units are becoming more and more common in logistics due to the large uptake of slip sheeting. A common myth is that a push pull unit can cost $20-$25,000 dollars. The reality is a push pull unit can be hire purchased from good forklift attachments suppliers for around $700 per month. The financial savings generated by slip sheeting created a massive cost saving advantage and in some cases the shipper of the goods actually assisted the receiver with the costs associated of them putting a push pull unit in place. Secondly; In the event you are shipping to a 3PL you can guarantee 95% of 3PL have slip sheeting facilities available. Thirdly and most importantly by passing on some of the savings to your receiver you are making the implementation of a push pull unit more attractive to them.

Manufacturing and production need to be involved to make some internal changes and we are having issues in regards to coordination and issues down the line.

This is a common issue for most companies starting to introduce slipsheets. A way around this is to involve Astron in a team meeting environment to showcase the long term benefits created by slip sheeting both financially and environmentally. Often a formal team meeting hosted by Astron allows all stake holders to be involved with the overall picture of what you are trying to achieve. Using the services of Astron in this way can remove internal barriers very quickly and give all shareholders a stake in the transition to slip sheet.

With our current packaging even removing the pallets still does not allow for extra product to fit.

In some instances we do find this can be a hurdle in maximizing your slip sheeting gain; however a large number of our clients actually overcome this through packaging re-sizing to fully benefit from the extra room created due to slipsheets. Whilst the cost to re-size can in some cases be costly this is rapidly recouped through the freight saving. Exploring options to packaging alternatives can be a very beneficial cost cutting exercise, once full potential is met and container utilization reached.

We currently maximize our container space by hand stacking.

The benefits of hand stacking containers in Western markets are quickly lost due to labour cost, however in the Asian market this is still a cheap alternative. Slip sheeting can still be conducted with hand stacked containers. It requires the sheet to be laid on the base before stacking commences and then again half way up the load. This practice achieves a number of objectives. Firstly, the container is easily and cheaply devaned at the receivers end. Secondly, it reduces your cost of devaning and allows you numerous options in regards to devaning.

Our containers come in from China hand stacked as labour is cheap and we have a 3PL devan for us.

As mentioned previously slip sheeting is all about cost reduction, hand devaning runs into the hundreds of dollars per container + breakage costs. The ability to take control of your container devaning increases your control and decreases your need for third party logistics to be involved.

Will we still need pallets at the receivers end?

Yes. Slipsheets are all about the transport side of your logistics process they are not a replacement for pallets in your warehouse. The best way to move your product around your warehouse is via a plastics or wooden pallet. The best way to transport your product is on slip sheet.

We are having internal issues in regards to some departments not being in favour of slipsheeting.

The most effective way of creating a slip sheeting mentality with in your company or organization is to have all parties involved in the big picture and associated savings slip sheeting will deliver. Allowing other departments the opportunity to fully understand the total financial costs saving and environmental benefits is crucial in creating a team orientated attitude to slip sheeting. Astron conduct and host such meeting as a part of its service.

A number of colleagues have been involved in a slipsheet trial previously and are not in favour of going through the process again.

The most common problem with this is that you are not going to have the opportunity to access for yourself all of the associated advantages of slip sheeting. We find that in today’s growing slip sheeting market many companies who have been looking at slip sheeting for a number of years have finally made the change due to the financial benefits and the ever increasing cost of transport. The need to follow due diligence and exhaust all areas of investigation is paramount in making a final decision.

Will the product be less stable on a slipsheet as opposed to a pallet.

In some cases yes and in others no. The main reason being all freight is packaged differently and depending on your products foot print, stability may or may not be an issue. The most simple and easy way to make up your own mind is to have us supply you a sheet and conduct your own in house test. We have found that in the majority of cases stability is of little issue due to the product being unitized and wrapped.

Is it possible to do a trial and gauge for ourselves the benefits of slip sheeting.

We strongly encourage client to conduct a full trial as this is the best way for slip sheeting to display its simple and straight forward ability to transport freight. By conducting a full scale trial you are able to follow the path of the sheet through your system and your clients and prove the process of slip sheeting