Success Story: Optimized Corrugate Specifications for Greater Supply Chain Stability

Client Overview

A popular food manufacturer needed support developing functional corrugate specifications that would reduce irregularities, lower cost, and increase business continuity of paper sourcing. Their goal was to transition existing corrugate shippers to a performance-based specification format, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and long-term supply chain stability.

The Challenge

The project required overcoming two major obstacles:

  • Ensuring current specifications were accurate before engaging suppliers or making changes

  • Introducing the performance-based concept to suppliers who were unfamiliar with this approach

These challenges required thorough analysis, precise calculations, and clear communication with supplier partners.

Our Approach

Adept executed a detailed, engineering-driven process to transition the client’s corrugate specifications:

  • Investigated current specification irregularities by comparing them against incumbent suppliers' specifications

  • Identified items requiring higher safety factors, including refrigerated products and SKUs with known transit-damage issues

  • Calculated required shipper strength based on palletization patterns, case gross weight, and pre-established safety factors

  • Tested all shippers to establish an accurate baseline performance profile

  • Compared calculated strength requirements against current material strength to determine areas of opportunity

  • Presented optimization findings to suppliers, including material performance gaps and additional opportunities such as flap-gap increases

  • Amended all corrugate specifications transitioning into the new performance-based format

The Impact

The corrugate standardization initiative delivered substantial value across the client’s North American operations:

  • $3.4 million in savings across 175 shipper specifications

  • Corrugate material reduction, consolidating 540 regional specifications down to 78 global standards

  • Increased business continuity in paper sourcing through harmonized, performance-based specifications

  • Identification of specifications now designated as 100% supplier’s choice based on price and availability

This isn't just a fix. It’s a transformation.

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