Control Process for secondary packaging – A quality verification of corrugated cardboard for distribution of liquid food in developing countries

Abstract: In the past three decades, food packaging technology has undergone rapid change and the interest for packaging performance has increased. In developing countries, the main focus is to drive down the prices, resulting in primary packaging that often requires a greater need for a stronger secondary packaging than other countries. Yet at the same time, it is seldom that the primary and secondary packaging come from the same supplier. Since the suppliers of secondary packaging in most cases are in the same country as where the product is packed, quality awareness is often less since it is a developing country. Moreover, package damages have been found along the distribution way, and a need to ensure the quality of secondary packages is requested. The Master Thesis is a contribution to knowledge within corrugated cardboard and processes to control the secondary packaging performance in developing countries. The aim is to develop a process to verify quality and performance of the incoming boxes of corrugated cardboard for dairies and other distributors of liquid food. In addition, this is implemented by an actor in a business relationship formed by two different suppliers, i.e. a triad relationship. The outcome of this Master Thesis shall therefore be seen as a tool to help customers to improve their business and together work for a competitive supply chain by eliminating package deformation caused by fragile secondary packages.