Comparison of Different Packaging Materials and Solutions on a Cost Basis for Volvo Logistic Corporation

Abstract: The basic problem that this thesis addresses was to compare different packaging materials for Volvo Logistics Corporation (VLC) from a cost perspective. Since this thesis was conducted for VLC only, their main packaging solutions were defined and categorized by size. With this, various materials in each size category were studied, analyzed and compared from different aspects. These aspects ranged from volume efficiency to ergonomics and cleanliness. Some of these aspects were easy to quantify and calculate while others, such as ergonomics and cleanliness, had to be evaluated qualitatively. The outcome of this research was a financial/comparative model, which allows users to choose the packaging solution with the lowest possible cost or the packaging solution that best meets their requirements. The conclusion is that technically the best packaging solution is not necessarily the cheapest because of the indirect logistical costs in addition to the packaging price.