Packaging Logistics Performance

Sammanfattning: Today’s trends are the ever growing competition with increased globalization and sustainability. Together with ongoing technological developments and the demand for right quality of products and services, this has also resulted in increased demands for legislation and traceability. This development has also had an impact on packaging and Packaging Logistics. This thesis deals with packaging, logistics and performance when packaging interacts with users and seeks to find answers to the research question: How can a systematic and holistic approach to packaging increase the logistics performance to create efficiency and effectiveness? The purpose of this work is to increase knowledge regarding packaging and its interacting role with agents in the Supply-Demand Chain in order to improve, and to increase knowledge in the area of Packaging Logistics Performance. Performance in Packaging Logistics is about doing the right thing and doing things right, as well as position products and services relative to its competitor. A model has been created to increase knowledge of Packaging Logistics Performance, which covers interaction between the packaging system and its users. This model also includes the tool 'Packaging Scorecard' that measures Packaging Logistics Performance and shows the packaging related deficiencies that exist in various levels of the Supply-Demand Chain. Furthermore, the tool has been developed to enable efficient product development. The developed model will provide support for the development of packaging strategies to change existing systems or develop new systems. The strategies also take into account the agents involved by demonstrating the requirements on the packaging and how small changes in the packaging system may contribute to a significant improvement in the Supply-Demand Chain. New functions and roles for companies operating in the various logistics processes were identified. The research has for example identified a new type of service, the Network Integrator. This function was also identified in the packaging area and this agent was named the Packaging Integrator. To increase understanding of the Supply-Demand Chain, the tool CATWOE (Customer, Agents, Transformation processes, World view, Owners and Environment) was applied. This tool was further developed to adapt Packaging Logistics Performance and complexity theory. The general methodology for this thesis was action-based research and case studies. The developed model illustrates packaging systems and how they perform in order to create conditions for better and more efficient performance. Further the thesis explores and presents ways to improve performance and integration. The theoretical contribution is to demonstrate a knowledge of packaging systems, and an understanding the interactive roles and existing requirements in the Supply-Demand Chain. Practical contributions are the valuable empirical knowledge and increased understanding of packaging requirements and their interactions with agent to create conditions for effectiveness, efficiency and differentiation.