Closing the Loop: Smart Reusables & Data-Driven Supply Chains

Explore how cutting-edge technology is solving costly gaps in reusable asset management. ACSIS’ Bill Wohl hosts Tim Debus of the Reusable Packaging Association and ACSIS’ David Perrine for a discussion on data transparency, edge technology, and sustainability in today’s supply chain operations.

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Narrator:
Welcome to the Supply Chain Visibility Stories, the podcast for supply chain managers, brought to you by ACSIS, the 100% supply chain visibility cloud solution provider. Supply Chain Visibility Stories is hosted by Bill Wohl, a technology industry veteran and enterprise software professional.

Bill Wohl:
Thanks everyone for joining. Today marks the next in a series of discussions exploring a variety of business related topics with a focus on the intersection of technology and business. Our discussions are designed to be brief and we hope that this podcast format inspires our audience to think about technology impacts their own organizations and how to engage with us as our series continues. I'll have information about how to engage with the series and our guests as well as news of an upcoming event where both will appear at the end of today's discussion. Hi everyone, my name is Bill Wohl, and I'm honored to be the host of this series brought to you by ACSIS. I'm always fascinated by the business challenges faced by companies and how those challenges can be addressed directly by technology. When we started our series, we explored some of the macro trends facing companies today, including the impact of the pandemic and how that's been driving a renewed focus on global supply chains. Since then, we've been digging a bit deeper. Today, we're changing things up with two guests. A podcast series regular access is David Perrine. David is Director of Sales and Partnerships and a special guest, Tim Debus, president and CEO of the Reusable Packaging Association. Tim and Dave, welcome to the program.

David Perrine:
Glad to be here, Bill.

Tim Debus:
Terrific. Thank you, Bill.

Bill Wohl:
So, let's get started. , Dave, let's set the stage first. We've been talking about the challenges that companies have filling the gaps and transparency in the supply chain and in particular, how companies can think about that effort from concept to execution. So, let's get grounded for our audience again in case they're joining us for the first time. Why is data at the edge? Why is transparency in supply chain so important?

David Perrine:
Bill, a great question, and I want to say from ACSIS standpoint, we're very pleased to be  working with Tim Debus and the Reusable Packaging Association, which is a relatively new  relationship for us. We have known at ACSIS for some time particularly in certain industries such as food and beverage and certain types of chemicals and so on that there is a a serious issue with the loss and misplacement and the misplacing of returnable assets. And those returnable assets are commonly known as totes and trays and pallets, various types of specialty containers, and so on. We have recognized in our research that the industries I mentioned sometimes lose upwards of 30%, but it is typical to lose between 15 and 30% of these returnable assets on an annual basis and there is now technology at the edge that can help prevent this and help mitigate this loss. And and that's why we're so pleased to be here with Tim and and the as RPA  to talk about how this technology can be applied to help the industries I mentioned recover these losses which can be quite expensive and depending on the size of the company anywhere from hundreds of thousands to many millions of dollars a year in losses that we we now help can help them recoup. 

Bill Wohl:
Well, that's great. Thanks so much for getting us grounded. Tim, welcome to the program. Tell us as we start our discussion, tell us first a little bit about the Reusable Packaging Association.

Tim Debus:
Sure. The Reusable Packaging Association is an international nonprofit trade organization consisting of member companies that supply, use, or provide services to reusable transport products and services. One of the things we focus on is the system in which these products like pallets bends, containers, trays are used to carry goods through supply chains and business-to-business transactions and then, of course are recovered effectively and put back into use.  Our organization promotes the use and value of these products through that system.  We collaborate across the industry to identify issues that are common that we can work on together to make a stronger healthier business climate. For our member companies, Dave mentioned the role of technology which is continuing to be an incredible development for our industry. The growth, the direction, its application for our products and what we're able to derive from them is not only helping with areas like asset tracking and location but also driving new values that's being generated by the data that's being captured that's being assembled and ultim ly interpreted for best supply chain visibility. So, it's an exciting time and our organization works across the industry to be able to take advantage of those opportunities not only with that systems approach but with the technology and automation that's rapidly changing supply chains. 

Bill Wohl:
It's always interesting the kind of audience that you get for a podcast, and I expect that there are some real experts in supply chain that listen but others as well. So, let's ground this in a real customer problem. Forget the company names, but as you listen to the customer challenges. Can you give our audience an example of of where the rubber meets the road? What's a typical customer problem you're trying to get from? Give like an industry example.

Tim Debus:
Well, the most common one that really has served the test of time since our organization's been around for over 20 years has been waste and the lack of efficiencies that aren't created through supply chains.  how do companies build stronger you know distribution of their products through the multiple steps without waste created to be able to move these products as efficiently as possible.  And then you know over the years, of course, there's much greater awareness now about the pollution as a result of say packaging waste products that are just discarded, and the value is lost to the product that ends up unaccounted for. And then of course the climate change and other actions in which people are examining their footprint. The environment and what's taking place in the supply chain that might help alleviate one's impact to the environment. But more so right now and pressing here we are in the midst of a pandemic that just keeps lingering  is we're seeing the effects of of what not having a resilient supply chain is not having products and raw materials that are available those that have to be sourced for every single use production. Let's say that the lack of materials, the lack of accountability in terms of having products like packaging available for your business. It's really pressing some of the greatest challenges we have around the world in terms of global trade. You know, the idea is that when you build and design and build products for durability, they're lasting.They're here. You don't have to go back and resource raw materials to remanufacture for every need. Is that you've got products that are available within your pool or network. It just requires the management of those assets to optimize your your packaging needs. And so really creating the resiliency and the visibility of your inventories moving into modern digital supply chains is what the opportunities hold. And it's been very evident with the pandemic and the impact it has. That's really stressing how people are, of course, distributing goods and availability of those goods in the supply chain today. 

Bill Wohl:
So, as you think about reusability, I think that the name of the association sort of gets people thinking about  recycling and waste, but you're really trying to help your members deal with some of the challenges that are fairly basic. The racks that hold fresh bread, they not only bring the fresh bread to market, those racks then have to be returned to the manufacturer. If they if those racks get thrown out, get lost, get stolen, and it makes it difficult then for the manufacturer of bread to have enough racks reliably to ship out new products or even what we're seeing a lot in the general news right now the the the shortage of shipping containers largely driven by the fact that the ports have been shut down because of the pandemic getting those containers back to manufacturing markets say like China is now one of the biggest problems is that a lot of the chatter you hear from the members of the association?

Tim Debus:
Oh, absolutely earlier this year we saw with pallets just the availability of pallets in fact in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry made public announcements and statements about the lack of pallets that were available. And then of course, as we saw with goods like toilet paper in the conser markets, people start stocking up on pallets to make sure they're covering their business under an effective managed system in which you have the confidence to have availability of that product that's moving for your business and being returned and returned in the right shape.  whether it has to be washed and sanitized for food uses, for example,  conditioned but they're put back into place. And when you've got that managed system and you're leveraging the technologies to enable the real-time movement and understanding of your of your inventories, that's when you really got the robust packaging system in place. And so you're right, when you're seeing shortages across the nation, across the world in terms of these products, you know, our organization brings together these members to talk about best practices, talk about  experiences. One thing we do is we just raise awareness you know, using case studies, using examples, using articles and columns that we're able to write credible expert perspectives to provide in the marketplace. You know, at the end of the day we want to be an educator. We want to have people come to the organization and learn and understand what is what, how do we overcome challenges as an industry? How does a business tackle certain limitations? They may be seeing in their supply chain. Are there examples that could be accounted and learned from?  And so we invite people to join the organization to be a part of our network to be a part of our committee structures to learn and and discuss amongst your peers and and your partners in in in the trading business and that that's where we find our most success.

Bill Wohl:
I suspect that many of those discussions do revolve around technology. We've all heard the term, smart packagin. And for those of us in the general public, we're thinking about packaging  ultimately that's consumer facing. But in the world you live in, that's really about understanding how technology like RFID tracking and scanning, even shock and temperature monitoring, can go into the way the materials move through the supply chain and report back to the manufacturer. I would imagine that's a big focus of the association membership.

Tim Debus:
Tremendous and more and more so only because it's break through, the promise of technology applied to reusable packaging products.  you know even 15 20 years ago it was very rudimentary in terms of the the application the products they were large devices they were expensive now it's not the case in fact we're having connectivity through the internet of things and having products being able to be identified through GPS and cloud systems like access offers and so that's one of the fastest growth areas of our member membership are technology providers because of the the rapid development of these devices, these systems the digital components that could be applied to our our industry. What's really important to note, Bill, today is that this technology is available.  It's not in the future. It's not forthcoming. It's actually available today. And it's some wonderful, you know, technologies that are equipping these smart packaging that's providing a wealth of information. And that's the that's the great thing. about access and they're coming to the industry saying that you know look we we can capture data. You know the key is can we assemble and interpret it to be able to make predictive analysis or predictive analytics of decision-making for your company. And that's really where we find the excitement is taking raw data that's being generated and millions in terms of movement of products in the global distribution of goods and ultimately identifying not only where they are but where they're going. And when can we get them back? Answering those questions really drives the value proposition for reusable packaging.

Bill Wohl:
And not only for those that are in the packaging business, but also ultimately back to the manufacturers and the customers. That understanding of information and insight that comes from data at the end really is what makes supply chains resilient and robust.



Tim Debus:
Very very much so. And we're, you know, just scratching the surface about the opportunity. , you know, I think the best is yet to come, but I'll be saying that for years. , because as technology continues to drive the digitization of our businesses, automation of our product handling and movement, , and being able to, , capitalize on that technology that's driving information for the best decisions for our business. It truly is an incredible time for the supply chain, and we're seeing this more and more in terms of the adoption of integr technology for the really baseline, you know products, such as your pallets and your bends and your crates and totes. Those are the products that ultimately can be equipped with this value-creating technology that is going to be game changers for those who incorporate it within their business.

Bill Wohl:
That's great. Dave, we just have about 30 seconds before we have to wrap up. Just want to come back to you for one last final question.  How do customers get started on this technology journey with reusable packaging?

David Perrine:
That's a great question, Bill. And look, one way is of course, you've heard from Tim speak about the value of doing this. So, one way to start is to reach out to the reusable packaging association and to access come to our website, visit our sites. We have tremendous resources in the form of blogs and papers and so on that can help guide the journey. Lastly, don't try to eat the elephant all in one fight. Start small. Use a concept of a proof of concept or a pilot that helps you identify, and from the learnings from that pallet, then you can move or that POC move efficiently into a production environment that will help you realize the benefits that  Tim described over the last few minutes. So reach out to us. We're here to help.

Bill Wohl:
That's good advice, Dave. As always, thanks for joining the program. Tim, thanks for being on the podcast. We really appreciate it. I want to tell our audience.  There is an upcoming event that looks directly at these topics.  It's at the end of September 27th through the 29th, in good old Las Vegas. Yep. Las Vegas is open, and they're holding in-person events. We're excited to see business getting back to in-person. The event is called the Pack Expo. A lot of great information at their website, packexpolasvegas.com. I know that ACSIS, Tim, and the Reusable Packaging Association will be there in the reusable package pavilion. So, if you're going to be in Vegas at the event, seek out Dave, seek out Tim and look for an opportunity to continue this discussion. That wraps up today's podcast. My thanks to the Reusable Packaging Association, president, CEO Tim Debus, for being with us, and for ACSIS’ David Perrine, for being a part of this podcast. And of course, always to ACSIS for making the podcast series possible. We welcome your comments and questions about the discussions on these podcasts. You can engage with us at the official ACSIS Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and of course directly with the Reusable Packaging Association. Please join that discussion. We look forward to hearing from you. I'm your host, Bill Wohl. And for everyone at ACSIS, thanks for joining. We look forward to our next podcast. Talk soon.

Narrator:
Thank you for listening to Supply Chain Visibility Stories brought to you by ACSIS, the 100% supply chain visibility cloud solution provider. Visit us on the web at accessinc.com. That's acsisinc.com or join the dialogue on social media. Look for ACSIS Inc. on LinkedIn and Twitter. Join us next time for supply chain visibility stories brought to you by ACSIS.