KarloadR
KarloadR is a vehicle load-planning tool that reduces freight costs for roll manufacturers. KarloadR develops load plans that take full advantage of vehicle capacity and can suggest changes for adjusting orders to reach full vehicle capacity.
The Impact of a Suggestion
Many paper roll manufacturers manually plan loads for both rail and truck transportation. There are products available that can help with load planning, but few, if any, can make suggestions for improving orders as KarloadR does. KarloadR evaluates how an order will best load and can offer suggestions that will help manufacturers reach full vehicle capacity when loading orders. These capabilities can ultimately make a significant impact on a roll manufacturer’s bottom line.
How Does KarloadR Work
KarloadR’s primary objective is to minimize the number of vehicles required to ship an order. The program considers the size, weight capacity, center of gravity requirements and loading rules for the available vehicles, as well as the quantity, size and weight of the rolls in an order. By taking these variables into consideration, KarloadR suggests load plans so that the orders fill the fewest vehicles possible, rail or truck, with the maximum amount of weight. If desired, KarloadR can make suggestions for improving orders to maximize the weight carried on the vehicles.
Depending on how KarloadR is configured, the total number of rolls used may increase or decrease. KarloadR’s suggestions are dependent on how full the last vehicle is. For example, if the last vehicle contains only one roll, then KarloadR will usually suggest eliminating that roll and the vehicle from the order. Every partial vehicle can have rolls either removed, or added to ensure the best possible load plan.
The criteria for determining whether KarloadR suggests adding or deleting rolls can be adjusted separately for both truck and rail transportation. Thus, if the criteria were set at a 50 percent threshold, then for a vehicle filled to 50 percent or greater capacity, KarloadR would suggest adding rolls. If, however, a vehicle was filled to less than 50 percent, then KarloadR would suggest removing rolls. The suggested changes, if implemented, would allow manufacturers to fill all vehicles for an order to capacity.
Lead Time for Implementation
KarloadR can be easily incorporated into the order taking process, or at the trim sheet level at a paper mill. In order for KarloadR to work, roll quantities and accurate roll weights will need to be available for the program.
What Results Can You Get with KarloadR
KarloadR results can vary depending on whether or not orders are changed. KarloadR was able to increase average car weight by seven thousand pounds for one manufacturer immediately upon implementation. It is estimated that KarloadR should ultimately be able to increase average rail car weight by three to five tons, while truck weight should increase by one thousand to fifteen hundred pounds.
How Soon Will You See Results
Roll manufacturers should see immediate results upon incorporating KarloadR into either the loading, or order taking, process. It may take a few weeks, however, for the loading personnel to get accustomed to following KarloadR’s suggestions. The accrued savings will have a direct impact on a manufacturer’s bottom line by improving load efficiency and maximizing the number of rolls shipped per dollar of transportation cost.
