Life-Centered Concurrent Packaging Design: Integrating Packaging, Product, Logistics Process and Supply Chain

Using a life-centered packaging design approach in the context of packaging applications for consumer goods, this paper presents a conceptual model for the concurrent development of packaging, product, logistics process, and supply chain (SC). The objective is to enhance the understanding of packaging logistics and logistics management in SCs and to identify current packaging logistics issues in the SC. The four-dimensional concurrent engineering (4DCE) framework, based on the alignment of and interaction between SC, logistics, packaging, and product, is used to increase overall SC efficiency. The model is applied and tested via three case studies within different industries. The results indicate improved understanding and knowledge-sharing between SC actors, with collaborative efforts leading to an increased overall SC performance.