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Sunday, June 08, 2008
Yet More Unique Features of the Cube-IQ Load Planning Software (Part Three)
Difficult Items, Grouping and Complex Loading Rules
Take those glass table tops. Put them in the truck… wait, they can’t go at the bottom of the truck, they’ll break. Wait, they have to be stacked on their sides, unless they’re the topmost item in the load, then they can go flat. Wait, you can only stack three of them together. Wait, they need a margin around them for padding… wait… wait…
Does this sound familiar? Chances are, the developers at MagicLogic have heard it before too, and made sure that Cube-IQ understands how your products need to be handled. The interface allows you to define complex rules for each of your products. In fact going several steps beyond that – allowing you to specify how single products, groups of products and pallets of products should be prioritized, picked, padded, loaded, braced and unloaded.
Products can also be grouped with partner items (for example as a table and set of six chairs) to ensure that orders are not split across containers.
ULD’s and COG’s
Unit Load Devices (ULD’s) are a particular challenge to Load Optimizers. As can be seen from their unique shape, stacking items into such a container is no longer an exercise in aligning to vertical or horizontal edges.
This is yet another unique part of Cube-IQ’s capabilities. Handling of these and other irregular-shaped containers is automatic and usually results in a significant improvement over manual attempts. Any shape of container can be defined within the system for maximum fit to your physical containers.
ULD with refrigeration unit showing Cube-IQ's effectiveness at building a truly efficient load within difficult spaces.
No matter what type of container you load, Cube-IQ maintains an impressive list of additional abilities. A well-balanced load is vital. While several systems on the market are able to report the Center of Gravity (COG) for the load, Cube-IQ goes the extra mile and is able to build the load around user-definable tolerances that ensure the COG is where you need it to be. This can be extended to ensure that axle weight limits and weight ratios – as many axles as you need – are honored.