92nd Meeting of the Wood Packaging Juniors in Frankfurt

What the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains (EUDR), occupational safety, and automation solutions for transport, storage, and order picking have in common was experienced by the juniors of the Federal Association of Wood Packaging, Pallets, Export Packaging (HPE) e.V. at their 92nd meeting in Frankfurt.

(Bad Honnef/Frankfurt) Outsiders are often impressed and sometimes even annoyed when yet another heavy transport with a huge wooden crate blocks two lanes of the highway. Few are aware of what lies behind it. A crate manufacturer and packer is a logical assumption. The HPE juniors visited one of their peers in Flörsheim, close to Frankfurt Airport, which is considered one of the most important air freight hubs in Europe. There, Axxum Packaging Hessen GmbH opened its 25,000 m² of hall space and 60,000 m² of outdoor area, including a heavy cargo handling area for inland vessels.

However, to recognize where the center of gravity of the crate is or how to handle it, proper labeling is essential. Solutions for this are offered by the HPE guest member Rea Jet. There, the juniors of the Federal Association gained insights into industrial marking technologies using ink, color, or laser for contactless labeling, coding, and marking of various products and surfaces.

In the Tech Center and through a virtual Tech Tour at Dematic, one of the leading providers of technologies, software, and services for supply chain automation, the wood juniors gained deep insights into various automation solutions for transport, storage, and order picking. This particularly concerns the pallet industry and its customers.

Bureaucracy from Brussels and Berlin

Thus, many stakeholders are indirectly and directly involved in the supply chains, which are being suffocated by increasing regulations from Brussels and Berlin. The HPE juniors discussed such legislative initiatives, such as the EUDR and the PPWR, as well as practical issues with Tim Markmann from the HPE office during the concluding working meeting.

Photo: © HPE