Vodafone and LOXXESS Develop Sustainable Transport Container

21. November 2019

The logistics and fulfillment service provider LOXXESS AG is introducing resource-conserving reusable transport containers with Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH. The containers are designed for internal deliveries, storage, disposal, returns and repair transports. The new system is more durable than the old pallet cardboard oxes and therefore contributers to both parties’ goal of achieving sustainable strategies.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in logistics. This is also the case with the logistics and fulfillment service provider LOXXESS AG and Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH (VKD). In the sense of sustainability of logistics processes, LOXXESS introduced a new environmentally-friendly, reusable transport container system (MWB) with Vodafone at the Bor site near the Czech border in the summer of 2019. LOXXESS developed the new MWB system together with VKD and KTP Solutions, a packaging specialist in the transport and warehouse logistics sector. LOXXESS procured a total of 4,000 boxes and invested around € 500,000 in the sustainable solution. 

LOXXESS transports various devices for VKD, such as modems and set top boxes, and in this context designed new sustainable containers for internal deliveries, storage, disposal, returns and repair transports. The sustainability of reusable containers: They carry up to 600 kg without losing their shape and at the same time can be folded together and stored to save space. In addition, the containers can be used for up to 60 transport cycles and therefore for 7-9 years. The reusable transport containers are also made of easily recyclable plastics. This makes it possible to produce new reusable transport containers from melted down old plastic containers.

Vodafone previously used cardboard containers and separators, so-called “Bi-Boxes.” These also offered 600 kg of carrying capacity, but quickly lost their sturdy shape during transport and had to be replaced after 5 transport cycles and about 2 months of use.

Daniel Zentgrag, head of Procurement and Logistics Cable Business of VKD, said: “Thanks to the creative ideas and good cooperation with LOXXESS and KTP, we have found this innovative solution that not only makes us more environmentally friendly, but also saves us money. The new plastic containers are one of many measures VKD is pursuing to be completely CO₂-neutral by 2025. In the future, for example, we will also use smaller packaging with less plastic for our devices.”

Wolfgang Fettes, division head of Consumer Terminals at Vodafone, underscores this: “Vodafone is pursuing ambitious goals overall, in particular in the areas of CO₂ reduction and avoiding plastic. The reuse and recycling of hardware is also a top priority. All of these measures are important building blocks of our strategy.”

Dr. Claus-Peter Amberger, Chairman of LOXXESS, comments: “The good cooperation with Vodafone during the development of the new containers is an example of the long-standing and smooth partnership between our companies. At the same time, the current state of development does not yet exhaust the potential for using reusable containers.”

VKD is currently thinking about a container management system based on IoT applications (Internet of Things) and, for example, is considering equipping the reusable containers with chips for narrowband communication. The reusable transport containers would be visible due to the chips and could be located at all times. Repair service providers, among others, would benefit from the determined data, since they could coordinate their work processes better. At the same time, the usage possibilities in the logistics sector have not yet been exhausted. Vodafone is already thinking about other uses for the reusable transport containers.