Hochiki
Case Study

About

For 100 years Hochiki Corporation has led the way in the design and manufacture of innovative life safety solutions. Its leading-edge commercial and industrial fire detection and emergency lighting products have acquired global acceptance as the benchmark for high-integrity and long-term reliability.

Brief

We have worked with Hochiki for over 12 years providing them with packaging consumables. However, during one of our account reviews, they asked if we could address some issues they were experiencing with their corrugated products supplier. In particular, there was dissatisfaction with the quality of the products and the method of supply, which were not supporting the company’s efficiency goals.

Findings

An investigation took place involving many hours on site with members of the Hochiki team. The fragile nature of the product range and prevalence of electrical components meant that packaging materials needed to be high grade and, crucially, dust-free.

This also included the way in which the packaging was manufactured and supplied to Hochiki. At the same time, the company was going through a period of expansion.

The amount of space being taken up with storing packaging was becoming a problem. And too many expensive staff hours were being spent managing packaging supply in line with demand.

Solution

Samples of the corrugated stock-keeping units (SKUs) were tested to establish the type of paper that was used. If the paper was deemed appropriate the grade was matched, but if not, they were replaced with higher specification materials. Packaging prototypes were produced and given to Hochiki who then tested and approved the samples. In addition, new voidfill systems were trialled and machines updated with consistent material supply.

After reviewing Hochiki’s corrugated supply arrangement, improvements were suggested including regular site visits and a stockholding agreement. Actionpoint agreed to hold stock of each packaging line and visit the premises each week to check packaging levels. A delivery would take place on the same or the next day to replenish the packaging within agreed minimum/maximum amounts. This meant that other than packaging to be used that month, plus a small emergency buffer, all packaging was to be held in stock at Actionpoint – ready to be delivered as and when required.

With improvements in place and packaging processes running as smoothly as possible, the next stage was to assess the environmental aspect. This informed plans to cut waste, reduce carbon footprint, and increase the use of recycled and recyclable materials.

Results

• By eliminating the risk of unusable packaging on site, production downtime has been significantly reduced.
• All corrugated packaging is now fully recyclable, includes recycled content, and the amount of recycled content for each product is being increased wherever possible. Added to this, all packaging is delivered in as carbon neutral.
• Valuable warehouse space has now been freed up to store Hochiki’s products, rather than their packaging.