Determine the cost optimal way to pack every order.
PacAPI is a 3D cube, cost-aware cartonization engine, designed to solve your packing challenges. The only patented solution to factor in your true fulfillment costs, from negotiated rate cards, to material and labor costs, PacAPI increases fill rates and reduces costs.
Packing efficiently just got easier.
How it works
PacAPI requires items and boxes with dimensional and weight data. This data is typically sourced from your ERP or WMS. API requests incorporate this data along with rules and options to ensure orders are packed according to your existing SOPs. Capable of processing 10,000 calculations per second, you can deploy PacAPI anywhere in your process from order entry to packout.
PacAPI can accommodate unique operational constraints to ensure a packing decision is made not just based on weights and dimensions, but with packing rules in mind.
Packing Rules
Internal Space
If an item has space inside of it that can be used to contain other items in an order, we can define that by using the internal-space rule. By incorporating these additional properties to a given item, we can account for nesting items inside another to minimize box size. For example, a set of hats, bowls, or items which would fit inside.
Lock Orientation
The lock-orientation rule is used to force a specific orientation of an item when the item is placed in a carton. For example, a bottle of liquid should not be packed on its side, or any type of item whose movement is restricted to one or two axes.
Pack As Is
When an item is already packed in a shippable container, we can tag this item "pack as is" rule to ensure it is not packed with any other items and is exclusively packed in a "container" of its own dimensions. This accommodates items which are able to be "shipped in own container" (SIOC).
Alternate Dimensions
To accommodate the real-life packing behavior, we can use the Alternate Dimensions rule. This means an item can shrink, fold or expand when placed into a shipping carton.
“The ability to optimize packing based on detailed cost and material factors has led to significant savings while supporting our ESG environmental initiative."
David Mintz, Chief Supply Chain Officer, NDC