Industries · automotive
Two problems in one plant: big cube out, dense weight in.
- Common footprint
- 48 × 40 × 44 and 48 × 45 × 34
- Typical grade
- Middle to lower cosmetic grade
- Direction
- Generator and consumer
Request for an automotive plant
Give the rack footprint, the part weight and any schedule. A partner supplier follows up where availability allows.
Answer first
Rack footprint first, everything else second.
Automotive is the one sector where the box often has to fit the rack, not the pallet. A 48 × 45 footprint sized to a specific dunnage rack cannot be swapped for a GMA-sized box, however similar the cube. The wrong footprint is not an inconvenience; it can stop a line.
So the rack dimension comes before the material. From there the rest follows: light bulky trim wants the tallest box the rack bay allows, while stamped and machined parts want a shallow 24 or 30 inch box so the weight limit and the cube run out together.
The second automotive-specific constraint is schedule. Tier plants operate on releases, not orders. If you need recurring supply, ask each supplier what they can commit to.
In practice
What this sector commonly runs.
| Material | Footprint | Wall | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior trim and soft parts | 48 × 40 × 44 | 5-wall | Cube-limited; buy the tallest the bay allows |
| Seat foam and headliners | 48 × 40 × 48 | 5-wall | Extremely light; freight is most of the cost |
| Blow-moulded components | 48 × 45 × 34 | 4-wall | Rack-specific; do not substitute a GMA footprint |
| Stamped metal and brackets | 48 × 40 × 24 | Triple wall | Weight-limited; shallow box, full pallet support |
| Fasteners and small machined parts | 41 × 28 × 25 | 4-wall | Half gaylords keep line-side reach sensible |
| Aftermarket and service parts | 48 × 40 × 36 | 4-wall | Often customer-facing; consider a cleaner grade |
Planning
Questions worth settling with a supplier
- 01
Release-based supply
If you work to releases, ask whether a supplier can hold stock against a schedule.
- 02
Matched footprints
Ask about rack-specific sizes, including non-GMA ones that are harder to find.
- 03
Reverse flow
Ask whether empties from your receiving side can be collected when a delivery is made.
- 04
Everything in writing
Keep commitments, counts and changes on one written thread so you have a paper trail.
Questions
Sector questions, answered.
Can I find a rack-specific box?
Is scheduled supply possible?
Do used boxes work for customer-facing service parts?
Scheduling
How a release-based account tends to run.
Tier plants issue releases rather than place orders. Supplying them generally means holding stock against a forecast, so it helps to be clear about your horizon.
- Forecast horizon
- A rolling forecast, re-based periodically. Share it with the supplier by footprint.
- Firm window
- Know which part of the forecast is firm and which is planning only, and agree how changes are handled.
- Reserved inventory
- Ask whether stock can be set aside for you rather than sold to others.
- Delivery pattern
- Scheduled deliveries against named days, ideally combined with empties collection.
- Escalation
- Agree a named contact on each side and keep everything on one written thread.
- Footprint variety
- Automotive runs more rack-specific sizes than most sectors, including 48 × 45 and other non-GMA footprints. Availability of these varies.
Materials
What goes in which box on an automotive site.
A wide spread of needs, from foam that is very light to stampings that hit their limit at a fraction of the cube.
| Material | Footprint | Wall | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior trim and soft parts | 48 × 40 × 44 | 5-wall | Cube-limited; buy the tallest the rack bay allows |
| Seat foam and headliners | 48 × 40 × 48 | 5-wall | Extremely light; freight is most of the cost |
| Blow-moulded components | 48 × 45 × 34 | 4-wall | Rack-specific; a GMA substitute overhangs badly |
| Stamped metal and brackets | 48 × 40 × 24 | Triple | Weight-limited; needs a well-decked pallet |
| Castings and machined parts | 48 × 40 × 20 | Triple | Shallow tray; dense loads deflect stringer pallets |
| Fasteners and small parts | 41 × 28 × 25 | 4-wall | Half gaylords keep line-side reach sensible |
| Wiring harnesses | 48 × 40 × 36 | 4-wall | Light but bulky; a liner prevents snagging |
| Glass and mirrors | 48 × 40 × 30 | 5-wall | Use dividers; ask about board for them |
| Aftermarket and service parts | 48 × 40 × 36 | 4-wall | Often customer-facing; consider a cleaner grade |
Reverse flow
Empties are often worth more than a site realises.
- Inbound component containers accumulating behind receiving
- Rack-specific boxes that no longer fit a changed programme
- Dunnage and pad stock from discontinued parts
- Pallets, including non-standard automotive footprints
- Damaged containers that may be patched rather than scrapped
- Sound panels from boxes that failed, which may suit recycling better than a general bale
Send the rack dimension and the schedule.
A partner supplier follows up on what is available and what may need to be sourced new.