How to Save €5K Per Container With 3D Load Planning
Industry average container utilization sits at 75-85%. An FFD bin-packing algorithm pushes it to 94%+. That 9% improvement saves €2-5K per container. Here is the math, the algorithm, and a real €4,200 savings story.
18% of your container is air
You are standing at the port of Piraeus. A 40-foot container sits on the chassis, loaded with 42 blocks of Thassos White marble bound for a distributor in New Jersey. The foreman signs off. The container is sealed.
Inside, 18% of the space is air. You just paid to ship nothing.
At an average material value of €50,000 per container, that 18% represents €9,000 in wasted capacity. Multiply that by 10 containers per month, and you are looking at €90,000 per year in space you paid for but did not use.
Why manual packing fails
The standard approach to container loading has not changed in decades. An experienced foreman surveys the blocks, estimates dimensions by eye, and directs the loading crew. Heaviest pieces first along the floor. Lighter blocks on top. Wooden spacers fill the gaps.
This process relies on spatial intuition built over years. It is skilled labor, not negligent work. But it has inherent limitations:
**Irregular shapes.** Natural stone blocks are not uniform rectangles. They have irregular edges, wedge-shaped profiles, and dimensional variation. A human operator cannot simultaneously optimize for dozens of irregular geometries in a confined space.
**Time pressure.** Container loading operates under strict time windows. The truck is waiting. The vessel has a cut-off. There is no time to try 15 different arrangements.
**No optimization algorithm.** The human brain is good at spatial reasoning, but it cannot evaluate 1,200 possible configurations in four seconds. It satisfices -- finds "good enough" -- rather than optimizes. Good enough is 75-85% utilization.
The math that should concern you
A 40-foot container loaded with premium marble at €1,500 per cubic meter has a material value between €36,000 and €67,500. The industry average is approximately €50,000 per container.
| Utilization | Wasted Value/Container | At 10/month | At 50/month |
| ------------- | ---------------------- | ------------- | ------------- |
| 75% | €12,500 | €125,000/yr | €625,000/yr |
| 85% | €7,500 | €75,000/yr | €375,000/yr |
The difference between 85% and 94% is €4,500 per container. That is €2,000-5,000 in savings on every single shipment.
How the FFD bin-packing algorithm works
FFD stands for First Fit Decreasing. It is a well-studied algorithm in computational geometry:
**Step 1: Sort.** All blocks are sorted by volume in decreasing order. Largest block goes first.
**Step 2: Place.** The algorithm places the largest block in the optimal position, considering all possible orientations. It evaluates not just whether the block fits, but where it fits best -- minimizing remaining irregular space.
**Step 3: Repeat.** The next-largest block is placed in the best remaining position. The algorithm recalculates available space after each placement, accounting for the three-dimensional geometry of every previously placed block.
**Step 4: Validate.** After each placement, three checks run: - **Weight distribution**: Center of gravity recalculated. If it drifts outside acceptable limits, placement is adjusted. - **Axle load limits**: Front and rear axle weights must comply with CTU Code requirements. - **Collision detection**: Every placement is checked against all existing positions.
The entire process completes in under four seconds for a full 40-foot container.
The €4,200 story
A European quarry was shipping 42 blocks of Thassos White to New Jersey. The warehouse team loaded manually: 82% utilization. Above average. The foreman was satisfied.
Before sealing, the logistics manager ran the same shipment through a 3D load planner. The FFD algorithm evaluated all 42 blocks -- each with its specific, irregular dimensions captured by LiDAR scanning -- and produced an alternative layout.
Result: 94% utilization. Same 42 blocks. Same container. But rearranged so that three additional blocks from a pending order fit in the remaining space. Those three blocks would have required their own partial shipment the following week.
Savings on that single container: €4,200. The material value of three additional blocks, minus the incremental weight cost, minus the partial shipment they no longer needed.
VGM compliance: the hidden time cost
The SOLAS convention requires every loaded container to have a Verified Gross Mass declaration before it boards a vessel. The manual process -- weighing blocks, recording weights, calculating totals, formatting documents -- takes 1.5 to 2 hours per container.
With an integrated 3D load planner, VGM generation is automatic. Every block's weight is already in the system from LiDAR scan and density calculation. The document generates in under 10 seconds. Two hours of skilled labor, replaced by a button click.
CTU Code compliance: automated
The Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units establishes requirements for safe loading: weight distribution, securing methods, load stability. The 3D planner validates these automatically:
- Center of gravity within acceptable bounds - Front-to-rear weight distribution within axle load limits - Load height within container dimensions - Securing points identified for dunnage and bracing
Every load plan generates a print-friendly compliance report: block positions, weight distribution map, center of gravity diagram, and axle load summary.
The compound effect
| Volume | Savings/Container | Annual Impact |
| -------- | ------------------- | --------------- |
| 10/month | €4,200 | €504,000/year |
| 25/month | €4,200 | €1,260,000/year |
The foreman still checks every load. The crew still does the physical work. But the plan they start from is no longer limited by what one person can calculate under time pressure. It is limited only by physics and the dimensions of the container.
Physics does not leave 18% empty.
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