How to divide Containers into Zones

How to divide Containers into Zones

Cube-IQ can define areas in a Container as Zones.

Zones are defined areas in a Container to control which products are loaded based on Dimensions and Rules.

Here is a an example of a Semi-Trailer Container.



There are no Zones in the Semi-Trailer Container above, It is a Container with the dimensions 1,287cm x 234cm x 200cm and a Weight Capacity of 21,500 kg.

Add a Zone to define an area of a Container.

To add a Zone to a Container: 1) click Containers menu, 2) navigate to a container, 3) click the Zones tab, and 4) click the Plus button



A Zone is added to the Semi-Trailer Container above after clicking the Plus button with default Zone properties generated based on the Semi-Trailer's dimensions.

Here are the default properties of the Zone added to Semi-Trailer above:
• Seq. is 999
• Depth Crd, Width Crd, and Height Crd are all 0cm
• Depth is 1,287cm, Width is 234cm, and Height is 200cm
• Direction is Back to Front (L)
• Match, Max # Prds, Min # Units, Max # Units, and Flex checkbox are optional, and are left blank

The Zone dimension as defined from above is 1,287cm x 234cm x 200cm, This Zone is the entire Container by default. A red dot illustrates where the the Zone starts; at Depth 0cm (against back wall),  Width 0cm (against left wall) , and Height 0cm (base of floor). The red dot's coordinates are 0cm x 0cm x 0cm of the Semi-Trailer.  There is also a red arrow to illustrate the load direction, Dir. B-F (L), is from Back to Front of the Zone.

Here is a closer look of the Semi-Trailer's one Zone. 



Editing this Zone to have its Depth be 351 cm instead of 1,287cm will have this result.



The red dot's coordinate has not changed in the example above, it is still the relative spot at the bottom left back of the container. The Width and Height has also not changed, it is still 234cm x 200cm. However, the Depth is now 351cm and this is illustrated by where the red arrow ends and with dotted lines.

A Zone is edited by changing the Zone's property and rules in the Container Zone tab.

Zone required fields.

  1. Sequence (Seq.) - the order of which defined Zone are loaded into
  2. Coordinate (Crd) - for where the Zone begins from the rear wall, left wall, and floor as the Coordinate reference points
    1. Depth Crd - distance from the rear wall of Container
    2. Width Crd - distance from the left wall of Container
    3. Height Crd - distance from the floor of Container
  3. Depth, Width, and Length - defines the dimensions of the Zone
  4. Dir. - Direction products are carried into the Zone: "B" stands for Back, "F" stands for Front, "R" stands for Right, and "L" stands for Left

Zone optional rules.

  1. Max Weight - rule for maximum Weight Capacity for a Zone
  2. Match - rule to only allow Products with equal Match Code to load into Zone.
  3. Max # Products (Prds) - rule for Maximum number of Product IDs to loaded into Zone
  4. Min # Units - rule for Minimum Quantity of Products to load into Zone
  5. Flexible (Flex.) - rule for Zone to adjust dimension automatically if necessary to provide better fit

Add more Zones to a Container.

Here is an example where this Semi-Trailer must adhere to rules where front area can only support a weight of 5000kg, rear can only support a weight of 5,500kg and the difference of 12,000kg can only be supported in the middle. A rear, middle, and front Zone can be defined for these Max Weight rules. 

Additional Zones can be added to a Container by clicking the Plus button again in the Container's Zone tab.



Above are a total of three Zones added to the Semi-Trailer Container after clicking the Plus button two more times. The Coordinates, Dimensions, and Max Weight have been configured.

The first Zone represents the rear, second zone is middle, and third is the front Zone. The Width and Height of each zone is 234cm x 200cm. However the Depth of the rear and front Zone is 351 cm, while the middle Zone is 585cm.

There is also a Max. Weight restriction for each Zone where Zone weight cannot be greater 4,500kg in the rear, 12,000kg in the middle, and 5,000kg in the front Zone.

The Coordinates for the Width and Height of each Zone does not change, only the Depth Crd changes. The rear Zone starts against the back wall, and its Depth Crd is 0cm. The middle Zone starts where the rear Zone ends at Depth 351cm, therefore the middle Zone's Depth Crd is 351. The front Zone starts at 936cm from the Container's back wall because 936cm is the total length of the rear and middle Zone. Therefore, the 936 is the Depth Crd of the front Zone.

Here is the Semi-Trailer Container with the three Zones illustrated.



A red dots represents the Coordinates where each Zone starts:
• Rear Zone Coordinates are 0cm x 0cm x 0cm
• Middle Zone Coordinates are 351cm x 0cm x 0cm 
• Front Zone Coordinates are 936cm x 0cm x 0cm

Optimized Load: Zoned Container vs non-Zoned Container

Here are two Optimized Loads where the left is Optimized in a Semi-Trailer with 3 Zones and the right is Optimized in a Semi-Trailer without Zones.



Products in the left Semi-Trailer are prevented from getting loaded into a Zone if they loaded beyond the Zone's boundary. Furthermore, the Max Weight rule will also prevent Products from getting loaded into a Zone if combined weight is greater than the Zone's Max Weight.

Notes:

Other optional Zone rules will also prevent Products from getting loaded into a Zone.

Click here to see Optional Zone rules.

    • Related Articles

    • How to import Containers in Excel to Cube-IQ

      Cube-IQ can import Containers from an Excel sheet Below is an Excel spreadsheet of Sample Containers. Container Id Depth Width Height Weight Capacity Type Height to be Added Bottom to Top Compacting in Height Sample Medium Box 23 15 7 30 Box 0 FALSE ...

    • How to avoid using costly containers unless necessary

      A rule can be added to a Container to prevent it from being used unless it is the only Container that can accommodate a Product's size. Below optimized Load is an example with two Container IDs and two Product IDs. Quantity for each Container can be ...

    • How to draw a pallet

      Containers can have a pallet automatically drawn under them. Here are two containers with standard pallet dimensions of 48 x 40 inches: left) is default without pallet drawing, while the right) is illustrated with a 5 inch tall pallet Draw pallets by ...

    • How to Match Products with Containers

      Cube-IQ can control which Containers Products are loaded into Matching codes can be assigned to Containers and Products to load Products into Containers where their Matching code is identical. Here is a Sample Load where Products are loaded into a ...

    • Container Selection Rules

      If you are working with multiple different container types and sizes within one load, Cube-IQ and the BlackBox both allow you to influence how those containers are selected. The following values are visible in the Loading Rules tab in Load Setup. ...