Far better to pay once for a robust, reusable container that provides better protection for parts and can, ideally, hold them all the way from supplier to lineside. Vehicle assembly, with its tight transport loops and frequent, just-in-time deliveries, is also an ideal candidate for closed-loop packaging approaches.

It is no surprise, therefore, that returnable packaging has become the standard solution for parts deliveries across the sector. All carmakers have to worry about are the details. Will they use dedicated packaging for particular flows, or a pooled approach that shares it about? Will they buy their own packaging, or rent it from a specialist provider? …