Skip to main content
Babeldat and logistics

Smart Shipping Units: How Algorithms Decide What Fits—And What Doesn’t

By July 29, 2025August 1st, 2025No Comments

What Is a Shipping Unit?

A shipping unit is how you group and package products for transport. Think of:

  • Boxes
  • Crates
  • IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers)
  • Roll containers
  • Pallets
  • Mailbox-sized parcels

Choosing the right shipping unit is more important than you think. A box that’s too big? That costs you air. One that’s too small? That leads to damage or repacking.

The Problem: Guessing Leads to Mistakes

“Sometimes a box is chosen that’s just too small. Then the picker has to find a new one, repackage everything, or ship items separately.”

“We ship half-empty boxes way too often. It’s expensive, wasteful, and looks sloppy to the customer.”

Without structure or system support, employees must guess which packaging fits. And that often goes wrong—especially with:

  • Complex orders with various sizes
  • Fragile or ADR goods
  • Customer-specific requirements (box with label, black bag, etc.)
  • International deliveries with mandatory packaging rules

The Solution: Smart Shipping Units via Algorithm

At Babeldat, we’ve developed an intelligent algorithm that precisely calculates:

  • Which products are in the shipment
  • What the sizes, weights, fragility, and requirements are
  • What the best matching type of shipping unit is
  • Which alternatives are also possible (ranked by efficiency or availability)

How Does It Work?

  1. Input: All products in the shipment are analyzed for size, weight, stackability, ADR status, and special restrictions
  2. Matrix Analysis: The algorithm compares all combinations with available shipping types (boxes, pallets, containers, etc.)
  3. Selection & Recommendation: The system displays the best option with a score, plus alternatives ranked by efficiency
  4. Automatic Linking: The selected shipping type is immediately linked to the order or picking task

Real-World Example

Order 1:

  • 1x glass bottle (fragile)
  • 4x boxes of screws
  • 1x narrow rod (1.20 m long)

The algorithm detects that:

  • The glass must be packed separately
  • The screws can go together
  • The rod doesn’t fit in a standard box

Recommendation:

  • 1x compartmentalized box for the screws
  • 1x long narrow package for the rod
  • 1x shock-resistant package for the glass

All suggested automatically—no guesswork for the employee.

What Else Can Babeldat Do With Shipping Advice?

  • Recommendations per order line, pick list, or batch
  • Choices can depend on stock status (e.g., box X out of stock → suggest box Y)
  • Customer-specific adjustments (e.g., reusable or eco-packaging required)
  • Triggering correct shipping label immediately after choice
  • Reporting on fill rate, waste, and efficiency

 

Poorly chosen shipping units cause frustration, waste, and errors. With Babeldat’s shipping advice algorithm, that no longer happens.

Whether it’s a fragile bottle, a pallet of boxes, or a mixed order with awkward shapes: the system calculates what fits and automatically selects the best option.

Fast, accurate, and error-free. So you can focus on delivering—not guessing.