IKEA' s smart loading ledge "OptiLedge" wins Innovative Logistics Award.

Translated from NYTeknic

IKEA’s smart loading ledge “OptiLedge” won this year’s logistics prize, the “Innovative Logistics Award.”

The ledge is mainly intended for goods that do not fit traditional pallets. The L-shaped OptiLedge is used in pairs and attached with straps on either side of the goods.

The loading ledge, made from recyclable polypropylene, is available in two sizes, one slightly longer and higher, the other shorter and lower. The larger model weighs 544 gram and can take loads up to 3.6 tons, static measured.

According to the web magazine Packnet.se it’s considerably faster to load a goods container with the OptiLedge compared to traditional pallets.

In recent years IKEA has used almost 12 millions OptiLedge per year worldwide.  It has worked so well that the company decided to launch the product externally, outside IKEA, in Europe. In US, where the IKEA-owned company Optilogistics produces it, it has been available in the market for a couple of years.

Innovative Logistics Award is not given to IKEA as a company but to the innovator Allan Dickner, packaging manager at IKEA of Sweden. The loading ledge won the award, given in November, in competition with two other logistic products. One was the new trolley “RoRoRail” from Kockum Industries, the other was a number of box constructions from Billerud and Everfresh.