JKR

‘Tis the season to post best of lists. Time magazine has a list of 2009’s best inventions. Less intriguing than the lists levitating mouse or fashion robot, but arguably of more consequence is Johannes Schneider’s algorithm: it works out the perfect arrangement of shapes to ensure the most efficient way to pack them or ship them*. While it might not appear particularly sexy, the money saved could probably pay for a lot more above the line flim flam (we undertook a similar exercise globally for Heinz Ketchup bottles and the money saved was really significant). The neat arrangements of individual items can also have a visual elegance which can be exploited when planning shelf blocking / shelf-ready packaging etc. Solid foundations are always an excellent base for great creativity.

*while this is not a new idea, and is of course the basis of most packing, this particular algorithm apparently breaks previous efficiency records.