The Candy Container Competition: Reinforcing Gross Weight, Balance, and Stowage in Intermodal Transportation

The described exercise uses competition and the promise of a sugar-high to motivate students to appreciate the importance load management in an intermodal setting. Using material available from a local supermarket or general merchandise store, student teams load their "container" for two customers. One customer requires palletized square candy, and the second customer requires barrels (Dixie cups) of smaller odd-shaped candy. Students receive a worksheet that contains the weights of each type of candy in their customer kit packs, the tare weight of the container, and the approximate weight of their cardboard pallets. Students secure the contents of their pallets with shrink-wrap (household plastic wrap) and ensure that their cargo doesn't shift using dunnage (bubble wrap). Students compete to approach but not exceed the 500-gram maximum gross weight of their container while meeting two constraints: withstanding a 30° tilt and no more than a 20% weight differential between the ends of the container. A debrief reinforces the importance of our responsibility as supply chain professionals for the safety of transportation and material handling workers. The winning team is awarded extra credit points, and all participants are allowed to eat their customers’ shipments.