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[Organizing Production - GCW] Assembly Types for Packaging Efficiency

Juliana Maciel Maruri da Cunha avatar
Written by Juliana Maciel Maruri da Cunha
Updated over a week ago

Assembly types define how items are grouped and measured during packaging, influencing both dimensional accuracy and cost effectiveness. There are five distinct types tailored to suit different materials and product formats.

Key Capabilities

  • Compatible with all product models

  • Five configurable assembly types

  • Automated dimension calculations

  • Assignable by product model or unique product ID (UID)


Types of Assembly Methods

Each product must be assigned an appropriate assembly type. This assignment governs how its dimensions are calculated during packaging. The default method for new product models is Fixed Size – One Stack.

Rolling Assembly

Usage: Can be used for products of the large sizes made from flexible materials or paper (e.g., posters, fabrics)

Process: Stack products first, summarize height, then roll reducing the longest side

Threshold: Max 20 items per roll

Inner Core Size: 10 mm to prevent damage

Package dimensions calculation: 5% is added to the roll dimensions

Package Dimensions Formula:
D = sqrt((L × 4 × T) / π + d²)
Where:

  • D = Outer roll diameter

  • L = Material length

  • T = Thickness (from bundle)

  • d = Inner core diameter

  • π ≈ 3.14159

Package dimensions calculation: Final dimensions increased by 5%


Folding Assembly

Usage: Apparel

Process: Fold first, then stack if several folded products are in the package

Rules:

  • No diagonal folds

  • Reduce longest dimension after each fold

  • Max 4 folds

  • Optimize to square shape

Package dimensions calculation: Sum of folded products dimensions + 5%


Fixed Size – One Stack

Usage: Rigid items (e.g., books, framed prints)

Process: Stack items in a single pile

Package dimensions calculation: Sum of products dimensions in the stack + 5%


Fixed Size – Several Stacks

Usage: Bulk shipments of similar-sized rigid items

Process:

  • Stack and summarize shortest dimensions per stack

  • Place stacks side by side and sum medium-sized dimensions

  • Optimize to the most square shape possible

Threshold: Default: 100 items per stack

Package dimensions calculation: Sum of products dimensions in the stacks + 5%


Volume-Based Assembly

Usage: Irregularly shaped products or products of different size in the same package (e.g. notebooks and pens)

Process:

  • Calculate ideal cube based on total product volume

  • Adjust dimensions if an item exceeds the ideal cube size

Package dimensions calculation: Sum of product dimensions + 5%


How Assembly Types Are Prioritized

When multiple rules could apply, the system uses the following priority sequence (from highest to lowest):

  1. Fixed Size – Several Stacks

  2. Fixed Size – One Stack

  3. Folding

  4. Rolling


Configuration Steps

  1. Assembly types are configured per product model in “Catalog => Product models” menu or per product UID in “Catalog => Product UID”

  2. Assign an assembly type to Product models (Preferred way to assign it based on model or based on condition of sizes)

    1. Open product model

    2. Select required assembly type

    3. Selected assembly type will be applied for all products in Product model.

    4. (Optional) You can use advanced mode when editing assembly type if you need advanced conditions

      1. Define a formula similar to this, it uses PaperFormat to assign different assembly type

        nestedDataLookup($["data"], "PaperFormat", attributes.PaperFormat.ID) ?? "fixed_one_stack"

      2. Apply the expression data for the model

        {
            "PaperFormat": {
                "270x350-mm": "rolling",
                "280x430-mm": "rolling",
                "300x300-mm": "rolling",
                "300x400-mm": "rolling",
                "300x450-mm": "rolling",
                "350x350-mm": "rolling",
                "400x400-mm": "rolling",
                "400x500-mm": "rolling",
                "400x600-mm": "rolling",
                "450x450-mm": "rolling",
                "450x600-mm": "rolling",
                "500x500-mm": "rolling",
                "500x700-mm": "rolling",
                "600x800-mm": "rolling",
                "600x900-mm": "rolling",
                "700x1000-mm": "rolling",
                "700x700-mm": "rolling",
                "750x1000-mm": "rolling",
                "A0": "rolling",
                "A1": "rolling",
                "A2": "rolling",
                "A3": "rolling",
                "a0": "rolling",
                "a1": "rolling",
                "a2": "rolling",
                "a3": "rolling"
            }
        }

  3. Assign an assembly type to each product UID in the system

    1. Open Product UID

    2. Select required assembly type

    3. Selected assembly type will be applied to the given UID even if different type is defined at product model level.

    4. Bulk updates for multiple UIDs is available in product models configuration (“Catalog => Product models” ).

  4. Assign an assembly type to Product UID using bulk edit

    1. Open Product Model

    2. Open Product UIDs Tab on Product Model page

    3. Click on checkbox to select which product UIDs you want to edit

    4. Click on Edit button to open bulk edit

    5. Modify Assembly Type and save

  5. Test package dimension calculations before deploying changes.

  6. Threshold configurations and sequence adjustments are not available in UIs.


FAQs

Can I apply multiple assembly types to a single product model?
No, each product or model can only have one active assembly type at a time.

What happens if no assembly type is assigned?
The default is Fixed Size – One Stack, but this may not produce accurate results for all products.

Can I override the model’s assembly type at the UID level?
Yes, product UID configuration takes precedence over model settings.


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