Decide whether the order matches the engine's input model
A replenishment order may contain several SKUs, but a SKU label alone does not determine whether the geometry is mixed. The current layer engine repeats one identical outside rectangular footprint per search. Different products in identical cartons can share that geometric input, subject to their own packaging and weight requirements. Different carton dimensions cannot be represented by adding their independent counts or entering an average case size.
The useful question is whether one set of dimensions describes every case in the proposed layer. If not, the current tool does not create a joint arrangement of those unlike rectangles. Separate homogeneous searches are still useful for understanding each group, but their results do not locate both groups on one pallet. This guide uses fictional case sizes and a manual construction to illustrate the boundary.
Compare two homogeneous layers
Use a 1200 by 800 mm base, zero case gap and edge clearance, and permitted horizontal rotation. Case A has a 600 by 400 mm footprint. Four such cases fit, reaching the area ceiling four. Case B has a 300 by 200 mm footprint. Sixteen fit, reaching the area ceiling sixteen. Both mixed searches report optimal, but each packs only its own identical rectangle type.
| Question | Cases represented | Result | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homogeneous A layer | 600 by 400 mm only | 4 cases | Engine optimal; area ceiling 4 |
| Homogeneous B layer | 300 by 200 mm only | 16 cases | Engine optimal; area ceiling 16 |
| One mixed-size layer | 2 A cases plus 8 B cases | 10 cases in a stated construction | Manual coordinates; not a mixed-SKU tool result |
Adding four and sixteen gives twenty cases spread over two separately filled base rectangles, not twenty cases on one base. The area consumed would be twice the pallet area. The counts are capacities for different homogeneous questions and cannot be combined as though the engine had optimized an order containing both shapes.
Reproduce the homogeneous records
Open the four-case A layer and the sixteen-case B layer. Both links use a one-layer height reference for this example. Neither contains an input for a second case footprint or a SKU list.
The word Mixed in this interface refers to zero- and ninety-degree orientations of the same case dimensions. It does not mean multiple carton sizes. A result labelled mixed layout can therefore remain a homogeneous-SKU geometric search. Explain that distinction when passing its diagram to an order planner.
Construct a mixed-size candidate independently
For an order containing two A cases and eight B cases, place the two A cases at (0,0) and (600,0), each with extent 600 by 400 mm. They fill a strip across the base's length. Place four B cases at X coordinates 0, 300, 600, and 900 with Y 400, and four more at the same X coordinates with Y 600. Each B extent is 300 by 200.
Every rectangle stays inside 1200 by 800, and all are nonoverlapping at zero spacing. Two A areas total 480,000 square millimetres and eight B areas total another 480,000, exactly the base area. This verifies the stated layer construction for these quantities. It is not a general solver for other SKU mixes and does not prove that this is the preferred physical packaging arrangement.
Do not replace unlike dimensions with a mean
An averaged 450 by 300 mm footprint would be a new rectangle that describes neither case A nor case B. A layout of that average cannot be expanded back into the actual cases without new placement checks. Likewise, an average case weight can hide the distribution of heavier cases across pallets. The geometric and mass records need their actual groups.
If the two fictional case masses are 12 kg and 4 kg, the manual layer's packed-case mass is 2 times 12 + 8 times 4 = 56 kg. With a separately stated 25 kg tare and 2 kg extras, its gross is 83 kg. This is a component reconciliation, not a result obtained by giving the weight calculator a mixed-SKU list; that tool also uses the supplied case-weight input for its repeated cases.
Review vertical compatibility after the joint footprint
The example gives both case types a 200 mm vertical height only to keep the single-layer envelope simple. If their heights differ, the completed load and support between layers need a new review. Even equal heights do not establish equal compression strength or acceptable support. Product compatibility, labels, picking sequence, and securing requirements must come from the responsible operation.
A joint layer that fills the base exactly has no geometric allowance for requested spacing. If gaps, clearance, or larger outside measurements are needed, the manual construction must be checked again. Do not apply the homogeneous tool's optimal statuses to the new two-size construction or preserve the zero-spacing coordinates while describing an operational spacing requirement.
Mixed-order evidence record
Base 1200 by 800 mm. A footprint 600 by 400, quantity 2. B footprint 300 by 200, quantity 8. Vertical heights 200 for this exercise. Zero gap and edge clearance. Evidence: the ten explicit manual coordinates described above, not a current mixed-SKU feature. Homogeneous reference runs separately return A 4 optimal and B 16 optimal. Preserve group masses, joint envelope, requested spacing, and the physical packaging review separately.
The methodology identifies the identical-rectangle contract. When an order falls outside it, state what the separate runs prove and where new joint placement evidence is required. That keeps a useful reference calculation from becoming an unsupported complete order plan.