Selecting reliable packaging materials, such as the Euro containers, is one of the most important decisions for companies which receive semi-finished parts and send them to the assembly line to manufacture the finished products which are then sent to the end clients. By using old packaging materials, such as wooden boxes, these companies lose a lot of money through damaged products and the additional logistic costs of maintaining and repairing these boxes.
Unreliable Packaging for Valuable Items
In this case study, our company was approached by an important international manufacturer of taps and other accessories for the bathroom. This company manufactures high end products for the luxury market, so every semi-finished product has a high intrinsic value through the valuable materials they are made of. However, these expensive products were delivered, stored and sent to the assembly line in wooden crates.
Packaging materials made of wood are known for the problems they cause, even after a short time of usage. They are prone to chipping and breaking and they need to be sent for repairs over and over again. Also, they are not hygienic at all, because they absorb both odors and various substances, such as liquids, oils and chemicals. This is certainly not the adequate packaging materials in which parts which will form an expensive bath tub tap should be stored.
Logistic Specialists Present Their Opinion
After analyzing the internal logistic procedures and activities of this particular client, our logistics and packaging consultants have concluded that the client is accumulating a lot of unnecessary costs through the packaging solutions they use.
Compared to the use of the simplest model of plastic Euro containers, the wooden crates used by the clients accumulated cost by:
- Frequent repairs to remove chips and fix broken parts
- Long and expensive washing process, which did not manage to restore the crates to a perfectly clean state
- Damage caused to the expensive stored parts, some of which were not fit for use
- Short useful life, no return on investment.
Euro Containers – the Adequate Solution
The reason why the client continued to use the unreliable wooden crates for such a long time was the specific shape they had: very long and narrow, to fit the specific shape of the semi-finished products. Once our consultants understood the reason for using these particular crates, they were able to make a more reliable and adequate suggestion: 1200 x 400 mm EURO containers, which have the exact specific size required by the clients.
However, this is the only similarity between this modern packaging solution and the wooden crates. The EURO containers are made of virgin polypropylene and have a robust design, with ribbing, ideal for heavy-duty application. The containers are stackable, even when they are loaded with products, and help save transportation costs by maximizing the usage of the trailer space. They are also an efficient packaging solution for very crowded warehouses and manufacturing plants with limited storage space for parts and components.
The design with multiple cut-out handles on the long and short sides facilitates handling of the container by up to four people, reducing the risk of labor accidents when one person lifts a heavy loaded container.
Our client was perfectly satisfied with the benefits offered by the EURO containers and reported a smooth transition from the use of old wooden crates, with zero negative impacts on the handling and transportation processes within their manufacturing plants. Once again, modern packaging solutions prove that change is good and it should be embraced by all companies that want to keep up with the ever changing market conditions in their industries.