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Returnable packaging helps companies store and ship their products safely, in a space-saving manner and contributes to a decrease in operational costs. However, your company can enjoy these benefits if you are using the right type of plastic packaging solutions. In some cases, standard packaging is not the best choice for special products. In this case study, we will prove this point by showing how customized containers for steering wheels helped a tier 1 automotive supplier.
The Challenges of Shipping Steering Wheels
The steering wheel is the part of the car that the driver uses to control the vehicle’s direction. Thus, it must work perfectly well and respond quickly to commands. A malfunctioning steering wheel can cause tragedies on the roads. Thus, car producers pay very close attention to the quality and functionality of the steering wheels delivered by tier 1 suppliers to them.
Moreover, modern steering wheels also contain various commands (buttons), for example for controlling the car entertainment system.
This means that the steering wheel is a complex car part, containing electronic parts, and requires special protection from the moment it leaves the production line and up to the moment when it is installed in an automobile.
The Initial State of the Client’s Operation
The client, a producer of steering wheels for a top car brand, contacted the Logistic Packaging experts looking for a solution for an ongoing problem. The company was losing money by shipping their products in large containers. They could not find the best configuration, so they were paying a lot of money on shipping.
Thus, they decided to switch to smaller containers. While their shipping fees decreased, another issue appeared: their client started returning a percentage of steering wheels damaged in transit. The client realized that they had cut back an expense, only to replace it with financial loss.
At this point, they decided to ask packaging specialists to give their input.
Logistic Packaging Experts Weigh In the Issue
When we looked over the videos and photos sent by the client, we immediately identified the problem: none of the containers were a good fit for the steering wheels. They were professional plastic packaging solutions, but selected from standard ranges.
Our specialists have frequently encountered the issue of recommending packaging materials for special and sensitive products, such as items with a particular shape or containing electronic parts and components.
In most of these cases, our recommendation is to create customized packaging solutions that fit the product, instead of trying to fit these products into standard packages. Our recommendation for the client is to choose customized containers for steering wheels.
The Advantages of Using Customized Containers for Steering Wheels
Our range of customized products tries to cover every potential need expressed by our clients. We work with many tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 automotive suppliers, and this gives us a special insight into their challenges.
We started designing customized containers for steering wheels together with our clients, listening to their inputs and using the best raw materials. Over the years, we improved and perfected the design and features of these customized packaging solutions for the automotive industry.
At the present, we help protect steering wheels in transit with advanced custom options for the foldable containers, such as:
- Foam and microfiber internal dividers
- ESD foldable pockets
- Foldable dunnage with container sleeve.
The Client’s Decision
The client decided to follow our advice and implement customized containers for steering wheels. The main reasons for making these choices were:
- The containers are foldable and reduce their volume by 70%
- They could order precise sizes that fit their packaging needs and their products
- The containers have a sturdy build and offer protection even during rough journeys.
Over several months after implementation, our experts kept in touch with the client for post-sale assistance. The steering wheels producer reported that they were getting significantly fewer product returns from their clients. At the same time, the foldable customized containers for steering wheels helped them keep their shipping costs under control.
Logistic Packaging is ready to help every company find efficient, professional and cost optimizing packaging solutions for their specific needs. Send us an email or fill in the contact form to start discussing your packaging application with our experts!
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