Ensuring you have the right packaging for the products you are exporting is crucial to guarantee they do not get damaged in transit.
International shipping can expose consignments to a range of conditions not normally experienced in domestic markets. These include extremes in high and lower temperature, high levels of moisture, shock, vibration and repeated handling through international transit hubs.
Without the right packaging, items will arrive damaged, costing your business time and money.
1. Manual Handling
In addition to the trip your products take domestically, the journey inside a shipping container or aircraft together with the handling through international transit hubs adds risks to your package. Before it reaches its destination, it may be dropped, stacked or thrown around which can damage the products inside.
Understanding where the destination is, what methods of transportation will be used and what conditions your products will be stored at are important factors when choosing the correct packaging.
2. Moisture
Moisture can be a significant problem to certain products and can affect the performance of your packaging.
Moisture damage in products – Warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air. When products experience large temperature changes in a sea container or at high altitude in the hold of an aircraft, the water vapour is released and condensation forms. This can cause corrosion, damage electrical and optical equipment. Packaging is available to prevent damage through either inhibiting moisture or providing a physical barrier.
Moisture damage in packaging – Air containing high levels of moisture has a significant effect on the performance of corrugated board. As the relativity humidity (RH) increases in air, the performance of corrugated board reduces significantly. This reduction in strength can be as high as 80% in tropical conditions for some grades. There are special export grades of corrugated available that can withstand these conditions and maintain the required protection.
3. Shock & Vibration
For some products shocks from drops/rough handling or vibration transmitted during transportation can cause damage if they are not packed properly. Electronics manufacturers often face the challenges of protecting the smallest of electrical components during shipping.
At Macfarlane Packaging, we offer ISTA certified drop testing to ensure that your product withstands any vigorous movement or vibration. The ISTA 2B testing procedure will cover atmospheric
conditioning, compression, fixed displacement or random vibration and shock testing to simulate the conditions encountered during the journey.
4. Hazardous Cargo
Find out if the items you are shipping are subject to any strict regulations. When transporting hazardous materials, such as chemicals, in most cases, the packaging has to be certified to UN standards.
A range of standard packs are available off the shelf for low volume use, spanning a range of sizes and application types. For larger volumes, we can design, test and manufacture a pack to satisfy your precise requirements by using our expertise to provide a compact and cost-effective solution.
5. Theft
It is important to take extra steps to ensure that your products are secure as theft can be an issue when exporting. Keeping your packages plain and ensuring only the necessary information is printed on the item can help to discourage thieves.
6. Weight
In shipping, weight and volume will determine the cost of exporting your product. We can help you design lightweight packaging solutions that also offer maximum protection for your products.
To find out more about how we can help you with your packaging for export email us at enquiries@macfarlanemanufacturing.com
