To protect your merchandise during transport requires some layers of protection. In this post, we will look inside the crate and realize how much work is needed to ensure that your items arrive safely at their destination.

The first layer, in many cases is a wood crate. Generally this is a custom wood crate specifically designed to maximize the protection of the merchandise being shipped. Customized wood pallets and skids may also be used.

But that’s just the outside portion because it is important to consider the measures inside a crate that keep items from moving during transport. We going to review some of them:

Blocking and Bracing

Blocking and bracing complement an adequate protection for cargo. Commonly used to ensure that items, especially large and heavy ones to keep their position during transport avoiding damage.

Most of the time just filling the empty space around a crated item with loose material is not enough to prevent it from moving. It is more efficient once the item is into its crate or onto a wood pallet make use of strong protective materials as wood blocks or cradles that combined isolate the cargo from any sudden movement.

It doesn’t matter what the commodity and its specs, when blocking and bracing techniques are applied carefully and professionally, the protection of the cargo is high.

Product-Specific Packaging Solutions

There are several types of packaging that provide another layer of protection for cargo that will be transported. These materials are selected based on the nature of the items, and can include:

• Specialized cushioning. For some merchandise, it’s essential to minimize vibration and potential impacts experienced in transportation environments and ensure that the items don’t come into contact with each other or the walls of the container. Customized cushioning can be used for that aim. For light and delicate components, a polyurethane foam is usually utilized.
• Anti-static material. Electrostatic discharge can damage sensitive electronics. Anyhow, many anti-static packaging materials can be used to avoid that issue. They involve anti-static stretch wrap, buttle wrap, foam, and barriers.
• Heat shrink wrapping. This plastic material can be used to cover a product and then heated and shrunk so that it forms a snug barrier. Not only can heat shrink wrapping be utilized to secure merchandise to a deck or pallet during transport, the material is frequently used as an cost-effective alternative to protect products that will be in storage.
• Vapor barrier. Many types of merchandise, like electronics or those with bare metal surfaces, can be affected from moisture. Especially when they are transported by ship. VCI (volatile corrosion inhibitor) bags are often used to protect items during ocean transport. The bag surrounds the product and then the air is removed from inside it with a special vacuum mechanism. Activated desiccants can also be used to absorb moisture and humidity indicator cards to monitor humidity.

With the three levels of protection described above, the risk of damage to shipped items is greatly cut down.

Corrugated Containers or Hard Shell Cases and Proper Packaging

For some products, the combination of a heavy duty, double-walled corrugated container combined with the suitable packaging materials is an effective shipping solution. Items can also be placed inside hard shell cases lined with polyurethane, which can be custom cut to form an exact fit.

What Protective Measures Are Needed

While your knowledge of a shipped item’s characteristics is important, you don’t have to be a specialty crating and packaging expert to get your item safely to its destination. That’s our job.

In CARGO CARE SERVICES we develop a crating and packaging strategy specifically for each item. We advise you with the best solution to ensure your assets won’t be damaged. We also offer full cargo insurance to cover shipments in the event of additional damages or losses.

We can assist you with your packaging and crating needs for your nationwide and international shipments from the US. GET A QUOTE!

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates importing wood and wood products because of the risk of insect infestations with negative effects on the environment. This also applies to wooden pallets and crates, in this post we will review some of the requirements that have to be fulfilled.

ISPM 15

International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) – Developed by IPCC (International Plant Protection Convention) to address the need for wooden pallets and packaging to be fumigated.This is to prevent infestation of foreign insects.

ISPM wooden packaging must be made from debarked wood and then treated with either heat or methyl bromide to ensure that they cannot be reinfested and that they remain pest-free. Most of the world’s largest economies have adopted and implemented ISPM-15, and it is the only international pallet requirement for export.

After the wood is treated, it is stamped or branded with the internationally recognized IPPC stamp. The treatment method used and country of origin of WPM is also indicated by the mark.

Taken from https://www.bentleywp.com/the-importance-of-ispm-15-compliance/

Understanding treatment requirements for solid wood packaging, such as wood pallets, and crates, you can prevent the inconvenience and cost of having your shipment quarantined at international ports of entry, by hiring a vendor specialized in packaging and crating services.

Planning to use wooden packaging?

• Make sure they have been fumigated and stamped by your provider.
• Regulations require an IPCC Stamp – Request a stamp on both sides. It Certifies that the wood materials have undergone processing necessary to eliminate insects and fungus.

Wood packaging material without the IPCC stamp or found infested with insects would be in violation of the regulations put in place by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – a division of the USDA. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would then assess a penalty to the responsible party.

Contact CARGO CARE SERVICES for Packaging and Crating Services

We have a network throughout the United States in order to assist you with your palletizing, packaging and crating needs, we are able to provide you with a price given the zip code, and cargo details.

Get a quote!

Packaging and crating companies have their own facilities to handle this service, those are very well equipped for manufacturing industrial crates and corrugated boxes as well as for packaging valuable machinery, parts, and products. But is it better to do this service in-house or on-site (on the site where the machinery is being housed)? In this post, we are going to show you some points to consider.

On-site packaging and crating

On-site means to the jobs where the provider travels to your location with all the pre-assembled or kitted crating materials needed to secure, wrap, protect, preserve and skid or fully crate your equipment.

There are many reasons why freight would have to be crated on-site. Sometimes it is too fragile to be moved from its current location without protection, or too large or too uniquely-shaped to load directly onto a truck, etc.

But on-site crating has some challenges as:

1. Crating Sight Unseen

Sometimes if the provider didn’t see, measure, and evaluate the product by themselves, it is common that the product is different than what was described. So the provider may foresee those situations bringing extra supplies in order to protect against surprises.

2. Crating Away From Home

If the site it’s not within two hours of their own facilities, the workers should stay in a hotel to cut down on drive time and gas costs. This can pose a challenge for estimating the total job cost. The more accurately the provider can determine how long a job will take, the more accurately the quote will be and within the budget. When requesting quotes for an on-site job, be aware of how the estimates of job time vary!

3. Special Issues with Export Crating

Reid Packaging is ISPM-15 export certified. This means that the provider can apply what’s called a “bug stamp” to the crates that allow them to be shipped overseas. The problem is that a bug stamp applies to their specific building, not the company itself. This means that the provider has to bring all of our own solid wood lumber and cannot source other “bug stamped” lumber once they are on the job.

4. Hire a professional packaging and crating company

Sometimes you may think you need a very expensive crate to protect your machinery when really all they need is a properly designed forkliftable skid, some blocking and bracing, appropriate tie-downs, a flatbed truck, and a tarp. Or vice versa it is sometimes thought that you only need a cardboard box when they actually need extra protection from the hazards of transportation.

In CARGO CARE SERVICES we’re experts advising you on the most economical and appropriate options. We’re always happy when we can save you money by avoiding the need for a crate when it is applicable.

To summarize, the answer is it depends on your merchandise if you really need it. On- site packaging and crating can be more expensive than doing the same job in the provider’s facilities, where they have all the elements and equipment to handle your merchandise.

CARGO CARE SERVICES can handle both services on-site and in-house packaging and crating services, we can advise you about the most economical, efficient, and safest way to transport your product, just CONTACT US for a rate!!

Generally, when you deal with machinery or equipment there is also a considerable sum of money at stake. Therefore, it’s important that these valuable assets are packaged and crated properly and carefully. So, you should make sure to take into serious consideration this topic because due to this your items are going to survive the move without any consequences.

Therefore, we are going to take a look at the best practices of Machinery/Equipment Packaging and Crating with you, in order your items can be in the appropriate condition before the move.

Assessing Your Machinery or Equipment for Packaging and Crating

A good starting point is to gather the people in your organization who understand the item best and consider these key aspects about the project. These includes:

• If the item can be broken down into smaller components for shipping.
• Which items you should crate or packaging and which ones you should not.
• If the item will be disassembled and reassembled at the destination site, if you have staff to perform that work.
• If the item needs to be transported in a closed container, or can it tolerate exposure to the elements.
• The weight and the dimensions.
• If the item’s dimensions determine that it is considered an “oversize load” by any of the states or countries through which it will be carried.
• If there is anything else the crating, packaging company will need to know to safely transport the item. You should review the manual issued by the manufacturer.

As soon as you have this resolved, you’ll have a good understanding of the scope of your equipment project.

Before one of our jobs

Select a Specialty Crating and Packaging Company

Not every company with the capability to haul large assets has a background in machinery packaging, crating, blocking and bracing. The best piece of advice on this subject should come from specialists in the industry.

You should look for one that has expertise in some or all of these points, as needed for your project

• Designing and building custom crates, pallets and skids
• Use enough cushioning material
• ISPM 15 export crates and container loading

You also want to work with a company that can assist you to issue insurance policy if needed.

After!

Hire experts to take care of this job properly

You should go on and call a professional packing and crating company for help.The fact is that no one is going to do a better job of packing your items than the professionals who do it on a daily basis. They know how to go about this business and they will also have an unlimited supply of packaging and crating material on their hands. So, they will surely be able to handle with packing & crating equipment easily.

Packing & crating your machinery / equipment is the way to make sure that it will arrive in great conditions. It is important to do this in the proper way. If not, you are probably going to waste time, money and energy, but will not achieve anything. Therefore, if you realize that you cannot cope with the load, at CARGO CARE SERVICES we have 12 years of experience, in packaging and crating, we can help you just…

CONTACT US!