Make No Assumptions — Packaging Shipping and Storage are Important | Preferred Plastics
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Make No Assumptions — Packaging Shipping and Storage are Important

A lot of hard work went into your part design, and now it’s time to get it manufactured! You’ve sent out your drawing and RFQ, honed in on a vendor, and negotiated pricing. Everything is all set and ready to go, right? Not so fast! Have you done your packaging homework? As the final part of the manufacturing process, how the product will be packaged is often overlooked until the end. Defining requirements up front is critical to the sourcing process. Speaking from recent experience, what are some things to consider?

warehouse packaging

Packaging quantities — Smaller unit packages are more expensive than a bulk option. Not specifying lot sizes up front can lead to pricing confusion as well as add time to the negotiation process.

Appropriateness — Is the packaging for consumers or assembly? And is the packaging style compatible with the product — for example, will it hold its shape when spooled, and what size spool is most efficient?

Destination — Is the product going overseas? Requirements for shipping internationally may have hidden or overlooked packaging costs.

Once your items are appropriately packaged, how they are shipped and stored is critical to maintaining their quality. Plastics are subject to thermal expansion and contraction when subject to extreme temperatures, and they must be specially treated to withstand certain environments. What are some issues we’ve seen? White TPO and TPE parts yellowing when exposed to diesel fumes during storage. Glues melting when transported in trailers traveling through hot climates. Products without UV inhibitors cracking because they were stored outdoors in the sunshine. Ten foot lengths of flexible plastics deforming because they overhung the edges of a 5-foot shelf. Unfortunately this list could go on!

At Preferred Plastics, we have made it our mission to hammer out packaging details early in the RFQ process. There is absolutely no room for waste in a competitive market so if you are unsure of how to properly store your plastic parts, we are happy to make a recommendation. We hope this provides you with some food for thought!

Custom Plastic Extrusion Capabilities

Preferred Plastics is an industry-leading custom plastics extruder offering turnkey extrusion and finishing services. Over the past 40 years, we have earned a global reputation for extruding high quality plastic parts to the most exacting specifications. Our innovative extruding processes are supported by superior customer service and a commitment to producing parts that meet the highest quality standards and are delivered on time and on budget. Contact us today!

We offer:

  • Profile extrusions – custom shapes and sizes to meet the requirements for a wide range of industries and applications
  • Tube extrusions – custom tube profiles for a wide range of industrial and consumer applications
  • Co-extrusions – using two or more resins to manufacture parts that meet exacting performance requirements
  • Crosshead extrusions – providing reinforcement for the part or encapsulation of metal pieces within the extrusion

 

Plainwell, MI

Address:
800 E Bridge St
Plainwell, MI 49080

Phone
(269) 685-5873

Louisville, KY

Address:
8301 Cane Run Rd
Louisville, KY 40258

Phone
(502) 935-3070