Imagine that you’re a major player in the telecommunications industry. You recently shipped several packages to a customer in Asia. Yesterday, your installers flew out to complete the installation.
But now, the phone rings with bad news. The installers have arrived at your customer’s site to discover that one of the packages has not yet arrived. Without that critical piece, the installation cannot move forward as planned.
What now? Sit tight and wait for the errant package to appear? Or rush-ship a new set of parts to replace the package that has gone missing? Either way, your customer is unhappy and you’re paying for a team of installers to twiddle their thumbs until all the parts arrive on-site.
Using a consolidation crate to ship all the items related to a single installation together in a single package could have saved you undue stress, extra work hours, and, ultimately, money.
Why Consolidate?
Ensure key elements arrive together.
Eliminate the headaches associated with piecemeal packaging! If your major equipment is transported via shipping crate, but other critical pieces are sent by UPS or FedEx, you will need to manage twice as many details to guarantee a successful installation. Packaging all the items necessary for an installation in a single crate will reduce the likelihood of idle installers and missed deadlines.
Reduce exposure to rough handling.
Would you believe that equipment shipped in a crate enjoys a far gentler journey than your standard box that ships via UPS or FedEx? Think about it: Any package that can be carried by a human is subject to a 42” drop (or toss). Items that are braced on a skid and then crated are never very far off the ground, so they usually won’t experience more than a 6” drop. Consolidating all of your items into a single crate means every piece necessary for your installation receives the same careful handling.
How We Consolidate
CDC Packaging has developed a process to design the most cost-effective custom consolidation crates.
Take measurements.
First we need detailed size and weight measurements for each item that will be shipped in the consolidation crate. Some items might already be boxed before they will be crated, so it’s simply a matter of measuring the length, width, and height of the box. In other situations, the customer will need to provide drawings or we will visit the customer’s site to take measurements ourselves.
Solve the puzzle.
Designing a consolidated crate is like putting together a 3-D jigsaw puzzle. The weight and shape of each item must be considered. (The heaviest items, no matter what their shape, need to be on the bottom; the lightest and most delicate pieces go on top.)
Review limitations.
We will walk through the proposed shipment plan with the customer to discover any potential gotchas. For example, not all shipping crates are transported on freight planes; some go into the cargo holds of passenger airplanes. If the consolidated crate is expected to travel via passenger plane at some point in its journey, we will be sure to build a crate that fits in that particular plane.
Build crate.
We craft all the elements of your custom packaging in our workshop in Massachusetts.
Transport crate.
Once the crate is packed, we will load it onto a truck for the first leg of its journey. Depending on its ultimate destination, it will be driven to an airport or seaport. (For example, shipments heading to Asia may be trucked or flown to a port on the West Coast, where they will be loaded onto a container ship.)
Peace of Mind is Priceless
Consolidating all the pieces necessary for a successful installation into a single crate may be more expensive in the short-term, but it can help you save big in the long run. Idle installers and exorbitant overnight shipping charges are bad for the bottom line. A consolidation crate will ensure that your products arrive more consistently and have been handled more carefully. Best of all? You will have peace of mind that an important customer interaction will go smoothly.
CDC Packaging Can Help You Consolidate!
Ready to simplify your shipping process with a consolidation crate? Contact us today to discuss how consolidation can deliver peace of mind for both you and your customer.