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Wooden Pallets have played a vital role in industrial packaging for a long time. Using custom pallets has many advantages and it has made shipping and handling of goods easier and safer. Moreover, pallets can be re-used and recycled in many ways.
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You have a large piece of equipment or machinery that needs to be shipped across the country or maybe even overseas. What’s the process? And how do you get started?
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The Indiana-based packaging company DEUFOL North America specializes in export packaging services at their locations, at their customers locations or via mobile on-site services. The company has extensive experience in domestic and export packaging of items of any kind, from decorative wall pieces to oversized and heavy equipment.
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DEUFOL North America was established in 2001 by The DEUFOL Group and is celebrating 20 years of successful business in 2021. The DEUFOL team offers comprehensive crating, and export packaging and thermoforming services around the world.
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Are you searching for a new supply chain consulting service? It's never an easy process. You need a vendor who can meet your needs, deliver on your schedule, and fit within your budget. Very often, you can't really know whether a vendor will meet all of your criteria until after you have already started working with them.
During your search phase, how can you tell whether a vendor really aligns with your objectives? It's helpful to have a plan in place before you start talking to potential vendors. Define your top priorities. Identify potential red flags as warning signs. Have a clear idea of what you want and what is most important to you.
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Do you have a plant relocation in your future? Considering a new facility that is more affordable or perhaps higher quality? Or do you need to move for logistical and operational reasons?
No matter the reason behind your move, there’s no doubt that a plant relocation is a complex and time-consuming undertaking. Even if things go well, you’re facing a temporary disruption to operations. If things go poorly, you could suffer equipment damage, lost revenue, and possibly long-term business consequences.
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The current situation is tough for builders, manufacturers, and anyone who needs to purchase raw materials. Lumber prices are up over 300% in the past year. While there has been a slight pullback since May, the futures contracts price per thousand feet of two-by-fours is still more than three times pre-pandemic levels.
The pricing surge isn’t specific to lumber. Steel prices are also up more than 300%, and the prices for foil, fasteners, and other materials have also surged. While there has been some stabilization in recent months, a price drop doesn’t appear to be coming anytime soon.
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If you’re like most manufacturers, your business revolves around quality. Your customers expect only the best from you. They expect quality in both their experience working with you and with their final product. The product has to exactly meet their specifications and it has to be delivered on-time, if not sooner.
To meet those high demands, you probably have a process in place that you constantly review and optimize. You test your process and refine your standards. You likely monitor every step to identify ways to improve quality and efficiency.
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Where to find a Mil-Spec Supplier? On-Site Packing Services? Aren’t sure? Don’t be afraid to ask. There are a lot of export packaging terms and even industry leaders who move roles or organizations can find themselves relearning, well, the ABCs of ABC.
Below, we’ve gathered the most useful terms and deleted the obvious ones. Think of it as a quick-reference checklist for when you receive a head-scratcher of an email from your customer.
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When’s the last time you shipped an item and it arrived dented, scratched, or otherwise damaged? It’s not a common occurrence, but it’s frustrating when it does happen. However, it can be more than irritating when that damage happens to a large product or piece of equipment. Shipping damage to a large or heavy item can have serious financial consequences.
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Foreign markets present a double-edged sword for today’s manufacturers. On one hand, they represent untapped potential and an opportunity to grow sales and expand your market. On the other hand, they present a complex challenge. Exporting product and materials to a foreign market is no small feat. There are logistical hurdles, packaging issues, and plenty of regulatory red tape. Without the right knowledge or experience, you could encounter shipping delays, customs problems, damaged product, or more.
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In any project, managing the supply chain can be a complex and challenging endeavor. You could have hundreds or even thousands of parts coming in from a wide range of vendors. Those parts may have to be distributed within your facility, or maybe you need to unpack and repackage them before sending them out to a job site.
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If you regularly ship goods internationally, you probably know the ISPM-15 guideline. The ISPM-15 has been drawn up by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and describes the treatment of wood used in the international movement of goods with the aim of killing organisms such as parasites in the wood. It mainly applies to means of transport such as transport crates and pallets.
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Manufacturing and industrial operations are changing. Businesses constantly push the boundaries of what can be built, designed, and produced, but too often packaging solutions haven’t kept up.
Is that crate offering the protection and security you need? What does your packaging solution say to your customer? Is your solution doing enough to protect you, your customers, and their business?
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Thermoforming design. When you read those words, what comes to mind? What do you expect the thermoform to accomplish for you? How it looks on the shelf? How it functions? What are the goals of the brand and overall aesthetic? How would it move through your supply chain? It appears that these are just some of the important considerations, but thermoforming design seems to go well beyond the visual!
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You might have many issues with your current industrial packaging vendor at the Port of Antwerp. You might have had a certain amount of time to get your project completed and you were left running behind schedule perhaps because the wait time to get your products packaged, due to the extensive transport, as their location is far away from the breakbulk area, and not multi modal connected.
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The COVID pandemic has hit every corner of the American economy. Perhaps no sector has been hit harder than manufacturing. In April, the monthly manufacturing index crashed to 34.8. A score below 50 represents contraction in the industry. The April score was the lowest since 2009.
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We understand that ensuring your goods reach the desired destination in pristine condition is critical to your satisfaction. We also understand that the cost associated with crating can often be a key factor whether you are shipping domestically or overseas.
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If you could focus your attention on one area of your business and positively impact nearly every metric of it, would you do it? From productivity to planning to margins and resources, making a few simple changes in one functional location could lead to significant positive outcomes.
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Logistics and packaging should be of high quality in every phase. However, there are areas in which you must exceed even the highest quality standards and high level of care.
Whether it is the field of medical technology, the automotive industry or aerospace technology, whenever human life or the environment are affected or endangered, the quality has to be absolutely perfect.
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Crating. It’s a pretty simple concept. You build a box, package your materials, and load the crate for shipment. It’s straightforward, right? Not quite.
Your container can impact everything from product quality to margins to your supply chain. Your packaging solution can be an asset that adds value to your business or it can be a detriment that threatens quality and profitability.
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Curious about using Deufol’s services for your packaging, but not sure if we’re a good fit for your needs? You’re not alone. There are a wide range of packaging companies available. Not every packaging company is right for every need. Some offer standard packaging options while others are completely custom. Some specialize in certain industries. Other only work with certain materials. It can be hard to recognize whether a packaging company is right for you.
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When it comes to packaging, the word “lean” is often used to describe objectives. Many companies want lean packaging processes that reduce waste and boost margins. Others want lean distribution procedures that help them meet tight customer deadlines. And still others may literally want lean packaging that uses few materials and meets sustainability goals.
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What you’ll need to do to stay one step ahead of your competitors? There are hundreds of EV component manufacturers fighting for investor dollars and competing to have their parts in the latest and greatest vehicles. If you have a need for manufactured plastic EV parts, like battery module containment insulators, you can achieve both of those goals with a process called thermoforming.
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Are you fighting to compete in the fast-growing electric vehicle market? If so, you know how competitive the market is. Manufacturers are constantly developing new and improved parts to increase their share. If you don’t keep up, you could lose share and fall behind the competition.
One of the most competitive areas in the EV market is in the battery space. Of course, this makes sense since the battery is perhaps the most top-of-mind component in an electric vehicle.
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As battery production becomes more cost-efficient, many EV producers still face a key manufacturing challenge: the battery electric vehicle insulator. While the battery may be the most top-of-mind, the battery insulator remains one of the most important components of any EV. The insulator is what protects the car from the battery itself.
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The rise of the electric car in recent years has been cause for celebration for many different groups. Those concerned with sustainability and the environmental impact of fossil fuel use obviously love the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EV). Innovators and changemakers in the automotive world are also happy to see the industry evolve.
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The electric vehicle market continues to grow at breakneck speed. Electric vehicle (EV) sales topped $90 billion in 2018. That figure is expected to increase by 13% in 2019. By 2025, industry analysts expect EV sales to reach $420 billion.
If you’re an EV manufacturer, you have a substantial opportunity to grow your business over the next decade. However, to do so, you’ll need to stay one step ahead of your competitors. There are hundreds of EV component manufacturers fighting for investor dollars and competing to have their parts in the latest and greatest vehicles.
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Demand for electric vehicles (EV) continues to soar. According to research firm Fact MR, the EV market hit a record $90 billion in 2018. That figure is expected to increase by more than 13 percent in 2019. The market is expected to surpass $400 billion by 2025.
What’s fueling this increase in demand? Awareness about energy efficiency and environmental impact is a primary driver. However, falling prices are also a major player. The price of EV batteries continues to fall, crossing below $200 per kilowatt-hour in 2018. That price is expected to approach $100 in the next two-to-four years, which would lead to widespread EV adoption.
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Automotive manufacturers often face a difficult challenge in the production of their plastic parts. For decades, manufacturers have used injection molding to manufacture plastic components. Injection molding can be effective for large quantity jobs. However, it presents a number of issues for small volume manufacturers. It can often be costly to create a new mold. Those costs can make it prohibitive to run small jobs. That may limit a manufacturer's ability to innovate and try new designs.
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For decades, the automotive industry has been dominated by the big players. The barriers to entry have historically been formidable, and nearly impossible, for small, new entrants to overcome. In recent years, though, advances in manufacturing technology have made it possible for smaller companies to carve out their own niche and compete with the big boys.
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As long as there has been industrial production in this country, there has been the wood crate. For decades, it has been viewed as a reliable, cost-effective, and relatively simply tool for packaging and transporting industrial products. In some cases, it may be the best solution.
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Hubert had a challenge. The Ohio-based company relied on trade shows to market their kitchen appliance and accessory products. Trade shows are a highly effective location for Hubert to reach restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other types of businesses that purchase kitchen supplies and food merchandising products.
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Does your next project stretch across multiple borders? Do you have a supply chain that includes parts or materials from several different countries? From a business standpoint, the world is shrinking at a rapid rate. It’s rare in today’s environment for an entire logistical chain to operate within one country.
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Sometimes the simplest packaging questions can lead you in unexpected directions. That’s what happened recently when a medical product manufacturer called Deufol to ask about our thermoform packaging solutions. Deufol is a leading provider of thermoform packaging solutions, and the medical company thought we might be a good fit for their needs.
However, after a few initial conversations, it became clear that we could help this company with much more than just thermoform packaging. The medical manufacturer needed support not just with packaging, but also distribution and fulfillment.
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In manufacturing and on production floors around the world, Lean and Kaizen practices have become commonplace. We have found that it doesn’t stop at the end of a production line or assembly process. In fact, it’s critical to consider the value that can be found in your packaging and preparation for it’s most critical trip – to the end user.
When it comes to export and industrial packaging, the word “lean” is often used to describe objectives. Many companies want lean packaging processes that reduce waste and boost margins. Others may literally want lean packaging that uses few materials, meets sustainability goals and provides critical protection.
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Do you have a new military packaging job on your hands? Are you lost attempting to interpret the details of MIL-STD-2073? Have you been searching for the best partner to lead you through the process and help you get paid quickly?
Being a military packaging newcomer can be overwhelming, especially when trying to decipher unfamiliar military codes and government contracts on your own. Without knowledge and guidance, it is all too easy to end up down a long and costly path. A path where your product is held up for an unexpected number of months, a path where your package fails and your company is tagged by the government, or even a path where you ultimately don’t get paid for your goods.
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There are plenty of packaging companies that claim to be military experts. But how many of them are really qualified to meet your needs and help you maximize your military opportunity?
If you’re struggling with that question, you’re not alone. That’s the question many companies face after they become a military contractor. You probably have a packaging process in place, either through an in-house solution or via an outside contractor.
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As an industrial company, you’re used to managing big projects. Whether it’s manufacturing high-quality products for your customers or installing industrial components on job sites, project management is a critical factor in your success.
An industrial plant relocation, though, is its own kind of large-scale project. It can bring your business to a grinding halt and it can expose your products, inventory, and machinery to a wide range of risks. A plant relocation has many components and stages, and if any phase goes off track, it could threaten the project’s outcome.
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A move to a new facility is usually a milestone event for an industrial company. Your new plant may provide greater production capacity, allowing you to fulfill more orders and scale your business. It could give you more efficient access to labor, logistics partners, and shipping channels, helping you optimize your distribution and supply chains.
Of course, you have to get through the actual relocation before you can reap the benefits. The process of moving to a new plant can be a logistical nightmare for an industrial company. You have to package inventory and supplies and perhaps disassemble machinery. You have to transport everything to the new facility. And you have to do all this while continuing to fulfill orders for your customers.
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You know from experience how easy it is for an industrial project to expand in size, schedule, and scope. Small overruns in time and cost can quickly snowball. Before you know it, your project is off-schedule and over budget. If the project is small, these issues may not have much impact. If it’s a large project, it could threaten your business’s stability and cash flow.
There may be no project larger in scope than an industrial plant relocation. You have to move every item in your building, including inventory, shelving, office furniture, machinery, and more, to a new building. And you have to do so with minimal damage or defects and little impact to your production schedule. It’s a difficult challenge.
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Do your plans for 2018 include a move into a new industrial plant? The new facility may be a substantial development for your company. It may allow you to increase capacity or production capability. It may give you more efficient distribution options to customers. Perhaps the new facility comes with access to a larger and more skilled workforce.
However, even if the new facility is a sign of growth and expansion, there’s no doubt that the actual relocation could be challenging. You’ll have to relocate and possibly reassemble complex machinery. You may need to halt production for several days. You might even need to manage a team of contractors as they transport your equipment and inventory.
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The dreaded quality assurance inspection. Any company that has worked as a military contractor knows the importance of the QA inspection. It’s the final hurdle you have to clear before your product is accepted by the military and your invoice is processed. In other words, it’s the last thing standing between you and cash flow.
The military conducts the quality assurance inspection within seven business days after you package your shipments. A military quality assurance representative (QAR) visits your facility to make sure your packaging is compliant with MIL-STD-2073, the military’s packaging guidelines. If you pass the inspection, your shipment is cleared for transport to its destination. If the QAR finds issues, you’ll have to resolve those problems before you can move forward.
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As you likely know from experience, it’s not easy to win a military supply contract. There’s no shortage of companies that would love to do business with the military, as military contract often leads to consistent business and a steady cash flow.
However, winning the military contract is only half the battle. You also have to fulfill the military’s expectations and retain the contract. That’s not always easy. The military often has high standards and expectations. They can also easily turn to one of your competitors if they feel you aren’t meeting your contractual obligations.
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Looking to hire a packaging company to help you fulfill your new military contract? If so, you may want to think back on what the process was like when you were bidding as a potential military vendor. The military buying office probably wanted information on your products, your processes, your capabilities, and much more. How many questions did you have to answer about your business? How much data and information did you have to provide?
It might be helpful to adopt the military’s mindset in your search for a packaging partner. There are many packaging companies out there, and most say that they can help with military contracts. However, that doesn’t mean that every military packaging company is right for your needs and objectives.
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The good news is you won a military contract. The bad news is you have to fulfill that contract. Military contracts can be a blessing and a curse for manufacturers. On one hand, they bring a steady stream of demand and cash flow. That can be a boon for nearly any business.
On the other hand, the military might be the toughest customer you ever have. They have strict, specific quality standards. Their invoicing and contracting processes can be difficult to navigate. They may often be slow to get you the information you need, but then demand a fast turnaround time.
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Your business depends on the quality of your product. To protect your product quality, you probably have a rigorous packaging process in place. Perhaps you and your team have developed the right types of containers, dunnage, protective materials, and other types of packaging to minimize risk and potential damage.
If you’ve recently won a military contract, however, you may find that your new customer has different ideas on how your products should be packaged. All military vendors must put their shipments through a quality assurance process. A military quality assurance representative (QAR) inspects your product and your packaging before the shipment is sent to its destination.
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Everyone’s an expert, or at least that’s the way it might seem if you’re looking for a new vendor or service provider. Experience and knowledge are valuable commodities, so it’s not surprising that most companies want to position themselves as experts. The truth, though, is that real expertise can be hard to find.
That’s especially true in the world of military packaging. If you’re looking for a military packaging partner, you’ll likely find plenty of companies that position themselves as experts. However, having the capability to package military goods isn’t the same as being an expert.
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Are you looking for a packaging company to help you with your first big military contract? Or are you a long-time military supplier who is looking to make a change in your packaging process? The good news is there are numerous military packaging companies out there who can help you. The bad news is that not all of them are right for your specific needs.
It’s difficult to predict whether a packaging company will provide the service and solutions you need to meet your objectives. However, you can ask pointed questions to learn more about a potential partner’s background and experience. With some research and due diligence, you can sort through your options to find the right military packaging company for your needs.
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For many companies, a new military contract is a milestone event. Your first military contract can potentially revolutionize your business. It can generate ongoing, consistent business and cash flow. And more importantly, it gets you in the door with federal government, increasing the likelihood that you’ll win future business.
Of course, to fully leverage this opportunity, you have to meet the military’s strict contractor guidelines. There are a plenty of contractors ready and willing to take your place. If you aren’t meeting quality or delivery standards, you could be replaced.
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If you’ve earned a role as a military contractor , you know how important that contract can be for your business. A military contract can often mean consistent, long-term demand for your products. The cash flow could help you expand your business and reach new goals.
However, that cash flow doesn’t mean anything if your invoices go unpaid. As many military contractors have learned the hard way, getting an invoice paid by the Department of Defense (DoD) isn’t as simple as you might expect.
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Doing business with the U.S. military is unlike working with any other customer. The military operates on a tight schedule and with a rigid set of standards and expectations. There are Numerous suppliers and vendors who would love to work with the military, so if you don’t meet expectations, you could find yourself replaced.
One of the most difficult standards for many vendors is the RFID (radio frequency identification) requirement. Implemented in 2005, the military implemented RFID as a method to streamline their supply chain and bring greater efficiency to their operations. It’s a technology solution that allows the military to track incoming shipments.
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A contract as a military vendor can be a boon for any business. Military contracts often bring a heavy volume of work along with predictable cash flow. However, military business can often be complicated, and you may be expected to deliver on tight deadlines.
Even if you get your product produced, packaged, and shipped to the military destination on-time, you’re still not out of the woods. Before you get paid, your product and package may have to pass the Quality Assurance Review (QAR). This is the in-depth evaluation in which a military quality assurance representative checks your product against the military’s rigid quality standards.
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A government contract can be a windfall for nearly any manufacturer. That’s especially true if it’s a contract for military parts or supplies. These types of contracts usually lead to consistent, high-volume work and regular, predictable cash flow, two things that can help your business grow.
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Cardboard. Shredded paper. Bubble wrap. Styrofoam peanuts. You probably know them as the excess materials you have to throw away every time you open a package. Dunnage is a necessary component in most packages. It protects the container contents from vibration, moisture, and other quality risks.
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(Pictured: Tough Packs Solved: Custom Packaging a 350 Ton Steam Power Generator)
Is it time to hire an industrial packaging engineering firm? That could be a wise decision. Rather than hire an in-house engineer, you may want to consider outsourcing that work to a packaging engineering firm. An engineering firm implements solutions across your entire packaging process. They can rebuild the package to improve quality or add more automation to the process to reduce cost. They implement custom strategies for your unique goals and needs.
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How much does it cost?
For most of us, it’s the first question we ask every time we make a purchasing decision. Even in the most basic buying situations, like shopping for groceries, our eyes naturally drift to the price tag before we grab an item off the shelf. In other instances, like shopping for homes or cars, the cost isn’t as straightforward, but it’s one of our first questions.
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Most manufacturers and industrial companies are familiar with the quality issues that can arise from importing products and parts from overseas facilities. But what about the challenges that come with exporting your industrial components to a developing country?
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If you distribute your consumer goods product through major retail partners like Walmart or Target, you already know the challenging demands those retailers can make of their suppliers. They may place large purchase orders with tight turnaround times, or they could make packaging and design customization requests that strain your workflow.
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Custom-engineered packaging or boilerplate solution? Many manufacturers and industrial companies wrestle with that question. On one hand, a stocked, cookie-cutter packaging solution may seem more cost-efficient. After all, there’s less upfront design work involved, so the cost of the packaging may be substantially less than a custom solution.
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You’ve designed a product, shown it to customers, and lined up orders. You’ve designed your manufacturing process and are ready to start producing a high-quality product. You’ve hit your dates and schedules and reached all your objectives. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have done all that work and then see your product damaged while it’s shipped to its destination?
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With 91 locations worldwide that serve many large companies, Deufol offers far more than simple packaging services. We provide custom packaging, and that broad term often extends far beyond the package itself to include production, automation engineering, warehousing, logistics, and all aspects of supply chain and distribution management.
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A work site for an industrial project or construction project always has a natural element of chaos. There could be dozens or even hundreds of workers representing various employers, vendors, and other third parties. The site may have a wide range of different tasks happening simultaneously. And you may have parts and materials shipments arriving from vendors around the clock.
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Anyone in the manufacturing or industrial space understands the benefits of implementing a lean inventory or just-in-time inventory system. Just-in-time inventory keeps your shelves clear, allowing you to better use your facility space. It can also have a positive impact on your cash flow, as you don’t have to pay for inventory until you actually need it.
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Here at Deufol, we design and build all of our packaging solutions custom for each of our customers. The reason why is simple. We believe that every package has to be designed and produced for a specific set of needs and objectives. What works for one company or product may not work for another. The only way to match the best solution with each set of objectives is to implement a custom design.
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Manufacturing and industrial companies have a broad range of options when it comes to packaging materials. From metal to plastic and more, many packagers can create a custom solution to meet almost any need. Still, though, for many companies, the traditional wood crate is still the most effective packaging solution.
While a wood crate may seem like a simple product, it often requires a high degree of engineering and efficiency.
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Automotive manufacturers often face a difficult challenge in the production of their plastic parts. For decades, manufacturers have used injection moulding to manufacture plastic components. Injection moulding can be effective for large quantity jobs. However, it presents a number of issues for small volume manufacturers. It can often be costly to create a new mold. Those costs can make it prohibitive to run small jobs. That may limit a manufacturer's ability to innovate and try new designs.
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Are you preparing to relocate to a new facility? Your plant relocation could have a substantial positive impact on your business in the long-run. Maybe it will give you greater capacity, more effective distribution options, or access to a larger potential workforce.
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Does your warehouse have a positive impact on your efficiency and profitability? Or is it a drag on your bottom line?
If your answer is “I’m not sure,” you’re not alone. Many manufacturers and industrial companies who warehouse parts and products don’t have the data and transparency they need to accurately evaluate their warehousing processes. The result is an inefficient warehouse, which can hurt your cash flow and your margins.
Gather Data ➜ Implement Strategies ➜ Improve Performance
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It’s the news no company wants to get about their cargo. The products arrived damaged at their destination. You may have to reroute products from your warehouses to make up for the loss. Or you may have to reproduce the entire order. Either way, the issue is going to be costly.
Your immediate concern may be to correct the issue and get new product to your customer. After that, though, you’ll likely want to find out where the damage happened and how it occurred. Then you’ll probably want to identify the liable party and pursue any possible damages.
Your cash flow isn’t interrupted and your
working capital doesn’t take a hit.
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Mike Tyson isn't known for his business wisdom. However, he could have easily been talking about industrial projects when he said of one of his opponents, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
Even the best-laid plans for industrial projects are meaningless if the plan isn't executed properly. You may have even seen this firsthand. You spend months, maybe even years, developing a plan for your project. And then, as soon as it is time to execute the plan, something goes awry. It can be frustrating, but effectively managing surprises is one of the keys to a successful outcome.
Vendors don't always operate on your schedule, though. A vendor providing materials for a later phase task may send the shipment as soon as it's ready, much earlier than you needed.
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If you import parts, products, or materials from overseas, it’s likely your cargo will end up in a ship hold at some point in the supply chain. Cargo ships are commonly used for transporting goods from Asia and other international production sites to the United States. When your cargo is loaded onto a ship, it’s usually stored in the hold, the large storage space under the deck.
You would assume that a ship hold would be the safest possible location for your cargo. After all, most ship holds are ventilated and durable.
As soon as the cargo makes it onto the ship, it should be protected against most types of damage, right?
Not necessarily.
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Are you relocating to a new facility? There are few things more stressful, costly, and time-consuming in the industrial world than plan relocation. While the new facility may offer more space, greater capacity, and perhaps increased efficiency, the process of moving into that facility could pose any number of risks. Your production could be disrupted. Equipment or inventory could be damaged. Costs could run over projections.
It doesn’t have to be this way. As is the case with most projects, the key to a successful relocation lies in the planning. You probably have documentation for every process in your facility, from product design to production to distribution and more. Your relocation should be no different.
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Thermoforming is a popular and effective strategy for any company that needs to produce plastic packaging or plastic component parts. Despite its popularity, though, there are still many manufacturers and industrial companies that don’t fully understand thermoforming’s benefits and exactly how it works. In this two-part blog series, we remove some of the mystery surrounding thermoform strategies.
In Part 1, we talked about the initial phases of any thermoform strategy: prototyping and tooling. Because thermoform packages and parts can be built to your custom specifications, it’s critical to get the planning stages right. Every thermoform supplier’s process may vary.
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It’s happened again. You’ve missed a customer’s deadline. Maybe it was close and you only missed it by a day. Or perhaps it was off by a week or more. Either way, you weren’t able to meet customer expectations, and that could be a big problem.
Your customers may be forgiving if you miss a deadline here or there. However, in a highly competitive industrial environment, many customers will quickly lose trust in you if you repeatedly miss deadlines.
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When’s the last time you analyzed your supply chain? Your supply chain may always be on your mind and you might be involved in it on a regular basis. But when is the last time you and your team committed time to review your supply chain’s performance, identify areas for improvement, and develop an action plan?
Obviously, your supply chain influences nearly every aspect of your business, from quality to turnaround times to profitability. An inefficient or poor-performing supply chain can impact your relationship with customers and even your ability to compete.
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For many industrial companies, there’s nothing quite as valuable as a regular, consistent, large-volume customer. Such a customer provides regular cash flow, predictable work, and a bit a of certainty in what can often be an uncertain business environment.
Repeat customers may form the foundation of your business. If so, every shipment you send to those customers should represent a fresh cash flow and increased profitability. However, what if you’re actually sacrificing profitability and suppressing your margins with those repeat shipments?
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If you’re looking for a plastic packaging solution for your product, your search will likely eventually lead to thermoforming. Thermoforming is one of the most popular and most commonly used solutions for plastic packaging, primarily because of its flexibility, cost efficiency, and quick turnaround time. Thermoforming can be used to produce everything from blister packaging and clamshell packaging to vehicle components to plastic pallets.
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In today’s competitive industrial market, high quality standards aren’t optional. Your customers expect consistently high quality in your products. If you don’t meet their expectations, you’ll probably find it difficult to retain their business and attract new customers.
For many industrial companies, the biggest challenge in ensuring quality arises after the product leaves their facility. You can control what happens in your building. You can develop a production process that maximizes quality and consistency.
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Growth is an omnipresent goal for every manufacturing or industrial business. Growth means more revenue which leads to improved cash flow which ultimately leads to increased capital to invest in expansion. Growth is your fuel for jobs, earnings, and opportunities.
Growth can also bring its fair share of complications, though. If you’ve experienced an upswing in business over the past several years, you probably understand those complexities all too well.
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The verdict is in on the supply chain labor pool, and it’s not good. If you’re in leadership at a manufacturing or industrial company, you probably know the story well without even looking at the numbers. There simply isn’t enough skilled, talented, and qualified supply chain talent to meet demand.
According to Deloitte’s third annual supply chain study, published in 2015, only 38 percent of respondents from manufacturing
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Out of the dozens, or possibly hundreds, of vendors you work with, you probably have a handful that rank as your favorites. You know who they are. They’re the ones that provide that unique part or material that helps you keep your biggest customer happy. Or they’re the ones who always get you large volume orders on time so you can meet a customer’s tight deadline.
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Rocket scientist. Brain surgeon. We’ve all heard and used these jobs as examples of “genius” positions. Add aviation engineer to the mix. Aviation engineers have to know their stuff because very often, lives literally depend on the outcome. Planes have to meet rigorous safety and quality standards, which means the parts in those planes also must be carefully vetted. It’s up to aviation engineers to design those parts to meet rigid specifications.
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The holiday season is here, which means it’s also the time of year to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. If you have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, you’ve probably seen firsthand how technology has changed the holiday season. There was a time when a kid’s holiday list was filled with the most popular toys. Now those lists are filled with tablets, smart apparel, and even virtual reality headsets.
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What if you could focus your attention on one area of your facility and positively impact nearly every important metric in your business? From efficiency to schedule to margins and cash flow, making a few simple changes in one functional location could lead to significant positive outcomes.
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Very soon, we’ll all be flipping the calendar to 2017. Hard to believe it’s here already, isn’t it? If you’re like many manufacturers or other industrial companies, you’re probably looking ahead to the new year and developing strategies to be more productive and profitable.
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There was a time when the phrase “international company” was used to signify a business’s size and scope. Only the biggest, most advanced companies were deemed “international.” Those days are long gone. Today, we’re all international businesses in one form or another.
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The verdict is in: Your customers want responsible, sustainable packaging. For years, sustainability has been a hot topic in the packaging world, especially for B2C businesses. However, it hasn’t always been clear how much concerns about sustainability translate into actual buying decisions.
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Remember the movie Cast Away? It’s the one in which Tom Hanks is a FedEx executive who survives a plane crash and ends up stranded on a deserted island. You may not remember the movie’s opening minutes. Hanks’s character is on the job in an international FedEx facility during the busy holiday shipping rush. He and his fellow FedEx employees are obsessed with every possible second they can cut from the delivery timeline.
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Your success likely depends on your ability to design and produce quality products for your customers. They have high standards and they expect your products to meet those standards every time. How do you ensure that your production process will always meet those high-quality benchmarks?
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You put time, energy, money, and other resources into developing and producing a high-quality product. It’s well-designed and it serves a major need in your market. You’ve implemented an efficient manufacturing process, and your customers are ordering the product in large quantities. Everything is right in the world.
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There’s a famous quote attributed to Henry Ford about how he knew that people would be interested in the automobile. According to legend, he said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
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In aviation manufacturing, the little things can easily become the big things. Yes, you’re producing a massive plane that may take months, or even a year or more, to complete. In an isolated case, a few wasted minutes may not make much impact.
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Remember when the very idea of selling your product in Asia or Europe seemed like a pipe dream? It actually wasn’t that long ago for many businesses. Even as recently as 10 or 20 years ago, global distribution was a fantasy for all but the biggest and best-funded businesses.
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Summer is nearing its end, which means vacation season is coming to a close. Did you travel anywhere this summer? Perhaps to the beach or a favorite lake or state park? Did you travel by car? If so, how did you navigate your way from point A to point B?
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You have parts coming from China and your own domestic vendors and production. You source materials from Africa and Central America. And you have a critical project component that is manufactured in Europe. To complete your industrial project, you need all of these parts, materials, and components to arrive on time and in good condition at your job sites around the world.
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You have parts, products, and materials that need to get out the door in a hurry. Perhaps you’re an industrial company shipping to your customer. Or maybe you’re managing a large-scale industrial project that has tight deadlines. You need to ship your products and materials and you need to do it quickly.
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Think about the last time you moved into a new house or apartment. Does it ever go as planned? Packing and loading the truck may take longer than expected. The movers may tell you that the cost is higher than estimated. Your stuff may not arrive on schedule. Or it could even arrive damaged.
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It’s every industrial company’s worst nightmare. A package containing hazardous materials isn’t packaged securely, or it’s labeled incorrectly and is mishandled. The package is breached and the hazardous material leaks into a warehouse or distribution facility. In the best case scenario, the company faces a fine and inspections. In the worst case, a worker is injured or even killed.
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Believe it or not, it’s been more than 20 years since GPS technology became available for use in cars and commercial vehicles. The 1995 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight came with an optional feature called Guidestar. It cost nearly $2,000 and promised step-by-step, voice-guided navigation.
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Transparency is a word that gets used a lot in the industrial world. Everyone wants greater transparency — transparency into their manufacturing process, transparency into their supply chain, transparency into every facet of the business.
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At first glance, warehousing seems pretty simple, right? You produce your product. You store it in your warehouse. And then you ship it to your customer. There’s not much complexity to the warehousing operation.
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It’s a piece of advice and wisdom that has been generally accepted in the business world seemingly forever. You’re always at your best when you’re focusing most of your time on the things you excel at. If you’re not an expert at something, someone else should do it.
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Think back to the last time you moved into a new home. At some point in the planning process, you probably had to find a moving company. As every homeowner knows, getting the right moving company can make all the difference in the world.
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It’s happened again. Your latest shipment from China just arrived and, once again, there’s a problem. Perhaps this time it wasn’t packaged according to your specifications. Maybe it was delivered past deadline. There could be quality issues or defections due to the way it was packaged. Or maybe some parts just didn’t make it into the crate.
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So you have an industrial packaging challenge that no one can solve, right? The item is too large. There are too many parts coming from hundreds, or even thousands, of different vendors. There are regulatory issues that make packaging and transport difficult. Or perhaps you simply can’t find an industrial packaging partner who can fully meet your needs.
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You need a packaging partner for your industrial products, and there’s no shortage of suppliers to choose from. There’s a problem, though. You don’t know what makes one supplier better than the others. They all seem to offer the same thing - crating, shipping, packing. How do you tell which packaging supplier is right for you?
The truth is there are very real differentiators in the industrial packaging world. Consider that your industrial packaging partner may be the last person who handles your product before it’s shipped to the customer. They play a critical role in your process, and their performance can have a substantial impact on your product quality, your cost efficiency, and your ability to meet customer deadlines.
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Large-scale industrial and construction projects can bring any number of organizational and logistical challenges. There’s the challenge of getting your designs and specifications into the hands of the onsite team, and making sure that those plans are implemented correctly. There’s the hurdle of sourcing the right materials and parts and getting them to the project location by deadline.
One major challenge is managing the flow of parts and materials as they enter the project work area. Without a system in place, material handling could devolve into a free-for-all.
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If you’re shipping parts and materials from many different vendors, you know the problem well. Assume you have a project or an install across the country, or maybe even on the other side of the world. You have to ship not only your product, but also a large number of additional parts and materials from the many vendors you work with.
The vendors deliver those parts to your facility, presumably packaged for shipment to the project location. There’s a problem, though. The vendor’s packaging doesn’t meet your high quality standards. Or perhaps some of the parts need to be bundled in the same package when the shipment reaches the final location.
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Technology is changing the industrial world right before our eyes. New forms of automation and distribution are allowing us to work more efficiently than ever. Advances in software give us more transparency into our processes than we’ve ever had before. If you’re in an industrial business, you probably see the evolution of technology on a daily basis.
Advances in technology aren’t just limited to production, though. The packaging industry has also benefited from new software and other technological capabilities in recent years. The leading industrial packagers have embraced new technology because they know it improves their effectiveness and helps them better serve their customers.
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Are you looking for a packaging partner for your industrial products? Or are you re-evaluating your current packaging partner and considering other options? It might be tempting to base your decision on price. After all, you have a price point you’re trying to hit, and going with the least expensive packaging option can help you stay within budget.
However, the cheapest packaging option can often cost you the most in the long run. It might lead to quality issues, which forces you to duplicate orders. You may not get the most efficient packaging solution, which could hurt your bottom line. And you may not get the transparency you need into your distribution process, which could lead to costly mix-ups and delivery delays.
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At first glance, packaging may not seem like a complex part of your business. After all, you’re producing high-quality industrial products. Your process probably involves complex engineering and design, an efficient production line, and a collective eye for detail and quality. Packaging is the easy part. You just put the product in the box and get it out the door, right?
Not quite. In theory, industrial packaging should be simple. However, if it’s not done right, the packaging process could cause major problems for your business. Your quality could be in jeopardy, as could your ability to deliver on time. Also, if your packaging process hasn’t been designed with optimization in mind, you could be losing efficiency and money.
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You have a new construction project that’s ready to break down. You have vendors ready to ship parts and materials, everything from steel and concrete down to nuts, bolts, and washers. Hundreds of vendors will be shipping thousands of parts to a location that was literally just created on a map.
How will you receive those shipments, make sure they’re in good order, and get them to the right work station? There’s not a receiving system in place. There’s no dock, no technology, no receiving crew. You likely have a contractor or project manager onsite, but they’re busy with their own problems. Who’s watching the materials and routing them in an efficient manner?
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Here at Deufol, we live by our motto - “Tough Packs Solved.” Simply put, it means that we’ve made the commitment to solve our customers’ toughest packaging needs. Everything from consumer goods to logistics challenges to IT needs, we handle it for our customers.
Often we’re asked whether a challenge is to tough for us to handle. And if we’re being honest, there have been a few jobs that have caused us to hesitate. However, we take on even the toughest jobs because we know that we’re our customers’ best hope. If we can’t solve the packaging challenge, it’s unlikely that anyone can.
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Improving efficiency is a constant effort for most manufacturing and industrial companies. Far too often, though, the effort is focused only on technical components, like machine speed or waste. The truth is that your biggest boost in efficiency can come from examining your most valuable asset - your people.
Here at Deufol, we’ve done exactly that. Over the past couple of years, we’ve examined our people and how our process facilitates their ability to innovate and improve. We have looked at how much authority our workers have to solve problems and implement solutions. And we have spent a substantial amount of time looking at how we can allow our managers to do what they do best - manage and support their teams.
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It’s every industrial manufacturer’s worst nightmare. You invest time, money, and energy into designing and producing your perfect product. Your engineers go over every detail to make sure the product meets your high quality standards. Your production team builds exactly to the specifications, creating a flawless final product.
Then your product ships to your customer and you get the call. The product arrived damaged. It’s not useable and has to be returned. You have two bad options in front of you. You can write off the sale and refund the money, or you can get your team to turn around a new product quickly and get it out to the customer. Either way, you’re losing money.
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It can happen in even the most automated, well-managed processes. Somewhere along the way, an error occurs. A part doesn’t get packaged. A crate doesn’t make it to its destination on time. The package isn’t assembled correctly, leading to product damage or efficiency issues on the receiving end.
In the best case scenario, the mistake causes a minor inconvenience. In the worst case, it disrupts the entire supply chain and generates substantial costs. There’s usually a rush to find out why the mistake happened. Was it due to human error? Or is there a problem with the distribution process?
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Packaging design. When you read those words, what comes to mind? The appearance of the package? How it looks on the shelf? The colors, branding, and overall aesthetic? Those are all important components, but packaging design goes well beyond the visual.
An effective package needs to look good. It needs to pop off the shelf and catch your buyer’s attention. But it also has to be functional. It needs to protect and showcase your product. Even more, it needs to be produced in a way that is flexible enough to meet changing demand and in a manner that won’t break your budget.
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Are you currently considering a new packaging company? Not sure which one might be right for you? Choosing the right packaging partner is an important decision. After all, depending on your market, your packaging may be just as important as your actual product. Like most big decisions, though, choosing a packaging partner often isn’t easy.
Part of the problem is that many packaging companies seem to offer the same set of solutions and benefits. They may have a roster of designers and engineers with extensive experience and knowledge. They might promise fast turnaround and the highest levels of product quality.
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The fourth industrial revolution has arrived. If you’re not prepared to adapt the new industrial environment, you may find yourself way behind your competition.
Didn’t get the memo on Industry 4.0? It’s the latest major iteration in manufacturing’s ongoing cycle of reinventing itself. The first was Industry 1.0, which started in the late 1700s and lasted for nearly 100 years. During Industry 1.0, engineers, inventors, and other great industrial minds learned how to leverage the power of water and steam to manufacture more products in less time.
Next came Industry 2.0, also commonly referred to as the Industrial Revolution. Industry 2.0 was fueled by the invention and widespread adoption of electricity. Electricity brought assembly lines and expanded work hours, which allowed manufacturers to further increase their output.
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