Does Your Export Packaging Partner Speak Your Language?

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.

So what happens when your finished product rolls off the manufacturing line and is ready to be packaged for shipment. Does your packaging and distribution process have the same focus on quality and standards? If not….why not?

Far too many manufacturing companies invest considerable time and resources into their in-house processes only to trust an outside packaging partner who doesn’t fully understand the manufacturer’s business or customers. That can lead to issues, like packaging that doesn’t meet quality standards or a distribution process that isn’t agile enough to meet last-minute customer requests.

The best way to ensure that your quality process extends all the way until your product is delivered is to work with a packaging and distributing partner who speaks your language.

Think about your packaging partner and ask yourself the following questions:

• Does your crating and industrial packaging provider have engineers that understand your design and testing requirements?
• Does your current packager have Six Sigma trained staff who are able to provide detailed quality testing and standards?
• Do you get final confirmation that the packaging was tested, and that it met your requirements before it was shipped?

If your answer to these questions is “no” or even “I’m not sure,” then it might be time to reconsider your packaging partner. Not sure whether you’re with the right industrial packaging partner? Here are a few things to look for in a packaging solution:

Custom everything.

Too many packagers will attempt to modify their in-house, pre-stocked packaging to fit unique needs. However, you can’t risk the quality of your product with a packaging solution that isn’t made for your product.

Maybe you make mechanical parts that require precision down to the millimeter. Even the slightest dent or chip could make those parts unusable for your customer. Maybe your products are so valuable that you can’t risk any damage, no matter how unlikely the damage may be. Maybe your product is sensitive to temperature, light, or even exposure to liquid.

When quality is this important, you need a packaging solution built specifically for you. At Deufol, our process starts with our engineers talking to you and your team so we can learn as much as possible about your product.

We then custom design and build everything based on your needs and if necessary, we can custom-build in our own in-house tooling shop. That means we can adapt to any need you or your customers may have.

We used this flexibility to design and build a crating solution for generators that weight between 600k and 800k pounds. The generators have a market value of nearly $15 million. We custom built the tools, packaging, and everything needed to do  the job safely.

Fast and flexible scheduling.

Your customers are using your projects to complete big projects or to manufacture their own products. When they have an urgent need, your ability to deliver may mean the difference between success and failure in their project. And if you can’t deliver, you could lose their trust, possibly forever.

To keep your customers’ trust, you need a third-party whom you can trust. We have industrial customers for whom we can fulfill emergency orders within two hours. In fact, we have facilities across the world where we can store your product in-house ready for shipment. When an urgent request is made, we can pull the product from the closest facility, package it, and get it in your customer’s hands.

Documentation and proof-positive testing

Think about how your manufacturing process works, do you simply fire up the equipment every morning and then wing it the rest of the day? No, of course not. You likely have a written documentation that details your product specifications and exactly how your materials will move through your production process.

And you’ve likely tested that process methodically, so you have concrete proof that you will get the results you want. If you put that much care into your production process, shouldn’t your packaging partner contribute the same effort into theirs?

At Deufol, we document everything, from the design of your package to the prototyping to production. Then we test our process to make sure the finished product is consistent with the design. Finally, we present proof positive results to you so that you can be confident that you have a package that meets your needs.

Transparent reporting and monitoring.

You probably monitor every step in your manufacturing process. Why should that monitoring stop once the product leaves your facility? It shouldn’t. We believe you should have all the data necessary to make informed decisions about your distribution and fulfillment process.

That’s why we developed our own D-SCS software. Deufol Supply Chain Solution’s software lets you know what is going on with your product at all times. You can see when a product is packaged, when it leaves the facility, where it is in transit, and when it is delivered to your customer.

All products are barcoded and scanned, which transmits information into the D-SCS system. All records and documentation are archived so you can review past deliveries and periodically audit your distribution process.

Additionally, the Deufol Supply Chain Solution software integrates into most ERP platforms, so it should be a seamless integration to your current system. You can’t analyze your entire process without including fulfillment and distribution. Our D-SCS software gives you that capability.

Ready to talk to an industrial packaging partner who speaks your language? Contact Deufol today to schedule your free consultation. Our engineers would welcome the opportunity to learn more about your needs and your business.