Preparing goods for international transportation requires a great deal of forward planning and consideration, particularly when shipping fragile, refrigerated /chilled or particularly heavy items. Using correct packaging methods can significantly minimise the risk of damage to goods during transport, increase customer satisfaction and brand awareness and reduce financial loss. What’s more, it also ensures that the product reaches the end user in the same state, quality and condition as the manufacturer intended.
The transportation process when shipping internationally can include a lot of unknown or unpredictable variables, especially if multiple logistics partners or processes are involved. The product will need to be handled at different stages of the process, loaded and unloaded and may not always be stored in the optimal manner due to conditions outside of your control.
The danger of mishandling
If the package is being mishandled, there is an accident or a heavier package is placed on top of your own, there is a serious risk of damage to your product- particularly if care has not been given to packaging your product properly. The most effective packaging techniques both minimise the risk of damage, safeguard the integrity of the goods and make the most optimal use of space. Depending on what is being shipped and where it is being sent, there may be other requirements too as a result of legal jurisdiction or legislation en-route or at the final destination.
Identify the most appropriate packaging
When preparing your package for transport, it is essential that you choose the right type of packaging for your product first and foremost. The correct choice will depend on the size, weight and fragility of the goods you are going to ship.
If the packaging used does not suitably fit the specifications of your product, there is a high risk of damage in transit. Be careful to check the size and weight options of your packaging before you prepare to ship. The packaging option that you choose must never leave space for the product to move inside, as this increases damage in transit, and it must always adequately support your product.
Choose materials with care
Take care to ensure that you use the best quality protective packaging materials such as bubble wrap, foam and edge protection when packaging your product for international distribution, particularly if your product is delicate and a much higher risk to transport. If you are transporting industrial items, machinery or woodwork, or you are packaging items to be transported in bulk, you might want to search for packaging options that are shock and puncture resistant, a shrink or pallet wrap that is strong enough to withstand the weight of your product during shipping, or customised packaging solutions that will suit the needs of your goods while also safeguarding their integrity without being overly large or bulky (therefore increasing the costs of international transit).
It’s important to ensure that the product you are transporting is not just safe, but it is also secure. Packaging tape, shrink wrap and straps ensure that the packaging options you choose will ensure the safety and security of your product and minimise the risk of damage in transit.
If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us to discuss your specific needs.
