Switch from wooden to hybrid crate saves a bundle and simplifies shipping
21 August 2023
This automation company is a worldwide developer and manufacturer of tool and fab automation equipment for the semiconductor, flat panel, solar, LED, data storage, and associated industries. The company sells a range of automated and motion control products, many of which are sensitive to shock and vibration.
The company asked Larson Packaging Company to review its product packaging and offer a better and more affordable solution.
Solution
The LPC design team discovered that the manufacturer was shipping many of its products in traditional wooden crates. These crates were heavy, expensive to make and cost more to ship.
LPC realized that the company could reduce costs by replacing these wooden crates with a hybrid packaging solution. A LPC hybrid crate offers the same protection level as a standard wooden crate but is on average 30% cheaper to manufacture and 60% lighter.
An added bonus was that the LPC design team redesigned the crate to be toolless meaning no special tools were needed to load and unload the equipment making the entire shipping process faster and easier.
This made the switch from a standard wooden crate to a hybrid crate a no brainer for the automation manufacturer.
Outcome
The customer was delighted with the outcome. The new hybrid crate was significantly cheaper to manufacture. It offered the same level of protection as the all-wood crate. And the toolless design and lighter weight meant dramatically simplified logistics.