It’s time, again, to talk about one of our favorite topics: supply chains. Anyone involved with the packaging and shipping industry knows how fragile and imperfect supply chains can be. One weak link can throw everything off. Luckily, there are ways to strengthen multiple links in your supply chain all at the same time.
THE SUPPLY CHAIN: IT’S ALL CONNECTED
When your products, assets, equipment, etc. are ready to leave your floor and make their way to the end customer, you rely on every other link in the chain to maintain the quality you’ve put into your assets, so they show up to the end customer in the same pristine condition as when they left your hands. Of course, you take steps to help ensure that quality: selecting the right shipping method and packaging. But many manufacturers cut corners at this point in the process in an effort to cut costs in the long run – even though it’s a risk that often comes back to bite them.
Let’s say you choose to tarp a piece of equipment and have it shipped on a flatbed. But halfway through the journey, the driver runs into bad weather. The tarp, one of the cheapest yet least protective covering methods, can’t hold back the heavy rain or resist the strong winds whipping up dirt, grime, and road debris. Now your asset is not only filthy but has been damaged by water exposure. When it finally reaches the end customer, it gets reported as damaged and in need of repair – or it gets rejected completely because the quality has tanked. Cutting costs in the packaging and shipping link of the chain is now going to cost you more money in the long run, and possibly damage your reputation with the end customer. Was choosing a cheaper, less protective method worth it? Probably not.
PACKAGING AND SHIPPING LOGISTICS: IT’S TIME TO PLAN BETTER
Since protective packaging is usually the last step in the manufacturing process, it often gets the least attention. But what if you could take the guesswork out of this step entirely while knowing your protective packaging is mitigating risks throughout the entire shipping journey? Adding a custom-fit protective cover solution to your shipping process makes that possible.
With Transhield, you can custom-design protective covers specifically for your products, which creates more internal efficiencies, better consistency, and adds unmatched protection to your shipping process. We begin by designing a cover prototype using a scanned, 3D model of your product to match the exact measurements and dimensions. Then, once the design is perfect, we mass-produce your custom covers to meet your quantity needs. Once implemented into your packaging and shipping process, the benefits are obvious.
SAVING TIME AND MONEY: REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR PROCESSES
Traditional packaging methods like tarping and shrink wrapping often produce varying results every time they are applied, especially for oddly shaped assets. Employee skill, sizes and shapes of assets being covered, material availability, and shipping deadlines all impact how the protection method turns out. This kind of inconsistency leaves a lot of room for errors that cost more money down the road.
With custom covers, your installation time can often be cut in half by adding consistency and efficiency. There’s no need to worry about constantly adjusting protection applications because each one is exactly the same – everyone in the packaging process knows what to expect and how to get the job done. This also leads to creating more standardized internal processes which help to maintain and optimize the flow of goods leaving your floor.
CUSTOMIZED STORAGE SOLUTIONS
The last step after delivery — and before a prefabricated pod is joined to its larger construction — is storage. Delivered modules are usually stored and staged on a neighboring lot, then unwrapped as required and craned and bolted to the building. This again leaves the prefabricated pod subject to the elements and risks lowering the quality of the module.
While some may argue shrink wrap can be less expensive, it’s also less efficient, less effective, and less durable. Transhield saves during this storage time because it protects from the elements and reduces costly warranty claims — making it far more economical in the long run.
As we mentioned before, the Transhield fabric offers water resistance, condensation protection, a VCI additive, and protects from environmental damage including harmful UV rays, dust, and rocks. This helps with the ultimate goal of keeping your prefabricated pod in the same condition as when it left the factory floor.
Transhield has years of experience in shipping and storage protection in the modular and prefabricated build space. We’re passionate about using technology to protect the unique products we ship around the corner and around the world.
Added value for you and your customers
Our advanced fabric technology makes up the key components of every cover we make. They’re waterproof, breathable, lightweight, durable, and reusable, making each cover the perfect solution to protect your assets from hazardous weather, environmental damage – like UV rays, wind, and airborne pollutants – and corrosion. All of this goes into ensuring that your product reaches the end customer with the utmost quality they expect. And since they’re reusable, the initial purchase pays for itself by saving you money in warranty claims, repairs, and product replacement. Not to mention it will add to the reputation you have for high- quality products with your customers.
So long, weak links
The moral of the story here is that you have the ability to strengthen your entire supply chain by simply revolutionizing one weak link before your products even hit the road. We’ll help you design and estimate the cost of the covers you need, making it easier to build into your customer billing model. Start your shipping process off right by ensuring that your assets are protected from whatever the journey has in store by using customized covers made with industry-leading technology. Your customers – and your bottom line – will thank you.
To learn more about the technology behind Transhield protective covers and how we can help strengthen supply chain, contact us today.