A project for a major luxury car manufacturer demonstrated Twinplast’s expertise in producing bespoke containers for automotive parts.
The automotive supply chain is heavily reliant on custom packaging to protect high-value industrial components. Containers are often packed with a variety of items – some fragile, some heavy-duty. Standardised packaging cannot accommodate the complex form, weight variation, and vulnerabilities of these parts in combination. Packaging also needs to be manufactured from materials that can handle volatile items such as batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.
Many companies in the automotive supply chain also rely on Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing to reduce inventory costs and increase efficiency, requiring logistics operations to deliver parts only as they are needed in the production process. As well as reducing waste, it enables manufacturers to adapt and respond to market changes and reduce the risk of overproduction. For companies operating JIT shipping, precision packaging is essential to ensure that products are delivered in perfect condition, without delays caused by damage.
The brief
Having rolled out its latest model of car, with a range of new components and technologies, the car manufacturer approached Twinplast to come up with a new packaging solution to facilitate their safe and secure transportation. Protecting the integrity and reliability of components is critical in automotive manufacturing. The container needed to be robust and highly impact-resistant while minimising the movement of individual contents. This needed to be achieved without using excessive padding or fillers that add to waste in the supply chain. The client wanted a solution that could withstand the rigours of industrial logistics and make efficient use of materials.
Efficient use of space is also vital in industrial logistics, with transportation costs linked to the volume and weight of shipments. The container design needed to account for this factor. With a firm commitment to reducing carbon emissions in its supply chain, the client also wanted a reusable solution made from recyclable materials.
The solution
Twinplast took the client’s brief, and our technical team went through the gears to develop a solution that ticked every box. We fast-prototyped a design with a strong outer casing made from our high-density corrugated polypropylene, ensuring that the container could handle the physical demands on the road to its destination. Its strength was enhanced with corner brackets and reinforcement on the top rim.
Twinplast also developed a bespoke insert within the outer casing. The inner was tailored to the specific dimensions of each part, providing a snug fit to cradle items securely in place and eliminate movement within the package. This reduced the risk of damage in transit and ensured that components were delivered in optimum condition.
The bespoke insert maximised the use of space, avoiding the need for cushioning material without compromising the container’s ability to absorb impact. The inner shaping also aligned the items in an orientation that made them quick and easy to unpack on receipt, increasing the efficiency of operations and reducing labour time. We also incorporated handles to assist the lifting and carrying of each container.
Twinplast’s corrugated polypropylene is considered to be the most environmentally friendly plastic currently available. It is reusable and recyclable through normal recycling channels, supporting the client’s commitment to carbon emissions. Twinplast also played our part in reducing emissions within the supply chain as part of our standard manufacturing practices, gathering excess raw material and automatically recycling it through our own internal waste processing technology.
Twinplast’s solution excelled in every aspect of the brief, delivering a strong, space-efficient, and reliable protection for the client’s goods while meeting requirements for reusability and carbon reduction.
The automotive sector is one of a huge range of sectors that utilise Twinplast’s expertise in the design and manufacture of custom packaging and storage. To find out more and discuss the requirements of your project or business, contact our technical team on 01582 361720 or sales@twinplast.co.uk.