Your checklist for overseas cargo shipping
Having a custom engineered packaging solution will help assure that your product is transported to its destination with minimal risk of damage. For overseas shipments, there are a few other items that need to be considered. Here are a few of the major considerations to go into your packaging/crating checklist.
ISPM15 Compliance: ISPM 15 is set of requirements for wood packaging materials used in international shipments. The standards were established in a treaty created in 2002. Currently over 150 countries have agreed to adopt the regulations. Basically the global standard requires packaging wood to be either heat treated, radiation treated or chemically treated to prevent the spread of pests that can be embedded in untreated wood. Treated wood has a special marking and not having it will probably prevent your cargo from arriving at its destination.
Container Sizing: Various methods of transport have limitations based on cargo door openings. A container that is just a few inches too big could eliminate the use of lower cost aircraft. Ultimately having an optimal container size could save you time and money on your shipments.
Proper Crating: Poorly packed containers could experience excess jostling. A cargo ship at sea can undergo 6 different motions. They are rolling, surging, pitching, swaying, yawing and heaving. Additionally, dry land transport and loading and unloading a ship can create a variety of movements that can shift the goods inside the crate to the point of damage. It has been estimated that 1/3 of all cargo damage is caused by poor packing.
Weight Distribution: This is related to proper crating; over-the-road transport has weight restrictions. Sometimes only the total overall weight is considered, but the actual regulations are specific to axle weight. So a large container that has a significant imbalance can meet the total weight requirement, but will cause a violation of axle weight. Large cargo containers should have an even weight distribution.
Corrosion Protection: Shipping overseas involves exposure to moisture and corrosive elements such as salt. There are a variety of packing materials and coatings that can effectively protect your product from corrosion. Cortec provides a number of solutions that are cost effective as well as environmentally friendly.
Handling Indicators: Even with the best packaging system, extreme mishandling can cause product damage. Cargo can be accidently dropped several feet if supporting cables on a jib crane snap, or rolls off a truck and flips several times. Insurance companies and shippers are responsible for proper handling, but sometimes you have to prove it. ShockWatch handling indicators and recorders attached to your package can offer indisputable proof of mishandling.
>Packnet has been providing custom packaging solutions for products of all shapes and sizes for long and short trips using every shipping method available. Our expertise and experience enable us to create cost effect and environmentally friendly solutions that will meet any requirement.