Aerospace Case Study
Assembly Company Lightens the Load with Ecorrcrate
A packaging review that led to a switch to Ecorrcrate changed everything. This customer found Ecorrcrates to be faster, more convenient and safer. They require less storage space, weigh less, are very durable and can be easily re-used. Ecorrcrates are ISPM15 compliant and internationally preferred.
Using Ecorrcrates® was the best decision they could have made. They saved more than $100,000 per year overall between lower crate costs, lower freight cost, less labor needed, reduction in floor space needed for packaging and virtually eliminated injuries related to packaging. Ecorrcrates also improved the customer experience by being easy to handle, to re-use and to recycle. Additional wins came from the fact that Ecorrcrate® costs are not volatile like wood crate costs making it much easier to budget and knowing that using Ecorrcrate® is an environmentally responsible choice.
Ecorrcrates® are quickly becoming the shipper of choice in Aerospace. Find out more about the benefits of Ecorrcrates® for your business.
Want to Learn More?
ECORRCRATE® Replaces Wood Crates with Outstanding Results.
“More than 106 years since the first plane was built in Kansas, the state remains a vibrant hub for aviation manufacturing.”*
In Wichita Kansas, a leading company Fabricated Parts and Assemblies packages their costly sensitive products, for shipment to First Tier Aerostructures Manufacturers, in patented Ecorrcrates®.
“It is faster, easier and safer to package in Ecorrcrates®. They weigh less so we pay less for freight. They are very durable and can be re-used, so we buy less. The Ecorrcrate® costs less than the wood crate, so we spend less. They are internationally accepted, so we have less issues in Exporting.”
Previous Method
Shipping protocols in Aerospace often require use of a Crate. For many years, the only cost
effective option was to use a traditional wood crate. The Shipping Manager of this Large
Machine Shop set out to find a better option because wood crates were an expensive hassle.
The company’s challenges with using Wood Crates:
- Wood crates are bulky and take up too much
room. - They are heavy and difficult to move.
- I am constantly concerned about safety and the
potential injuries associated with the handling
and use of wood crates. - Our parts are damaged if they make contact with
the wood, so we have to use a lot of extra
packing materials. - If there is any issue with the wood in Export, it
can delay the shipment anywhere from a week to
10 days, and no one cannot afford that.
New Method
The Ecorrcrates® arrive in “knock down” form and store easily. Also, the customer can decide whether to set up the crate first and then load the product, or load the product first and set up the Ecorrcrate® after the product is in place. Using Ecorrcrates® requires much less, additional protective packaging, so It only takes a few minutes to bring the crate from inventory, set it up and load it for shipment.
“Using Ecorrcrates® was the best decision we could have made. The benefits are shocking. We saved more than $100,000 per year and now have a safe, durable and easy way to get our high value products to our customers!”
Success Story
“Now that we have made the switch to Ecorrcrates®, I can’t see us ever going to back to using wood crates”. Not only was there a cost savings in the crate cost, the Ecorrcrate® cost is not volatile like wood crate pricing. We were constantly having to choose between paying more or going with a lower grade wood crate to control costs. With Ecorrcrate® we receive a consistent, high quality product and are better able to plan our budgets with stable pricing.
Floor space in Aerospace manufacturing is scarce. Ecorrcrates® storage density is 2 or 3 to 1 as compared to premade wood crates, saving on the floor space needed for storage. This was a big cost savings and stress reliever for us!
The parts we ship are relatively light weight. The wood crate alone weighs 2-3x our product weight. Because the Ecorrcrate® weight is around ½ the weight of a wood crate, we were able to trim an average of $100 per shipment from our shipping costs. That is HUGE savings! The Ecorrcrate® is easier and safer in handling, so our shipping department can pack in a fraction of the time it took to pack in the wood crates. Being a busy shop, this adds up to a lot of labor savings very quickly!
Ecorrcrates® are more durable for re-use. We were only getting 5-6 turns out of our wood crates but now we have Ecorrcrates® that have been in use for more than a year and we are able to continue to re-use them. Ecorrcrates® really resist damage including careless forklift drivers. Also, we believe that freight carriers are more careful with items that appear to be packaged in boxes. Little do they know, that although Ecorrcrates® are constructed from the same base material as boxes, they are NOT boxes. They are robust, shipping containers constructed from a bidirectional, crossed-strength corrugate building material. And, if a part of the Ecorrcrate is damaged beyond use, we are able to purchase the replacement component only, rather than replace the entire crate.
Eco-Friendly
In addition to being 100% recyclable, all of the materials used in Ecorrcrates® are earth friendly and made from renewable Resources. We are better able to meet our sustainability initiatives. This has the added benefit of being a great shipper for Export. Other than the wood pallet, the Ecorrcrate® is made from all corrugate material. This is a significant benefit to our Export customers and partners as we receive more and more push back on the use of all-wood crates. In many countries, including all of Europe, it is difficult and costly to dispose of wood crates. But, it is easy to dispose of and recycle corrugate without added cost.
Ecorrcrates® are quickly becoming the shipper of choice in Aerospace. Find out more about the benefits of Ecorrcrates® in your business at Ecorrcrate.com