Savings on the bottom line

Citation

(2006), "Savings on the bottom line", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 78 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2006.12778bad.006

Savings on the bottom line

Equipment

Savings on the bottom line

Keywords: Aircraft, Packaging

The economy and efficiency of Crocodile Packaging products has been demonstrated in real savings on the bottom line. Contour Premium Aircraft Seating has switched some of its product lines to Crocodile's reusable clip-together cases (Plate 2) and has seen shipping costs for one of its customers drop significantly.

Plate 2 Crocodile's reusable clip-together cases

Following detailed evaluation of various options, the Crocodile clip- together system was identified as the ideal solution. The reusable Crocodile cases are manufactured from oriented strandboard (OSB) and feature an integral plywood 4-way entry pallet base. As well as being exempt from international ISPM 15 import restrictions, this configuration ensures that the cases are sufficiently robust to be double-stacked in transit thereby enabling customers to reduce their shipping costs by fully utilising the available shipping space.

The economy and efficiency of Crocodile Packaging products has been demonstrated in real savings on the bottom line. Contour Premium Aircraft Seating has switched some of its product lines to Crocodile's reusable clip-together cases and has seen shipping costs for one of its customers drop significantly.

Contour is a premium aircraft seating manufacture, shipping in the region of 56,000 kg of product every month to such destinations as China and New Zealand. The company had been using triple-wall corrugated and timber pallets to pack its seats, but was concerned about both strength and compliance with ISPM 15 regulations. Also, the “one-trip” nature of this form of packaging was considered to be uneconomic.

Following detailed evaluation of various options, the Crocodile clip- together system was identified as the ideal solution. Supplied by local agent, Combine Packaging, the reusable Crocodile cases are manufactured from OSB and feature an integral plywood 4-way entry pallet base. As well as being exempt from international ISPM 15 import restrictions, this configuration ensures that the cases are sufficiently robust to be double- stacked in transit thereby enabling customers to reduce their shipping costs by fully utilising the available shipping space.

Crocodile's cases have enabled Contour to make significant improvements to its shipping operation. The pallet bases are strong enough to be used in production, removing the need for a slave pallet and thus saving not only the cost of additional pallets, but also the time spent transferring the finished product from the slave to the shipping pallet. Injury from splinters is a common problem with timber pallets, but this has been overcome by using Crocodile's OSB cases. Also, because of the clip- together system, other potential hazards like staples, nails and strapping materials are no longer required.

For Contour, product protection is paramount and the disassembly of an entire aircraft floor and seating layout for shipping to France presented a particular challenge. Safe handling to avoid damage was a priority and so a plywood jig design was produced for each seat configuration. The jigs are even reusable – an additional benefit to a solution which had already resulted in significant cost savings.

Details available from: Crocodile Packaging Limited. Tel: 01793821555; Fax: 01793821666; web site: www.crocodile.uk.com