The other day I was pleasantly surprised by a question from a client. He was designing a new product and asked me to help think about packaging options.
I think it's super cool when a designer looks ahead and thinks about the packaging at such an early stage. Completely according to the FMEA approach, which also provided surprising insights in this project. And prevented a major setback. What do I mean by FMEA? You can find out in this article.
My client was designing a tube 10 cm wide and up to 4 meters long that needed to go into the clean room. The question was whether we could package such a size tube. Of course, was my response, everything can be packaged. But I immediately asked a counter-question. Because what happens when the packaged product enters the chain? Is handling such a large format even feasible? That turned out to be the key question, because handling indeed proved to be quite a stumbling block in the chain.
Step by step, we looked at the handling process in the logistics chain. Internally, it already proved problematic to move such a large package, let alone with the carrier. They would have to open the truck on the long side in order to transport this length. Not practical at all. The customer was also not equipped for packaging of this size. The customer works in logistics with forklift trucks, with which it is impossible to lift a package 4 meters wide. Let alone drive it around. Or get the product into the clean room.
Together with my client, I am now going to talk to his colleagues in logistics, the logistics parties he works with and his end customer. To investigate what is needed to be able to handle this product later. What logistics arrangements can be made for this? Can we modify the packaging to make handling easier?
If we really can’t work it out together, the client has to go back to the drawing board to adjust the design. Design-wise, it may be better to make the part in one piece, but it has to be workable in practice. Because if the handling of your product is not possible in the chain, you have a big (logistical) problem.
This process demonstrated once again how powerful the process FMEA is as a tool. By identifying all risks at the beginning of the project and coming up with solutions, you can prevent a lot of trouble. Often such logistical problems only come to light at the end of the product development process. Or worse, in practice. Then it remains to be seen whether a solution can be found without too much cost. And what that does for customer satisfaction. Now we are well ahead of the game! Together we will work to prevent unnecessary costs, delays and product damage.
I'd like to give you 5 tips to consider in product development.
As early as the design phase, consider what route your product will take. What risks does transportation involve? What measures can you take to reduce those risks? FMEA is a powerful tool for this.
Transportation is fully geared to standard pallet sizes. Common sizes are 800×1,200 and 1,000×1,200. If the packaging of your product is larger, transport becomes more complex and expensive. Sometimes there is no other way, but more often it turns out that the design could have been a centimeter smaller.
If your packaged product is larger than the standard sizes in logistics, there are consequences for the handling of your product. In the product development phase, check that all those involved can handle your packaged product. Think about:
– Internal Logistics Department
– Cleanroom
– Subcontractors who will be finishing the product (painting, pickling and so on)
– Transporters
– End customer
With a smart adjustment, the packaging may be more manageable. For example, for an 800×1,200 package, it’s better to choose built-in handles rather than surface-mounted. That way the packaging stays within the standard dimensions. You may be able to make special arrangements with the transporter, keeping the extra costs within limits. In extreme cases, a design adjustment may be necessary.
With smart packaging, you can save a lot of costs in transportation, storage and handling. Moreover, you can prevent damage to the product. A packaging specialist helps you during your product development process to analyze all the risks in the logistics process and comes up with smart solutions to prevent or reduce them.
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