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The packaging used to ship car parts depends partly on the kind of components being moved, and partly on whether they are being supplied to the assembly line in large quantities or the after-market for spares or repair in more variable lots. One option when supplying the assembly line is to invest in heavy-duty reusable containers. Thorpe Design & Technologies makes long-term packaging containers from steel, with plastic or foam fittings inside to hold the part.

“If a bumper needs to be moved hundreds of miles, the packaging has to be robust,” says managing director Brian Jones. “You need protection from scratching and the elements. Parts have to be fully enclosed.”

Design begins around 18 months before a new vehicle is launched. If a part stays standard over different model upgrades, a carcass may last up to 15 years – three model lifetimes. To recycle the interior support material, which needs replacing more frequently, it needs to be easily removable from the metal.

This type of packaging does not come cheap – a typical cost is around £500 per pack. But if parts get damaged without it, Jones insists the cost of the packaging “fades into insignificance”. Nonetheless, it is valuable enough that RFID technology is being used to track the crates to identify and assign responsibility for damage or loss of the packaging – although some argue there are hidden costs that mitigate against such systems.

“Reusable containers can have hidden costs for managing their return route and storage, maintenance and repair,” notes Mike Hartley, marketing and development manager at Encase, which specialises in corrugated board technology. “There can be more pilfering and damage loss than planners may budget for,” he warns. As reusable containers age, especially if stored outside, fasteners can deteriorate. One-trip packaging comes into its own on long or complex trips, where the return journey may be problematic and costly.

The lighter option
One compromise could be a switch to plastic. Kaysersberg Plastics, part of DS Smith, supplies returnable transit packaging made from PP or PE. Marketing manager Céline Bacza says: “Plastic is light and easy to convert in standard or made-to-measure sizes, but also resistant so that it can withstand an important number of rotations.”

Kaysersberg’s three-piece Uni-Pak container, consisting of a bottom pallet, a sleeve and a pallet cover, is used in closed-loop and just-in-time manufacturing for the automotive sector. One key benefit, according to Bacza, is that it can be flattened, so giving space efficiency.

Corrugated is at the other end of the spectrum. It’s relatively cheap and simple and, according to SCA Packaging sales and marketing director Andrew Chamberlain, is cost-effective for transporting smaller quantities to the after-market or larger items such as bonnets and bumpers. Some adjustment can also be made for part shape with what he dubs the “origami” of folded and cut card included inside the container.

Advanced technology can also add value to a basic material. Using Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create corrugated packaging means component and sub-assembly suppliers can provide the packaging manufacturer with a CAD wire frame or rendered file of the part to be packaged.

Hartley claims Encase can produce a costed and rendered virtual production-ready design, capable of holding about a tonne, within a week at a production cost of £5 to £15 per unit, depending on the complexity of fillers, labels and pallets.

New flute profiles and paper fibre technology have also boosted strength, while cutting bulk. Where double- and triple-wall boards were essential, Hartley says new-technology corrugated board can be much stronger at lighter and thinner grades. Using these developments, Encase’s EcoWall product promises fewer truck journeys to component suppliers and less board to recycle.

Expanded protection
As well as proving ideal for crate filling, EPS and EPP can also be used to create a whole container. They are extremely protective, according to Jonathan Haddock, managing director of SCA Foam Products, as well as lightweight. It’s easy to change the shape during production and one moulded form can often take a range of different component variants, sometimes with the aid of small inserts.

EPS is best for one-way packaging, suggests Haddock. EPP, meanwhile, is robust enough to be reused in a closed-loop system. “You do get drop-out,” he says, “but it only requires minor top-ups to the system.”

While EPS is one-third to a half cheaper than EPP in material terms (the cost of processing and production is similar), it is slightly less forgiving on the surface of the part. EPS can, as Haddock describes, “bloom” the surface – not scratch it, but leave a faint mark. EPP is much gentler, vital for where an ‘A’ surface – a surface that will be visible to the end consumer in the finished product – is in contact with the packaging.

Both EPS and EPP can be regranulated and re-extruded to make more packaging using technology from companies such as Danish supplier KBM. Alternatively, after thermal compaction, they can be recycled into other products.

This is the approach taken by Honda, which uses a lot of EPS packaging to transport parts from Japan to manufacture in Europe. As it is up to 98% air, the weight it adds to a shipping container is negligible, but EPS is too fragile to reuse, and too bulky to ship back. Instead, according to Next-tec business development director Mark Smith, “it’s best to recycle in the country where the waste stream is created.”

Honda uses a PolyCycle line from Next-tec that chops EPS into golf-ball-size chunks and collapses them to coin-sized chips. This pelletised material is then recycled into board for the construction industry, or wood substitute products such as skirting board or architrave. The UK Honda division recycles 200 tonnes a year, or 400 truckloads, this way.

Some car components are vulnerable to corrosion and packaging has to accommodate this too. Traditionally, oil-based or other coatings have been used to protect parts from atmospheric corrosives, but volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) can be hazardous and can break down and damage the parts they are designed to protect.

Costly corrosion
One alternative is the foil liner. Protective Packaging makes aluminium foil liners for cartons – parts go inside the bag, including silica gel or other dessicant, and are heat-sealed. The aluminium prevents corrosion during transit or storage and allows components to be shipped clean. However, it is around three times as expensive as VCIs.

However, a new development promises to cut costs and improve environmental compliance. Corrosion Intercept allows moisture to pass through into the packaging, while using copper to scavenge atmospheric impurities to provide a neutral environment for the part being transported. This prevents corrosion from occurring as moisture alone cannot begin the corrosion process without the other impurities.

Protective Packaging sales director Simon Jolly claims it will “revolutionise” auto parts packaging. “It’s more expensive than VCIs, but cheaper than foil and dessicant,” he says. “And as electronic parts move to silver-based solder, Corrosion Intercept is the only thing to fully protect it.” High-profile users include BMW, Mercedes and General Motors.

In the end, though, a lot of the decisions about which packaging to use, especially in the after-market, may well be determined by habit or prejudice. Haddock notes that some OEM suppliers simply don’t like a lot of cardboard “cluttering up the line”, while Chamberlain points out that the more packaging materials a firm receives, the more work it has to do to recycle it: “It’s a sorting issue with different waste streams.” Often suppliers will want to stick with one type of packaging – so whichever is the most convenient for most items will be carried over to all.

A NATION OF CAR LOVERS
Key UK motor industry statistics include:

• UK vehicle production 2007: 1.5 million cars; 216,000 commercial vehicles
• UK new vehicle sales 2007: 2.4 million cars; 337,000 commercial vehicles
• UK used vehicle sales 2007: 7.4 million cars; 840,000 commercial vehicles
• Value of UK vehicle manufacturing, distribution and servicing business: £200bn
• There are around 2,600 component makers in the UK, employing 115,000 people

"Toughy versus fluffy”
Supplying car parts for retail or end-user purchase offers significantly different packaging challenges from the manufacturing side. ICM Creative works with Ring Automotive on its range of car lightbulbs sold through independent motor dealers and distributors. Account director Caroline Airton divides the small parts market into “rough and toughy” and “pink and fluffy”.

“Rough and toughy is for the garage owner,” she says. “They are supplied by sales reps or bought on the phone. They have no brand loyalty at all.” As a result, packaging must be practical and assist the owner to use the product and to buy more.

One example might be a bulb dispenser unit that holds all the available bulbs and can dispense them easily, letting the user keep track of stock levels and acting as a trigger to order more. Another factor is the storage environment. Shelving for trade buyers can often be dirty, so outlets don’t like white boxes, as they end up looking grubby.

Pink and fluffy is for end-user retail, however. It’s more attractive packaging that can answer the questions ‘what am I and why buy me?’. “The key factors are information and also security with higher-value products,” says Airton. Using design tricks such as blistering can keep theft to a minimum and design can also convey the difference between basic and premium-priced products.