Packaging

Yes I know the title is going to trigger a whole stream of Benny Hill type jokes and snickers but this needs to be considered if you are sending valuable equipment away for calibration.

Ideally it is best to retain the original shipping boxes that the equipment was supplied in, as a lot of testing (vibration, shock, environmental) was involved, to ensure the product reached you in perfect working order, in the real world the equipment is ripped asunder from its cardboard home to be put to work, whilst the cardboard and polystyrene head for the re-cycling bin.

It is easy for me to wax lyrical about keeping the containers, but they take up space and can be a trip hazard, so keeping them does not seem a good option.

This is fine until it is time for annual calibration or the unit needs to be returned for repair/upgrade, then it is panic stations and totally unsuitable containers are pressed into action. Thousands of pounds worth of equipment are lightly wrapped in bubble wrap and thrust into a box thinner than a cereal packet. But we all know no harm will come of it, as it has the magic protection of the fragile tape, or as we like to call it “the please drop me and kick me tape”.

It is not the carriers job to worry about each individual package, their remit is to shift as many packages as possible and maybe deliver some on time or to the right destination!

Joking apart carriers have a tough task and this is not helped by sending equipment in unsuitable or badly packed containers.

I was once told a story of how a company was baffled by the amount of products they sent out that arrived at customers damaged. After much debate, box re-designs and changing of carriers, they sent a shock logger out in one of the boxes and discovered the source of the equipment damage. The boxes were being deliberately  dropped by “old Joe” in stores, who had not got the pay rise he expected!

I know some of you are thinking, well I can avoid this by having a calibration company do in house, or use one who has a collection/delivery policy. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a “free lunch” and the cost of these services are added to the equipment calibration cost. It is also nearly impossible to find a calibration house who can calibrate everything themselves, so some equipment will still need to be shipped.

Not to worry the magic fragile tape will protect your equipment from harm!

For more information, please contact Phil Clark. phil@cmrcalibrate.co.uk