The importance of load securing should not be undermined! This highly important step serves a dual purpose: for one thing, accidents can be avoided and another important result is that the goods will arrive to the end customer in flawless condition. It can guarantee you that everything will go by the book.
As a zero step, you must also check the loading of the container!
If you study The European best practices guidelines on cargo securing for road transport, you can read about many factors, which can affect the safety of your cargo during the distribution cycle:
– lashes, chains,
– steel cables,
– load bars or dunnage,
– methods to increase the friction between the load and the platform
(for example coatings, mats or anti-slip sheets).
In order to achieve faultless load securing it is advisable to analyse which of these above-mentioned solutions are the most ideal for the type of goods being transported, also considering the vehicle and the route.
According to the report of Packworld, the cost of replacing the damaged product during the distribution cycle can be as high as 17 times the cost of transport. The adequate load securing method not only means less waste caused by damaged products, but it can also strengthen brand reputation if the end user receives the products in perfect condition (which can result in more returning customers)
Damaged products and personal injuries…. Things we all want to avoid!
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work inadequate load securing is to be blamed for 25% of the accidents related to trucks. This is a very high rate..
There are a number of regulations on the stability of load during transport such as the 2014/47/EU directive, which mentions the EUMOS 40509 testing method applicable in Europe. Analyzing the load securing as well as using testing equipment can guarantee the benefits of complying with these international transportation regulations and standards.
Monitoring the stability of the load means that when choosing the packaging method it is also important to consider those real hazards, which can jeopardize the goods during the distribution cycle. Besides the protection of goods, packaging becomes easier to design, which helps us to avoid unnecessary costs due to over-packaging.
Studying the load securing results in safer solutions, which require less waste and smaller amounts of energy for transportation, manufacturing and packaging.
We can guarantee the effective securing of your load!
If you chose us, you can be sure that your load will be 100% safe during the whole distribution cycle! This way, besides being able to comply with all the regulations in force, you can also enjoy the economic benefits!
Not only can you trust us with securing your load, but in order to guarantee the stability of the load, we will also optimize your packaging
Would you like to know more about our services? Contact us !
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However, many things can go wrong during the loading process or during transport.
This article will tell you what steps you should take and how to make sure the goods are definitely ready for transport
Containers are suitable for transporting a wide variety of goods. Their size and design are standardized, so they can be handled uniformly anywhere in the world. Transporting bulk goods in containers can be up to 10-20x cheaper compared to conventional solutions.
A container is essentially a private warehouse that protects the cargo inside it. Therefore, in many cases, you can also save significant amounts on packaging costs.
If you are transporting goods abroad and want everything to go smoothly, you must not leave out the inspection. It helps to prevent improper handling or damage to goods during transport.
IMPORTANT: don’t forget about safe load securing!
Container loading is typically inspected at the consignor’s factory or warehouse and includes the followings:
The customer is right to be annoyed if they bought 1000 technical equipment from you, but only 900 has arrived and there is another 100 they can’t sell because they were damaged during transport. At this stage, the inspector shall ensure that this does not happen.
If the wrong packaging has been selected, if the packaging is torn, damaged, and the labels are incorrect, it can cause a lot of headaches.
The inspector shall supervise the loading of the goods to ensure that nothing is damaged during the process.
The condition of containers and vehicles must also be inspected: if an error occurs, such as containers are not properly sealed, safe transport cannot be guaranteed.
The inspector shall record the loading conditions in order to minimise possible road problems. Upon completion of the entire inspection process, the importer shall receive a detailed report with photographs and information.
Container loading inspection is useful for all importers who consider the safe loading, transport and arrival of their products to their destination important.
It can be especially crucial for those who:
Inspection of container loading reduces the possibility for the customer to have an unpleasant surprise when the goods arrive to almost zero.
It allows you to be informed of the state of the goods before shipping, to detect possible problems and to take immediate action. If there is any discrepancy, the staff responsible shall decide on the next step.
On the other hand, the presence of professionals during the container loading process almost entirely eliminates the risk of improper handling and loading of goods and minimises the risk of theft and other unexpected problems.
with the supervision of the container loading process you have to worry less about possible damage to the goods or suffering financial losses and you have more time to focus on your business and your customers.
And if you want to make sure that your cargo is safely secured inside the container: just leave it to Strapa-Pack!
Contact us here: Strapa-pack
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It goes without saying that it’s very expensive in the long run to say goodbye to 10% of your consignment.
If it’s a single shipment, it may not be the end of the world, but if we’re looking at a whole year – or a decade – then we’re talking about a massive financial loss. If we could sell this discarded 10%, it would greatly increase our profits. If the products have become completely damaged by moisture and fungus, you must discard everything and deliver the goods to the customer again. In addition, if it is an urgent shipment, you may even have to choose the much more expensive air transport rather than sea transport. In addition to economic losses and excess waste, cargo damage can often result in a loss of revenue and, for almost all segments and products, could jeopardise the credibility of manufacturers or retailers, thereby undermining confidence towards them.
Container rain is caused by a change in temperature, which may occur when vessels pass through different climate zones. Let us look at a simple example: the container is loaded in Hong Kong, where, thanks to the tropical climate, the air is known to be warm and wet. If the cargo then ends up in the cold Scandinavia and the container is not sufficiently protected from moisture, damage to your cargo can be guaranteed.
When vessels cross the Suez Canal between South Asia and Europe, the temperature of the container can reach up to 80 degrees Celsius! Inside the container, the warm, humid air condenses, which can have negative consequences. Like dewdrops forming on a cold soda can on a hot summer day, condensation begins to form on the surface of the cargo, on the inner ceiling and on the walls of the container. Condensation occurs on the coldest surface available, and when the warmer air hits a colder surface (the container sealing), moisture release may be as significant as if it was rain falling from the ceiling. Interesting fact: the container floor by itself can hold up to one hectolitre (100 litres) of water!
This may happen every day until the relative humidity (Rh%) is reduced. Mystery solved: when the container arrives and you find that everything is soaked, wet and mouldy, this is almost certainly, what has happened!
Although temperature fluctuations are impossible to prevent, there are some tips you can follow to avoid container rain. In general, each container holds a certain amount of moisture:
On the one hand, air always has a basic water content (hot air more than cold), and high fiber cargo, such as furniture, handicrafts and agricultural products, clothing and other fabrics, all contain a certain amount of moisture.
Another surprising fact is that moisture can occur naturally in the packaging material itself (for example, pallets, crates, cardboard boxes). Therefore, when shipping containers overseas, you should consider both the materials of the goods and the packaging and care should be taken to select the suitable packing material for your cargo.
Adequate ventilation also plays an important role in ensuring that moisture does not transform into container rain It is a common mistake to cover the container’s ventilation, thinking that moisture enters from outside. This is a huge misconception – ventilation is designed to remove excessive moisture! Covering it only makes it worse, because as the humid air inside will get hotter and which will result in more container rain
Another very simple way to have less moisture inside the container if the pallets are not standing outside. It is important to know: wood absorbs moisture, especially when the air is warm and humid. Standard EU pallets can absorb up to 20 litres of water and a standard size container contains about 40 pallets. After a quick calculation it is easy to see how this huge amounts of water can generate inside the container – 800 liters is almost as much as two full baths! The price of LCL transport is usually set in kilograms and cubic metres. This means that if your cargo has excess weight, you will pay for nothing. Just by paying attention to these “tiny” details, you can reduce the likelihood of container rain and protect your product from moisture and fungus.
If you are transporting expensive, fragile goods, or if there are many factors that make container rain highly probable, using dehumidifier is of paramount importance. It helps to prevent moisture in the air from reaching a drastic level that can cause damage. This is done by calcium chloride-based absorbing bags, which in its natural state is a liquid brine that is converted into dry matter by the removal of water by heating. If it gets into contact with air, it rapidly and automatically absorbs water from the surrounding air to regain its natural state. So you don’t have to worry, feel free to close the container and open it weeks later, the goods will still be in perfect condition.
Bentonite is also an effective vapor barrier. Its main component is calcium montmorillonite, which is an extremely strong adsorbent that can bind many times its own volume. This natural clay mineral is completely harmless to living organisms and offers an environmentally friendly alternative. Due to its beneficial properties, it is used in many fields such as in electronics, logistics, food and pharmaceutical industries, etc.
Are you also worried about container rain? Would you like to keep your shipment safe?
We offer a variety of solutions to protect your cargo!
Please contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have!
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