4 Key Considerations When Shipping Heavy Automotive Parts

Getting heavy automotive parts to your customers safely and securely can be challenging. From engines to hubcaps to transmissions or wheels, it's important to choose the right shipping materials  that can withstand the weight. In this post, we cover 4 key shipping details to consider to ensure that your car parts and packaging all stay intact during transit. 

1. Make Sure Your Car Parts Are Actually Ready For Shipping

While seemingly obvious, this step may be overlooked when preparing a carton for shipment. For example, automotive parts that hold fluids should be drained completely.

Damage from a fluid leak in your package could cause your shipment to be held up at a shipping terminal. And a late package can truly negatively affect the lifetime value of your customers.

Draining parts of all fluids will save you time and money by reducing product damage and keeping your customers happy with on-time deliveries. 

2. Follow Best Practices for Shipping Car Parts

Here are some basic guidelines to follow when packaging bulky car parts for shipment:

• ✔ Make sure the product is properly cushioned inside the carton, especially when dealing with fragile components.
• ✔ In addition to cushioning, padding should be added to all sharp edges to prevent these components from penetrating the box.
• ✔ To avoid potential damage to smaller items due to movement within the carton, be sure to fill any extra space with material such as air pillows or paper void fill.
• ✔ UPS recommends in their automotive parts guide, that you "enclose items like plastic moldings and small, loose components in plastic pouches."
• ✔ Make sure the carton or box that you are using is a good fit for the product being shipped. This will help keep your costs low when shipping.

With the advent of “dimensional weight” shipping, it’s not just the weight of your part that matters. It’s also the size of the part or – more precisely – the size of the package.

- SporkMarketing

3. Choose Your Shipping Cartons Wisely

Using the appropriate type of carton to ship heavy automotive parts is critical. 

Although corrugated cartons and cardboard boxes tend to look similar, corrugated cartons are more durable. 

Corrugate is comprised of three layers of paper that include an inside liner, an outside liner, and fluting with a ruffled shape, which runs in between the two. 

When formed into boxes, corrugated sheets are ideal for shipping heavy items because they are strong, durable, and easily recycled.

Goods shipped in corrugated cartons are less likely to be damaged in shipment than those shipped in cardboard boxes.

4. Use a Strong, Tamper-Evident Packaging Tape

Maximize the strength and security of your corrugate by using reinforced water-activated tape to seal your carton.

Reinforced water-activated tape contains fiberglass which provides extraordinary strength to the tape, thereby protecting your shipped products.

When activated with water, gummed paper tape penetrates the carton material and the tape forms a permanent bond with the carton and creating a tamper-evident seal.

Water-activated tape fits the bill for a host of automotive and automotive aftermarket companies that want their products to arrive at a customer’s business or home intact.  

Want to know if water activated tape is right for your automotive company? Request a free sample by clicking the image below. 

[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]

Automotive E-Commerce Growth & The Challenge of Packaging

The online retail market for aftermarket automotive parts and accessories continues to grow at a rapid rate. In fact, according to findings from Hedges & Company, auto parts sales influenced by digital is likely to grow to $152 billion by 2021.

This means that the challenges associated with packaging and shipping automotive parts and supplies need to be addressed quickly and efficiently.

Why Are Buyers Shifting To Purchasing Parts Online?

There are four main benefits of buying aftermarket automobile parts online:

• ✔ Easy access a wide selection of parts
• ✔ Cost savings
• ✔ Ability to price compare
• ✔ Time savings

Simply put, the convenience of e-commerce and modern shop management systems have made it easier to purchase parts online, compared with traditional, over-the-phone ordering. 

Consumers appreciate the information and price transparency available on online because local garages have often held an unfortunate reputation of being vague in their pricing and pricing methods, as well as in their product descriptions.

Proper Packaging is Key

Online shoppers buying auto parts employ ship-to-store 55% of the time, a 14% increase from the prior year. This is part of a growing trend toward increased convenience and “no-cost, ship-to-store pricing," according to data from V12. 

For the remaining 45% that opt to have their automotive parts shipped to their home or place of business, there are unique challenges to address.

Aftermarket automotive parts can be anything from replacement windshields to fenders or headlights. Each product requires unique protective packaging to prevent damage during shipment. 

When car enthusiasts make purchases for their vehicles, they expect the parts to arrive in pristine condition — any imperfection is simply unacceptable.

If parts are damaged during transit due to poor packaging, a costly returns process may be initiated by the buyer. 

Depending on the application and final destination, there’s an array of materials and techniques that can be used to create the best packaging solution for your products. 

Some of these solutions include:

• ✔ Plastic corrugated partitions lined with foam
• ✔ Heat-sealed bubble pouches
• ✔ Films to protect against scratching, marring and abrasion
• ✔ Water-activated tape for a strong, secure seal

Choose Efficient Packaging Methods

When shipping automotive parts, packagers’ top concerns and considerations typically include the speed and flexibility of the carton sealing equipment, and the durability and overall quality of the shipping carton and tape being used.

Ensuring that efficient solutions are in place for your packing stations will help increase productivity, employee happiness, and improve overall time to delivery for each package. 

Water-activated tape and electric tape dispensers are ideal for pick-and-pack operations. The electric dispensers feed and cut the exact length of tape needed to seal assorted sizes of cartons with just the touch of a button. 

Because water-activated tape creates a strong bond with the shipping carton, only one strip of tape is needed to securely seal the carton - increasing packer efficiency. 

Additionally, when using water-activated tape (also commonly known as gummed paper tape) you have the option to add branding to the tape itself, to further increase brand awareness as your product goes through the delivery process and waits on your customer’s porch.

Better Packages is Here to Help

As you work through the challenges of increasing e-commerce demand for automotive aftermarket parts, we’re here to help. 

Check out our Automotive Aftermarket Parts Packaging Guide today.

[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]

Use Genuine Better Packages Parts for Best Results

Genuine Better Packages water-activated tape dispenser parts

If you use a Better Packages’ water-activated tape dispenser to seal your water-activated tape (WAT), you understand how well-constructed and durable it is. You also perceive the many advantages of the super-strong shipping carton seal that you get from using water-activated tape (WAT) — from better protection of package contents to increased security. But, did you know that to keep your dispenser humming, you need to use genuine Better Packages parts?

4 Important Reasons to Use Better Packages Replacement Parts

Equipment parts wear out over time and must be replaced, and this is also true of Better Pack water-activated tape dispensers. In fact, because these machines have such a long life-span, you will surely need to obtain new parts at some point in their long operational life.

There are many reasons to choose genuine Better Packages parts. Below are four of the biggest.

1. Better Packages parts are made specifically for Better Pack machines. Imitation parts simply won’t work as well in your water-activated tape dispenser and will not last as long. If you use knock-off parts, you may suffer both lower productivity and higher long-term total cost of ownership.
2. To maintain your Better Packages’ warranty, you must use genuine Better Packages parts. That warranty provides valuable protection that you do not want to void simply because you failed to obtain the proper replacement parts.
3. You must use genuine Better Packages parts to maintain the safety certifications of your device and ensure the safety of your dispenser.
4. Official Better Pack parts are built to the extremely high Better Packages’ standard. With knock-off parts, you never know what you will get.

4 Easy Ways to Buy Better Pack Parts

1. Shop online at our website.
2. Contact your local Authorized Distributor.
3. Call our Customer Service department at 203-926-3700 or 800-237-9151.
4. Email us and we’ll connect you to an Authorized Distributor.

Genuine Better Packages Parts + Routine Maintenance = Serious ROI

Your Better Pack water-activated tape dispenser is designed for easy care and exceptional reliability. It doesn’t require frequent or extensive maintenance. However, performing periodic cleanings, making minor adjustments, and swapping out worn items with genuine replacement parts will allow your dispenser to continue operating faithfully not just for years, but for decades. There probably are not many devices you use as part of your business operations that can make that claim!

“Performing periodic cleanings, making minor adjustments, and swapping out worn items with genuine replacement parts will allow your dispenser to continue operating faithfully not just for years, but for decades.” TWEET THIS

Wondering how to perform key routine maintenance operations? We’ve got you covered! Our website has a large library of helpful maintenance videos that provide step-by-step instructions. This extensive collection of educational materials is updated regularly to ensure you have all the information you need to maximize the return on your WAT investment. You can also download a parts drawing or Operator Manual from our website.

Accept No Imitations — Check With Us First

In some cases, it may be hard to tell if the provider from whom you intend to buy Better Packages parts is an Authorized Distributor. Before you make your purchase, be sure to talk with our Customer Service department. They can point you in the right direction. You can reach them at 800-237-9151 (in the U.S.) or 203-926-3700 (around the world).

Making the Switch to WAT With Better Packages

Not yet using water-activated tape and considering making the switch? It’s easy to get up and running with WAT. We can answer any questions you have about our products, tell you about some of our many happy clients (from small startups to major corporations), and help you prepare your first order. We’re confident that once you make the switch, you’ll never look back! Contact us at your convenience.

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[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]