How to Avoid These 6 Aerospace Crating Mistakes

The aerospace industry deals with highly fragile and sometimes complicated components. That’s why aerospace crating involves the use of precision engineering, cost-saving measures, and innovative solutions to prevent expensive mistakes. 

In this article, we’ll highlight six aerospace crating and packaging mistakes that most people make, and how you can avoid them.

1. Not Meeting Deadlines

3d rendering of sand glass on a hand truck on blue background. Digital art. Time planning. Business and management.

Problem: Aerospace manufacturers and contractors must work with strict deadlines and ensure timely deliveries. If you fail to plan and consider the operational and physical characteristics of an item, you may end up making mistakes that can easily lead to missed deadlines. There are also standards that your goods must meet to pass the safety and integrity standards, including MIL-STD 1186, ASTM D1974, MD00100452, and many others.

Solution: To beat deadlines, work with an experienced aerospace packaging expert who understands the challenges you face. Packaging experts understand general transportation conditions, as well as compliance requirements, so they can develop plans to get the packaging done with minimal delays.

2. Using the Wrong Packaging Materials

Problem: Shipping items like engine components requires a high level of knowledge and prior experience. Placing large, expensive, and sometimes fragile items like hull, engines, and wing sections in a container and separating them with packaging fillers is not adequate protection.

Solution: The large, fragile, and costly nature of aircraft parts means that you must carefully choose suitable packaging materials. Before transportation, you should thoroughly assess the items and develop a customized crating and packaging design that includes bracing and custom-built blocking structures to keep the items immobile during transit.

Additionally, the right packaging material for aerospace components is crates and wooden boxes.

If you don’t know how to create a custom design for your components, you should work with an aerospace crating professional.

3. Forgetting About Regulatory Requirements

ispm 15 pallets

Problem: Aerospace manufacturers and contractors must follow a wide array of compliance requirements. Failing to follow these packaging regulations could lead to substantial financial losses due to penalties and component damage.

Solution: Be sure you know and understand all of the aerospace regulatory requirements for packing, storing, and transporting goods to ensure that your equipment is safely and adequately packaged. The spec packaging codes cover blocking, cushioning, anchoring, waterproofing, and other processes designed to protect goods from damage, corrosion, and degradation.

If you still have questions or concerns about your packaging, be sure to consult with a packaging expert.

4. Improper Labeling

labeling custom package

Problem: Because there are so many labeling requirements, it can be confusing to know which ones you need to put on your packaging. For example, crates that contain flammable, corrosive, or other dangerous goods must be labeled accordingly. Additionally, all crates should have barcodes for inventory management, as well as the company’s logo. 

Solution: Packaging and labeling regulations require that you review your packaging and labeling before sending your package to avoid compliance issues.  If you’re uncertain about any labeling regulations and requirements, we recommend consulting with a certified industrial packaging company.

5. Overlooking the Advantages of Sustainable Packaging

Eco-friendly labeling on a stack of cardboard boxes

Problem: Manufacturers are more focused on the primary aspect of transportation—getting the cargo from point A to point B. For this reason, there is pressure to take shortcuts and rushed decisions to meet deadlines. That means giving little or no attention to sustainable packaging, which helps reduce waste.

Solution: Consider working with a company that has invested heavily in sustainable packaging, including re-reusable packaging materials and tags. This type of packaging still provides viable protection for aerospace components, and can meet regulatory requirements.

6. Inefficient & Unsafe Packaging Designs

Problem: Manufacturers create many components, and each of these components will have specific packaging and shipping requirements. Some components can be packaged together to save money, while others may absolutely have to be in different containers. 

Solution: Working with a professional packaging company is the perfect way to avoid unsafe and ineffective packaging designs and solutions. An experienced packaging company can build and design custom aerospace crating and packaging solutions based on CAD drawings and other blueprints.

Avoid These Mistakes by Contacting Export Corporation

Aerospace crating presents unique challenges. That’s why you need to work with Export Corporation. Based in Michigan, we design and build custom crates and packaging for aerospace manufacturers and contractors across the U.S. We hold many certifications, including NAICS 488991, NAICS 321920, NAICS 561910, and ISPM-15. 

If you have packaging questions, or would like to request a custom design quote, please contact us today.