Customer Case
Packaging solution for tomography
A computer tomography scanner, or CT scanner, is a very valuable product that costs millions of dollars. A CT scanning device is extremely sensitive to shock and vibration and it is also difficult to manage, both when it comes to weight and size - it weighs two tonnes. When the client turned to Nefab, they were facing a tough challenge. Manufacturing had earlier been located in China, with distribution to hospitals around the world. A typical transport cycle consisted of road transport to the Chinese customs with loading for air or maritime transport on to the customs of the host country. On arrival the CT scanner would be sent to the customer's central warehouse by truck, for onward transport to the hospital that ordered it. Transshipment points were numerous, and the number of machines that arrived damaged was troublesome. Nefab therefore got a contract to develop a new packaging solution.
- Rui Garrido
- Executive Vice President, Industry
Improvement
Reduced shipping damage was the customer's main focus, but Nefab's total cost analysis showed that there were significant savings to be made in other areas as well. With a new packaging design based on Nefab ExPak XL and an inner packaging with cushioning (and ski-mates) both weight and material use could be reduced. Nefab's clever design also reduced the costs of handling and assembly. A combined analysis showed a reduction in damage by 100%, reduced transport costs by 50%, reduced packaging costs by 22% and reduced management costs by 50%. The total cost savings with the new packaging solution was thus 55%. But most important is of course that the CT scanners will arrive at the hospitals in an undamaged condition.
Environmental Optimization
Prior to the packing audit the client expressed a desire to reduce environmental impact. The new packaging could to some extent also be designed as returnable packaging. In total, this reduced the carbon footprint of the packaging by 30% - a decrease primarily due to the lower transportations costs and environmental impact in connection with the production of the packaging.