This week, we wanted to talk all about shipping! In the next installment of SilcoTalk, we interviewed Cody Richards, an incoming receiving technician, who inspects parts at receipt. At SilcoTek, we inspect and photograph every part at receipt and store it in our system, so Cody has seen it all and he had some great ideas to protect your parts. We asked him to share some tips for shipping parts to SilcoTek for coating. We are relaying this in the hopes that it will help new and current customers to get orders processed without the hassle and delays that shipping issues often cause. Watch the video below:
As Cody mentioned in the video above, the key to safely getting your parts to SilcoTek for coating is packaging! Several great suggestions were referenced in the video such as clam shells, hard-sided cases, foam inserts, bubble wrap, and sturdy boxes.
Clam Shells
We recommend clam shells for smaller parts to avoid part-to-part contact during transit. We often see small parts packaged together in bags or boxes that allow the parts to connect with each other during shipping, causing scratches or dents. There are a variety of sizes available to accommodate larger parts or large quantities.
Hard-Sided Shipping Cases
Hard cases are great for shipping parts to SilcoTek because they ensure your parts are safe from rough handling during transit. We know some cardboard boxes arrive perfectly intact while others are beaten and broken when we receive them. We've seen a lot of success from customers who use hard-sided cases to ship their items. In addition to the protection from hard cases, foam inserts are a great way to make sure your parts don't roll around. Simple egg crate foam inserts can be cut to the perfect size and added to the box or you can order custom foam inserts that fit and hold your parts perfectly in place. Let's not forget to mention that since these cases are reusable, we're cutting down on our carbon footprint.
Bubble Wrap
Everyone knows about bubble wrap for shipping products. But what some people don't know is that even with bubble wrap, your parts can still be damaged in transit. In many cases, we see bubble wrap used as a way to protect parts during shipping, but there is either not enough used or the parts fall out of the wrap. Using sufficient amounts of bubble wrap or using different sizes of bubble wrap can help to solve this problem. The less that parts can move around in the box, the less likely it is for them to be damaged.
Sturdy Boxes
Cody's example in the video is a double-walled cardboard box. In comparison to standard cardboard boxes, double-walled boxes offer considerably more support and protection in transit. In addition to better protection, they can often be reused for the return shipment.
With any of these suggestions or any other packaging materials, we're happy to reuse packaging materials for return shipments. Please just let us know before receipt so we know to save those materials for you!
These are just a few tips we can share for safe shipping to SilcoTek! As always, if you ever have any questions, please reach out to us!
Follow us on social media to see more videos from our new video series, SilcoTalk!
