There are many industries that face shipping and storage challenges for heavy and oversized equipment. Location transfers and transportation delays can place this valuable equipment at risk during shipping. During storage, this sort of equipment is often not secured in a climate-controlled indoor facility.

Whether an indoor or outdoor storage area is available, managing environmental threats to these high-value assets is important for avoiding costly repairs and replacements. Additionally, many warehouses and indoor facilities can be prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, there are numerous, cost-effective protective packaging alternatives.

Common Threats

Common environmental concerns for oversized equipment depend greatly on the location that they will be stored or the environmental conditions that they will encounter if they are being transported. Moisture, corrosive substances, and general logistical threats are three threats that your heavy equipment is most likely to encounter.

  • Moisture: It only takes a small amount of moisture to threaten the integrity of your equipment. In fact, damage can occur with only 40% humidity. Using protective packaging such as dessicant, humidity indicators, and barrier films are some ways to protect against moisture damage — even without knowing the composition of the atmosphere that your equipment will encounter.Moisture barrier bags can effectively protect against even high levels of humidity, as well as oxygen, salt spray, aromas, grease and other airborne contaminants. Sealing your high-value equipment in these bags creates properly controlled environments, so your assets can remain protected indefinitely.
  • Corrosive Substances: There are as many types of corrosive substances as there are environments. If your equipment is being shipped overseas, salt from the ocean could be an issue. Even oxygen in the right conditions can cause corrosion, which can easily spread. Protective packaging, such as VCI, are designed specifically to mitigate these types of corrosive substances. Foil, Tyvek, scrim, desiccants and VCI emitters can protect against rust and other types of corrosion. In addition to the bags noted above, these protective materials can be sized to wrap large assets, such as a plane, construction machinery, or inactive gas pipeline equipment.
  • Logistical Threats: Threats during transit can be difficult to pinpoint as they often happen due to shipping delays or human error. Employing shock-resistant packaging, such as foam wraps, and outer reflective packaging designed to protect against UV rays and sun exposure are two ways to be proactive in your transit protection.Transit damage often goes undetected until the heavy equipment or component fails to perform correctly in the field. This is why protective packaging is more than just a bag, when thousands or even millions of dollars could be on the line.

Other Protective Assurances

There are other avenues to ensure that your valuable assets and heavy equipment are well protected. These go beyond materials and solutions. Knowing that your protective packaging partner is committed to the highest standards can also help you rest assured that your equipment is in safe hands, even when it is out of your hands.

  • MIL-Spec Standards: At its most simple, MIL-Spec is a United States military standard that must be met by all vendors who work with the Department of Defense (DOD). These standards ensure that the products and services provided by these vendors meet the highest level of protection. Additionally, a benefit of working with a MIL-Spec experienced company is that you may also be able to take advantage of affordable pricing on MIL-Spec products.
  • ISO Certification: Going hand-in-hand with the highest level of protection standards is the highest level of quality standards. In the packaging industry, these requirements are found in an ISO 9001:2015 certification. An ISO 9001:2015 certification means that the company that you are partnering with has committed to the concepts and operational standards of the International Quality Standards.

These are just a few of the ways that you can be sure that your high-value assets and heavy equipment are being protected from these threats in the most secure manner. Because Protective Packaging Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers and providers of MIL-Spec packaging products in the United States and one of the few U.S. ISO 9001:2015 Certified packaging companies, we are uniquely qualified to build a preservation/protection plan that can provide complete protection from the environment for your assets during shipping and storage.

If you would like to learn more, have questions or would like for us to do an onsite visit to provide packaging suggestions or a quote, we’d love to help. Feel free to contact us online or call us at 1-866-229-0437.