Why the Automotive Industry Needs Bespoke Packaging

6-9 month lead times, supply chain issues, and customer delays, it hasn’t been an easy time for the automotive industry. With only 4 months left until 2023, we need to seriously think about automotive packaging, because loss and damage should not come into the picture. Here at Greyhound Box, we’ve got some helpful tips about how you can reinvent the way you package your parts to deliver the most efficient, secure, and cost-effective option.

From waterproof packaging to sustainable bespoke cardboard boxes that perfectly fit even the smallest piece, our in-house experts are here to help you achieve your ultimate automotive packaging manufacturing mission. Sounds too good to be true…

Well for once, it’s not!

World Traveller

Did you know that the crankshaft of the BMW Mini crosses the channel 3 times before the finished car drives off the production line? That’s a 2,000-mile journey taken in a cardboard box before it physically “marries” with the car. A 2,000-mile journey over sea, road, and air, being handled by hundreds of people. But what happens if one of those hundreds of people drops that box and the cardboard packaging is not a snug fit? That could have serious implications for your product.

Unfortunately, this is the norm for the automotive industry now as the global market increases and supply chains cover greater distances. But there is a way to reduce the risk of damage: by using bespoke packaging.

A bespoke internal fitment we created to protect automotive parts.

Cost Saving Cardboard for Automotive Packaging

On average an automotive package is handled up to 20 times before reaching its intended end-point, e.g. the dealership, which leaves a lot of room for error. If you’re using non-bespoke off-the-line boxes, it only takes one knock or bump to your automotive part before it becomes uncalibrated, dented, or even exposed to the external environment. This part will then be rendered unusable and have to be replaced not only increasing your company’s transit costs but also creating unnecessary waste that will undoubtedly end up in landfills.

Greyhound’s bespoke designed cardboard boxes hug every inch of even the smallest components. From windscreens to needle roller bearings our boxes can be made specially to house any automotive part perfectly, reducing the risk of damage when dropped or knocked while travelling.

In addition, by using a carefully constructed cardboard box, no bubble wrap and extra filling are needed to pack the extra space around your product. Nor is there any need for workers to spend time wrapping each box in 5 layers of tape to make it hold together before shipment. Allowing you to save money by reducing your labour and materials.

Reduce & Recycle

In an increasingly environmentally driven world, any way in which the automotive industry can reduce its environmental impact on the planet is welcome. At Greyhound Box we take sustainability seriously, designing lower impact solutions and sourcing materials sustainably.

When looking at your own sustainability it’s important to look at reducing or recycling the waste you produce during the construction process, and bespoke packaging makes that easy:

Reduce: When using bespoke packaging, fewer additional materials are needed to keep the parts secure. As a result, materials that often get wasted at the end of the construction process, such as tape and fillers, are eliminated from the process all together. Less waste on the factory floor = less waste in our landfills.

Recycle: All our boxes are made from sustainably sourced pulp and paper corrugated cardboard meaning, you guessed it, they can be recycled. Saving on the 5 million tonnes of packing waste going into landfills every year.

Automotive Packaging Inventory Management

The automotive supply chain continues to come up against an array of challenges, and with the added pressure of transitioning to EV manufacturing, having a reliable supply chain is becoming an increasingly clear competitive edge in the industry.

Here at Greyhound Box, we don’t just make you high-quality sustainable cardboard packaging to suit your every need, but we can also store those boxes in our UK-based warehouse ready for you to collect when needed. Using our inventory management system we can anticipate when you will require packaging, based on previous orders and forecasting. This method allows you to have a consistent supply of packaging and reduce lead times.

Looking to upgrade your automotive packaging and reduce the cost of your assembly line? Contact our team to see how our bespoke cardboard packaging can change the way you think about boxes!