Reusable packaging protects engines in transit

Toyota is using purpose-designed reusable packaging to achieve optimum product protection during transportation of diesel engines for its Corolla and new Avensis models.

Toyota is using purpose-designed reusable Linpac Materials Handling packaging to achieve optimum product protection during transportation of diesel engines for its Corolla and new Avensis models.

Engines are the heaviest individual component in car manufacture, and in the case of Toyota's diesel models, can weigh as much as fifty percent more than their petrol counterparts.

Finding a container that was robust and durable, easy to handle in manufacturing, transportation and assembly environments and economical to use in long haul journeys to assembly plants as far afield as Turkey, were all areas to be addressed in packaging criteria for Toyota's diesel engine.

The motor manufacturer turned to existing Toyota packaging supplier Linpac Materials Handling, to devise a workable and cost effective solution.

Working together with ACK; supplier of many of the metal stillages used within Toyota's supply chain, Linpac Materials Handling produced a uniquely profiled re-usable 'engine cell' to house the diesel engine securely within the metal stillage.

The new engine cell replaces an earlier system where engines were located on small plastic blocks within the stillage.

Movement and vibration would sometimes cause these blocks to shift or break, allowing the engines to come into contact with each other or with the outer metal frame.

The previous system gave Toyota cause for concern as there was a risk of scratching and damage to the engines' exterior which was unacceptable under Toyota's stringent production criteria and would have resulted in the engine having to be returned to the point of manufacture and replaced.

This scenario also presented Toyota which additional transportation and labour costs and the possibility of down time if production schedules were affected.

Mindful of the need to devise a packaging solution which would offer optimum protection and eradicate the problems associated with Toyota's earlier system, Linpac Materials Handling produced a moulded engine cell profiled to the exact dimensions of the engine.

The new cell not only houses the engine safely and securely, it actually funnels it into position when it is being lowered into the container by overhead hoists.

Diesel engines cost three times as much to produce as petrol versions so maintaining the highest levels of protection as they travel through Toyota's supply line is critical.

Metal stillages incorporating the Linpac cells now house three engines per layer and can be stacked up to three high within both delivery vehicles and freighting containers, thereby optimising space utilisation.

The metal stillage's retracting top bars and the nesting profile of the Linpac engine cells bring further space savings on the return leg of the journey.

Excellence in product packaging is key to maintaining the quality end product for which Toyota is renowned and Linpac's packaging solution is providing unbeatable protection for critical high value components where loss or damage can have unacceptable time and cost consequences for Toyota's business.

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