In the automotive industry, dunnage placed in molded totes is utilized for delivery of parts to the assembly line. This is an example of WIP packaging. In many industries, parts are considered Class A and need to move to and through the assembly process with ease and efficiency while also providing protection. So whether the part is being moved through the facility five feet or 100 feet, it needs to arrive safely, intact and assembly ready. When we custom design WIP packaging, we consider all of these facets heavily.

You may be familiar with Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, and others. There are a host of methodologies that businesses use to bring structure to the process of identifying and acting upon opportunities for improvement.  WIP packaging falls in line with this.  WIP packaging used on an assembly line for instance, improves workflow practices. Not only do we design WIP packaging for ease of use by incorporating ergonomics; we make sure that it is highly functional for the assembly line operator, which supports efficiency on the line.

With all of that in mind, we also take the operator's safety into consideration for design as well. We use rolled edge lamination on plastic corrugated dividers, as the edges of the plastic corrugate are known as "cuticle killers". The rolled edge laminate not only protects the product but it also protects the operator's hands in the assembly process. This minimizes injury, and in turn, also minimizes the loss in production time. As mentioned above, WIP packaging protects the product/part throughout the manufacturing process. So in summary, WIP packaging is used to protect the product while internally in transit, as well as, improving all around workflow practices. 

Let's take a look at some examples of WIP packaging we've designed and manufactured: 

Project: Dunnage for Molded Tote

This project was done for a customer who needed dunnage for delivery of parts to the assembly line in the automotive industry.

Materials used: 14 cell divider made with 3mm plastic corrugated material laminated with spuntex lamination for additional product protection. 

 Project: Nestable Tote with Steel Ring

This project was done for a customer for a warehouse application for moving pharmaceutical components in a work in process application. 

Material used: Nestable tote made with 3mm white plastic corrugated to be die cut and welded to include steel ring.

Project: Steel Staging Cart 

This cart is used to move raw materials in the cabinetry industry.

Material used: 10mm plastic corrugated divider panels with u-channel and solid sheet HDPE fitted for a steel cart.

With a full spectrum of knowledge of modern lean manufacturing and efficient workflow principles, our engineers can custom design work in process packaging solution that fits your needs to a tee. What are you waiting for? Let us improve your workflow.