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HOW TO IMPROVE BROADCAST EQUIPMENT SHIPPING, AVOID DINGED-UP EQUIPMENT AND GET YOUR REPAIRED GEAR BACK FASTER

I work at BEXT Inc. and repair and ship everything that comes into and leaves BEXT, although the remarks I am about to make apply to shipping electronic equipment in general and not just to or from Bext in particular. One of the things I am always seeing are heavy items being sent to us that get broken in shipping. The usual cause is that the station takes the item down to the local UPS or Fed-X store where workers just don't have the proper training to ship heavy items correctly. They usually either wrap the 50+ lb. object in bubble wrap or -- even worse -- fill the box with popcorn and ship it. This invariably leads us to file a breakage report.
 
Shipping damage is usually easy to fix such as broken rack handles and bent BNC connectors. Unfortunately, this causes repairs to be delayed because the shipping agent wants to see it before we fix it.

Stations need to be responsible for their own packaging. The things needed to ship heavy items are:

1)      Triple layer boxes rated for the weight of the item.

2)      Solid packing foam at least 1.5 inches beyond the farthest corner extending out of the item being shipped.

3)      NO bubble wrap if item is over 15 lbs.

4)      NO popcorn, EVER.


If you cannot find the proper packing material, use the next best thing which is spray cans of insulation foam which are available at your local hardware store. To use spray foam you need to:

1)      Spray about 2 inches in the bottom of the box and then place a layer of plastic sheet over it. Remember that the foam will continue to expand for quite a while after you stop spraying.

2)      Wait a few minutes until the foam starts to harden and slows its expansion and then place the unit in the box. Note that the unit should be inside a plastic bag that is separate from the plastic liner in the box.

3)      Now spray foam around the edges of the box a bit at a time to keep the expanding foam from crushing the item or splitting the box open. It is better to add foam afterwards than to risk damaging the box or unit.

4)      Now place a plastic sheet over the plastic-wrapped item to be shipped and spray in a foam cover. Remember that the foam will continue to expand for quite a while after you stop spraying, so spray less than it looks to need.


This will take some getting used to and your first and usually second packing trys will probably be unsuccessful. Don't give up. When done correctly, the item will be protected. The biggest thing to remember is this: your package will be handled by the lowest paid helpers that the shipping agency can find and the act of shipping will add incredible stress to your box.
 
I heard a rule of thumb one time about shipping and it has always stuck with me. Would you trust the box and item to fall 10 feet onto a concrete floor? If not, repack it! This advice came from an astronomy article. Sure, fragile glass lenses break easier than typical electronic equipment, but proper packing is essential no matter what is inside the box.

If you do a better job of packing, I'll have less to repair and you'll get your gear back faster and it won't be beat up. That is a win-win situation.
 

Don Johnson, Engineering/Technical Support, BEXT Inc.

donald (at) bext.com
(619) 239-8462 ­ Main
(619) 685-3913 ­ Direct
(619) 239-8474 ­ Fax
(619) 685-3917 ­ After hours support

November 2007

Posted by Steve Blodgett
Earthsignals.com