Case Histories
Tektronix' New Packaging Reflects Cutting-Edge Product Line
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When a company ships expensive high-end equipment, product protection is a top priority. Otherwise, a small amount of damage could carry a very large price tag. Electronics manufacturing leader Tektronix, Inc., winner of both Emmy and Oscar awards for technical innovation, has significantly reduced damage to its sophisticated video analysis products with a bold new packaging design.
The Measurement Business Division of Tektronix, which manufactures video and audio analysis equipment for the television industry, ships their highly specialized "MTS100" units to destinations worldwide. With a price tag of about $50,000 each, Tektronix needed to have every single unit arrive in perfect condition. But finding a more effective packaging solution meant overcoming some big challenges.
Procurement agent Wayne Munroe began searching for a cost-effective design that would simplify new product introductions and also accommodate changes in product shape, size, weight, and accessories. Other concerns were using manufacturing floor space efficiently and choosing packaging that was environmentally friendly. All of these requirements had to be combined with the assurance of complete product protection for a finished package weighing more than 100lbs. Sealed Air Corporation's patented Korrvu® suspension packaging provided a potential solution that could meet every criteria.
Korrvu® suspension packaging holds products in the air space of a shipping container between two layers of highly resilient, low-slip film. The patented design suspends the units away from impact, providing consistent protection for fragile but heavy products, even after repeated drops.
Prior to considering Korrvu® suspension packaging, Tektronix' Measurement Business almost exclusively used bulky pre-fabricated cushions and corrugated shapes to protect its products.
"We needed packaging that was able to keep up with us"
"The old pre-fabricated cushion approach required stocking a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate product variations," Munroe explained. "It was also expensive and time consuming to retool for product changes. To stay on the leading edge in our industry, we are always innovating and upgrading. We needed packaging that was able to keep up with us - adaptable, rugged, and compliant with international environmental standards."
Korrvu® suspension packaging uniquely stretches and conforms to accommodate changes in product shape and size. Before the switch to Korrvu® suspension packaging, product innovations would mean packaging retooling, with costs often exceeding thousands of dollars. Tektronix' Measurement Business is now adapting Korrvu® packaging to protect video analysis equipment that comes in several distinct shapes, sizes and weights. The cost is a fraction of what the old packaging would have been.
In addition to simplifying packaging inventory control, the versatile design speeds the packaging process. Production personnel no longer have to assemble several different packs, each with unique materials. The number of inventoried components to be tracked and stored has become a fraction of the original.
Munroe was also concerned that the pre-formed cushions were too bulky. "We had materials stacked 10 feet high, which meant we could only store a limited supply. The inventory had to be replenished on a daily basis."
Space efficient Korrvu® suspension packaging has significantly reduced the division's storage requirements. Floor space once used to store packaging supplies is now used for manufacturing. The new packaging, which ships and stores flat, is so compact that even during peak production times Tektronix can store enough material to replenish the inventory on a weekly basis. That means a dramatic cut in material handling.
In addition, the Korrvu® suspension packaging design is 100 percent recyclable. It meets the most stringent international requirements and allows for full environmental packaging compliance of Tektronix products shipped to destinations worldwide.
However, zero damage was the most crucial improvement. "Laboratory drop testing showed that with Korrvu® suspension packaging, we could cut potentially damaging acceleration forces by approximately 70 percent," explained Munroe. "Our damage in shipping decreased from about 4 percent down to nothing."
"The results were much better than we expected"
The design process was a key part of the new packaging's success. Wayne Watson and Sal Cesario from Kent Landsberg, Inc., distributor of Korrvu® packaging, first presented the idea of using suspension packaging for Tektronix products. Munroe had reviewed potential Korrvu® suspension packaging applications for other product lines, and understood its potential. Working with the engineering staff to demonstrate its capabilities and choose appropriate applications, he was impressed with how quickly the MTS100 design came together.
Sealed Air Corporation packaging engineer Terry Wynn visited Tektronix several times to evaluate the development process, and the effectiveness of potential designs. "The results were much better than we expected," Munroe said. "We quickly had a very good solution, and extensive testing proved it would be effective."
By reducing product damage and packaging costs, freeing manufacturing floor space, implementing environmentally friendly packaging, and greatly simplifying packaging inventory management, Tektronix met and exceeded its original goals.
The MTS100 design received the 1997 Judges Award of Merit at the AmeriStar Packaging Competition, and won the 1997 WorldStar Packaging Competition. Both awards honor the best packaging designs in several national and international categories. The design has been acknowledged for significantly extending the size and weight limits for suspension packaging technology.
"The partnership between Sealed Air Corporation, Kent Landsberg, Inc., and Tektronix has produced a design that has been recognized in global competition," said Munroe. "We've developed something together that benefits both Tektronix and our customers. It's a great feeling."
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