Aerospace Packaging

Luckily, GWP also take an engineering approach to your aerospace packaging.

This means an understanding that extremely valuable or specialist parts cannot be damaged in transit. An understanding that protection levels of your packaging may need to be calculated and tested before being acceptable to transport specific items.

That ultimately, quality of engineering and manufacture is hugely important in aerospace packaging.

GWP Protective supply a vast number of companies in every sector and tier of the UK Aerospace industry.

Besides the direct supply of protective cases, engineered foams, flight cases and high performance aerospace transit packaging into some very high profile UK based Aerospace companies, GWP also has relationships with numerous customers designing and manufacturing a range of components for both commercial and military aircraft.

Effectively, your business can source transit aerospace packaging and cases that will guarantee to protect your equipment.

Despite the associated costs of this high performance packaging, eliminating transit damage to protect your products can frequently reduce the costs to your business. The cost of replacing high value components or equipment. The cost of handling returns. The cost of delayed projects. Even the cost of losing future sales through damaged customer relations.

Besides designing and manufacturing specialist aerospace transit packaging for components including engines, electronics and communications equipment, your business can also tap into the vast experience in the design of re-usable supply chain packaging and in-plant handling equipment.

For example, CNC machined foam for tote trays are in use throughout numerous Aerospace component providers.

The other main aerospace use of cases and foam is that of tool control and identification. In fact, shadow-boards were originally used in the aerospace industry to prevent engineers from accidentally leaving tools inside aircraft engines being serviced.

The use of coloured foams lets users see very quickly if a tool has not been returned to the case, not only reducing the potential for catastrophic damage (if left inside an engine) but also reducing the frequency and cost of losing specialist equipment.

Balluff, a leading UK technology company manufacturing a range of sensors and controls for various industries, recently approached GWP to redesign their current aerospace packaging to maximise performance.

Despite already using foam inserts / cases for transporting delicate parts and equipment between various locations (including internationally), they were still concerned about damage and breakages in transit.

Through a redesign and re-engineering of the foam inserts, performance was improved dramatically. The redesigned case and foam now provide a precisely engineered level of shock protection – preventing transit damage and the problems this has the potential to cause.

Of course, outside of the global, household names that dominate the UK aerospace industry, there are numerous supporting companies manufacturing tools, parts and components for this sector.

As a result, GWP supply a wide range of both single and multi-trip corrugated packaging for the safe transit of these items between factories, warehouses and customers.

Taking the same engineering approach to corrugated as with the foam packaging already detailed, a team of experienced designers will utilise software, testing and material knowledge to produce corrugated shippers, pallet boxes and trays that perform to specific levels.

Your corrugated aerospace packaging can be further enhanced with a range of specialist coatings. For example, for items with painted or polished surfaces, an anti abrasion coating will prevent scuffs and scratches during transit.  A VCI coating will help to prevent corrosion and rust in storage. And there is even a coating that enable to safe transportation of greasy or oily components / parts.

View a selection of the aerospace packaging products designed, manufactured and supplied by the different divisions of GWP Group. Please click the thumbnails for a larger view.

As with the need for corrugated transit packaging for aerospace parts and components, many aerospace manufacturers are increasingly using Correx® products for their inplant and line-side packaging requirements. This includes totes, boxes, pallet packs, trays and even picking bins.

Correx® re-usable supply chain packaging and in-plant handling equipment is in fact now frequently used for components including engines, electronics and communications equipment.

Besides this, specialist materials such as Bubble-Board and fabric covered Correx®, can change and improve the properties of your handling totes, trays and dividers. Anti scuff Bubble-board for example prevents scratches and scuffs to polished or painted surfaces such as interior components or body panels.

Regardless of the in-plant or line-side packaging / handling solutions you require for your aerospace manufacturing business, GWP Correx® can provide you with a cost effective, long lasting solution that will have a significant impact on your operational efficiency too.

An increasing part of the aerospace (and indeed most engineering sectors) is the increasing use of specialist electronics.

Whilst these are revolutionising what is possible and the performance of the products they enhance, there are drawbacks and challenges. One of these is the threat posed by electro static discharge (ESD – in essence atmospheric static).

Static can cause significant damage to electronics and microchips during manufacturing, assembly or storage. This damage often cannot be seen until it is too late.

As a result, you can source a wide range of anti-static packaging to protect your components, tools and parts. The range covers everything from anti static cardboard, foam and even moulded plastic products from SSI Schaefer (which are exclusive to GWP Conductive in the UK).

Influence from the United Kingdom within the aerospace industry has not always been the success it is today.

In fact, it was the Europeans who took an early lead in the manufacture of aircraft, the outbreak of World War One (1914) saw witness to the construction of more than 2000 aircraft by the French, 1000 by the Germans – both figures easily surpassing the efforts of Great Britain.

The 1930’s are regarded as an important stage during the construction of the aerospace industry. For example, the comfort, efficiency, and safety of travel were addressed resulting in cabin pressurisation, better instrumentation and improved navigational devices, leading to the aircraft we know today.

The aerospace industry in the UK is now only second to the United States of America in terms of size / turnover.

The number of direct employees in the UK aerospace industry was estimated at 128,000 in 2016, although this figure does not include the 4000 apprentices also employed. Additionally the industry has a turnover of thirty one billion, up by 39 percent since 2010*.

There are a number of UK companies which, despite often being quite specialist and technical in nature, are still seen as household names.

This includes, amongst others, BAE Systems (the world’s second-largest defence contractor), Rolls-Royce (the world’s second-largest aircraft engine maker), Britten-Norman, Cobham, GKN, Meggitt, and QinetiQ, all of which have a large presence in the both the UK and international markets.

To put it simply, GWP has the product range, design capability, engineering focus and experience (over 25 years) to be the perfect strategic partner to any company operating within the aerospace industry.

The engineering approach that is part of the culture at GWP, ensures that your aerospace packaging will offer the optimum level of performance for your specific application. And unlike other packaging manufacturers, this doesn’t mean over specifying your packaging to prevent transit damage whilst vastly increasing the costs for no reason.

Through testing and use of highly specialist (and niche) software, an experienced design team will be able to tell you exactly what your packaging needs to do to protect your products.

Whether this packaging needs to be manufactured from corrugated cardboard, Correx®, a variety of foams or even moulded plastic does not matter – the way in which GWP is setup ensures that we are one of the few companies that can supply all of these materials and even combine them too.

So whether you need multi or single trip transit packaging, line-side and handling products, foam inserts that guarantee to eliminate transit damage or even static protection for electronics, GWP can help your business.

If you are not happy with your current packaging, have a new project coming up, or simply need some advice on the best aerospace packaging solution for your business, please get in touch.