DS Smith Tecnicarton designs a returnable packaging for airbags

This solution represents a 30% saving in time and a 40% saving in cost with respect to the packaging used until now.

Airbags are products that require very specific and rigorous packaging, as they incorporate explosive material, which is what activates the airbag in the event of a collision. Therefore, the packaging that transports them must meet a series of requirements contained in the legislation for the transport of Class 9 dangerous goods. One of these requirements is that the packaging must pass the Bonfire test, which consists of burning the container in a controlled manner and observing the behaviour of the airbags after their explosion.

The new solution, designed and developed by DS Smith Tecnicarton, is a solution that simplifies the packaging process with innovative packaging. It is a rack composed of different levels of EPP trays that store 24 units of the product. The trays are extracted in a totally ergonomic way, so that it is easy and accessible for the operator to insert or remove the pieces.

The saving of time and investment is remarkable compared to the previous solution. The improvement in the handling and dispatch process has resulted in a time saving of 30%. Also, as it is a returnable packaging, and taking into account its rotation, means a saving of 40% within the project.

This system was a great improvement since the previous solution consisted of unitary cardboard boxes for each piece of airbag and these, in turn, were inside a metal container. The main problems of this solution were the time dedicated to manual assembly (first that of the unit boxes, then the introduction of the airbag inside the box and finally its introduction into the metal rack), the manpower devoted solely to this process, and the lack of ergonomics, as the operator had to insert his upper trunk into the rack in order to be able to gently introduce/remove the unitary cardboard boxes.

The new development of DS Smith Tecnicarton does not require assembly by the customer, so there are great savings in this figure and in general, in all processes of assembly, loading and shipping where the packaging is involved.