Allgaier Verpackungs GmbH & Co. KG, a family-run company from Neu-Ulm and member of the „Packaging to HPE standard“ specialist group, recently had to pack the entire production plant of a major automotive supplier in just 14 days and transport it from Germany to South Carolina in the USA in a specially chartered jumbo jet.
The system was transported from Frankfurt Airport in a total of 80 crates in a plane loaded to the top. „However, we had our hands full until the project had reached this stage,“ says Frank Bolz, Managing Director of Allgaier Verpackungs GmbH & Co, adds: „To achieve this, everyone pulled together professionally and with incredible team spirit. A great achievement.“
All companies involved in the project met with the client back in April 2017, drew up a schedule and took care of coordinating the project schedule. The main problem was the Timing: Only a short time was allowed to elapse between the shutdown of the production plant in Germany and the restart in the USA.
Customised transport boxes
„We measured the system on site and designed the transport boxes with our CAD programme. customised for the Boeing 747 cargo hold“, says Frank Bolz. The system components were then dismantled piece by piece at the client's premises and placed on the solid wood crate bases already positioned next to them. After dismantling the sensitive add-on parts such as monitors and control boxes, the crates were then packed with the aid of special Foam pads with integrated corrosion protection which were precisely adapted to the contours of the components.
Safe transport
After this pre-packaging on site, two to three articulated lorries from Allgaier Spedition then transported the machine parts to Neu-Ulm every day. „This is where the air freight security check, final packaging for air freight, loading onto appropriately secured trailers, storage at our premises and transport to the airport took place,“ reports Bolz. As a result, the chartered Boeing was able to take off on 17 October last year. „Three days later, we received the message that all machine parts in top condition at the destination have arrived,“ adds Maximilian Gruber from the Sales department, who played a leading role in the project.
„Once again, this is a wonderful example of what our industry is capable of achieving. Good performance ensures satisfied customers and attractive follow-up orders. There is no better way to secure the future of a company,“ says Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the German Association of Wooden Packaging, Pallets and Export Packaging (HPE).
