Holzindustrie Dresden GmbH is a company with a long tradition and a broad manufacturing base for wooden packaging of all kinds, in addition to solid experience. A particular speciality is packaging for large, heavy goods, such as a transformer that was transported to the Scottish coast.
Packaging made of wood and wood-based materials is primarily used for shipping large, heavy goods. They are characterised by their High strength They are resistant to transport stresses and are used for land, air and sea transport. As a renewable raw material, wood also plays an important role in the growing environmental debate.
The production of all types of wooden packaging requires both solid expertise and a good technological basis. The Holzindustrie Dresden GmbH (HID) fulfils both requirements to a particularly high degree. This year, it can look back on a 120-year history with a wealth of experience, which initially began with the timber trade. As early as 1905, another important pillar was added with the production of wooden packaging. The company thus survived two world wars, nationalisation and restructuring after 1990, whereby proximity to the customer, i.e. the renowned Saxon mechanical and plant engineering industry and other export-intensive companies, and the consolidation of partnership ties always proved to be key success factors.
Powerful basis for HID
The company received a particular boost when it moved to a new site in 2011, where, in addition to the necessary technological basis for the design and manufacture of wooden packaging, packaging aids and pallets, capacity was also created for flexible customer service and the fulfilment of contract packaging orders of all kinds. With over 9,000 square metres of production and storage space, HID now has almost 100 employees and meets the demands placed on a competent, flexible and innovative service provider. The largest parts to be packed weigh up to 20 tonnes and are twelve metres long. Crane runways of up to 20 tonnes and a corresponding loading ramp for container stowage are available for this purpose.
One of the first tests for the new site was the packing of a compact transformer for offshore wind farms from the Siemens transformer plant in Dresden, which was prepared by HID for shipment on a low-loader and transported as a heavy load to the Scottish coast, where it now secures the grid connection of the wind turbines from the sea to the mainland. In addition to the aforementioned handling equipment, tools and machines are available in the company's own metalworking shop for such packaging orders, for example to produce the necessary holding and securing elements.
Special challenges of seaworthy packaging
Heavy goods are very often shipped by ship. This currently applies to 95 per cent of intercontinental goods traffic. In addition to the upstream and downstream transport and handling loads on road and/or rail, they are exposed to heavy loads during the main transport by sea, including vibrations, stack pressure and shocks as well as strong temperature fluctuations, which the wrapping wooden packaging material should absorb in such a way that no damage or depreciation of the transported goods occurs.
As part of the active participation of the company in HPE (Bundesverband Holzpackmittel, Paletten, Exportverpackung), which regularly publishes guidelines for the export packaging of technical goods, the dimensioning of wooden packaging is constantly updated. The force transmission on the connecting elements of the boxes and crates must be calculated with particular care to ensure that the stability of the packaging is not too low, which can lead to damage, and that the material is not oversized and therefore wasted. These basic principles are taught to employees in ongoing training programmes.
„Customers expect not only quality, but also solutions,“ emphasises Mike Auris, Customer Service Manager at Holzindustrie Dresden GmbH.
Further requirements are posed by the risks that arise during sea transport. climatic stresses to the packaging of machines, systems and similar products. Direct damaging influences from seawater, salt spray or rain often occur if the goods are not completely surrounded by wood or are transported in a container, but have been loaded onto the ship as deck cargo without additional protection. However, climatic fluctuations can also have an effect in the container or hold in the form of condensation water and the like. The resulting damage must be prevented by appropriate corrosion protection measures. HID uses either desiccants and appropriate PE or aluminium foil wrapping or the VCI (Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor) method to preserve the goods.
Contract packaging in-house or at the customer's premises
HID has spacious areas where different products are preserved, packaged and labelled on a daily basis. These services are comprehensively documented as photos or videos in order to be available for recurring tasks and to minimise liability risks.
Beforehand, on the basis of the customer's specifications Customised cuts which are used as wooden packaging for single use or as reusable packaging. The modern machines available facilitate the work and minimise waste. The blanks are then assembled into bases, crates or special structures in the production halls. In a separate drying chamber, it is possible to carry out heat treatments in accordance with the IPPC standard (import regulations of the International Plant Protection Convention) to protect against pest transmission. Fixtures, crossbars, brackets, etc. are provided by our own metalworking shop. HID also manufactures the PE or aluminium covers required for corrosion protection itself.
The flexible packaging service continues to include mobile specialised packers who - equipped with modern machines and tools - advise customers on site and take on packing and dispatch preparation tasks at their company. Twice a year, the company also organises training events on all aspects of packaging and shipping preparation as a service for customers, but also for freight forwarders and shippers. „Specialist wood packer“ organised.
