Time is a defining factor in creating the right packaging for products, materials and equipment. Determining your needs is key to getting the right long-term and short-term packaging for your products.
Short-Term Packaging: Ensuring Readiness and Safe Transit
Short-term packaging is designed to store and protect items for a limited amount of time, commonly up to three months. This type of packaging prioritizes convenience and accessibility for storage while providing protection during handling and shipping.
Short-term storage requires less intensive protection and uses fewer materials. Labeling and tracking are also straightforward for rapid identification and easy access. Preparing products for transit will vary depending on your product’s specific requirements and the shipping conditions.
Long-Term Packaging: Preserving Critical Assets
Long-term packaging is designed to store items for extended periods of time, over three months. This type of packaging provides thorough protection and includes preservation techniques to prevent deterioration and damage.
Potential hazards, including pests, dust, environmental conditions and the general wear and tear of prolonged storage, must be considered to preserve the condition and integrity of stored items. Packaging materials must be durable and adapt to ideal storage needs, such as corrosion resistance, chemical compatibility, UV protection and others.
Preservation techniques are also necessary to protect items long-term, including:
- Even weight distribution
- Individual wrapping
- Disassembling large pieces
- Elevated storage for air circulation
Monitoring and maintenance are also crucial to ensure the storage environment remains optimal. Conducting regular inspections allows you to adjust environmental conditions to prevent product degradation.
Specialized Packaging Considerations
Specialized material may be necessary to protect your products, whether you are storing materials for months or want to package components in between manufacturing processes.
The most common specialized packaging protection includes:
- Static shielding for electronics: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can cause permanent damage or failure to sensitive components and devices, even from brief exposure. ESD packaging examples include static shielding bags, anti-static bags and materials like foam, covers and black conductive tubing.
- Performance packaging for hazardous materials: Hazardous materials require specialized packaging designed and tested for containment to prevent leaks, spills or contamination during transport.
- Custom solutions for unique requirements: Creating tailored packaging allows you to meet the unique protection, storage and branding needs of specialized products.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Packaging
Short-term packaging is focused on temporary protection and keeping products readily accessible for use, handling and shipping. It has lower initial costs, fewer materials and simple maintenance needs.
Long-term packaging requires more robust materials and environmental control to preserve products during storage. It also requires regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure optimal storage conditions.
A Note on Climate Control
Environmental factors like moisture and temperature can be detrimental to packaged goods. Maintaining a controlled storage facility and selecting the proper protective packaging are crucial to protecting items from drastic temperature changes and humidity. Having a climate-controlled space is crucial for long-term storage, while protective materials are usually sufficient for short-term storage.
Choose Edco Supply Corporation for Your Long- and Short-Term Packaging Needs
Edco Supply Corporation is your trusted specialist for stock and custom packaging for military, industrial and electronic applications. We understand the importance of protecting your products during storage, handling and shipping and provide high-quality packaging that meets stringent protection standards.
We provide complete packaging solutions, whether you need a small badge or custom packaging for short-term storage or a large-scale order for long-term packaging. Fill out a contact form and get reliable protection for your products.
