Case Study: Reducing Transit Damage & Costs with Smarter Edge Protection.

The Challenge:

A manufacturer of heavy board products was facing a costly issue: damage during transport, specifically to the profiled corners of their product.

The problem stemmed from courier mishandling, with products often being dropped on corners during solo deliveries.

Although the company was using foam protectors, they proved ineffective in real-world scenarios:

Foam worked for storage, where products sat on shelves with minimal contact.
But in transit, the weight of the board product rendered the foam useless in drop situations. Damage led to high return rates and customer dissatisfaction

Our Approach

We ran a series of on-site trials, which included

  ✔️ Drop tests from heights of 100mm to 300mm.

  ✔️ A 20-metre drag test, simulating harsh handling conditions.

  ✔️ We tested our 3mm U Profile, comparing it against the customer’s existing foam solution and a corrugated board alternative they were also considering.

The Results

The outcome was clear:

   ✔️ The U Profile consistently outperformed both the foam and corrugated options.

   ✔️ The product absorbed shock more effectively and protected the corners during rough handling.

   ✔️ It proved especially suited to the courier environment.

The Outcomes:

After two months of real-world transit testing, the customer made the switch to our U Profile solution.

The impact was significant:

   ✔️ Return rates dropped by over 70%.

   ✔️ Packaging material costs reduced by 45%.

   ✔️ Improved product presentation and fewer complaint.

Conclusion

By taking a tailored approach to packaging protection, we helped this customer eliminate a major source of loss while cutting material costs nearly in half.

A small change, a major difference — exactly how smart packaging should work.