Export packing
that survives
a container

One: faces never touch

Two mirror panels in contact will rub. In a container crossing an ocean, they will rub for weeks. Faces are interleaved, and the outward face is marked on the crate so nobody has to guess which side is up.

This is also why we mark the visible face on the drawing. The mark has to survive to the crate.

Two: corners are the first casualty

A folded return protects the edge — until the corner takes a knock and folds it back. Corner guards are cheap and are always the first thing value-engineered out of a packing spec.

Ask what the corner protection actually is. "Export packing" is not an answer.

Three: numbering follows the install sequence

Cartons numbered by production order arrive in the order the parts were made. Cartons numbered by install sequence arrive in the order they will be fitted. The difference on site is measured in days, not hours.

The numbering has to come from the trial-fit sheet, because that is the only document that knows how the parts actually meet.

Four: the documents travel with the goods

• Location drawing inside every carton, so the crew does not need the office
• Packing list by part number, emailed ahead
• Trial-fit sign-off in crate one
• Mill certificate in crate one

A document emailed to someone who is on site without a printer is a document that does not exist. Put it in the crate.

What to put in a packing spec

1. Face interleaving, described
2. Corner protection, described
3. Numbering scheme: install sequence, not production
4. Documents and which crate they are in
5. Maximum crate weight and dimension for the destination

The last one matters more than it looks: a crate that cannot be unloaded at the destination port is a job that stops at the quay.