Large machinery is extremely valuable and heavy. Transporting it cannot be accomplished through normal shipping methods. Instead, you will need to carefully pack and crate each machine, then choose a freight shipping provider to get your machinery to its destination. To ensure full operational quality upon arrival, it's important to plan your crating very carefully. Key considerations include stability, padding, support, rigid protection, and portability when crating large machinery.
Choosing the Right Materials
Navis starts by selecting the correct materials for packing and crating your large machinery. In this case, packing refers to padding and support inside the crate, while crating refers to the construction of a custom box in which the machinery will be shipped.
Types of Materials
When it comes to crating and packing machines, choosing the right materials is essential for ensuring a safe and secure shipment. At Navis Pack & Ship, we use high-quality wood, including ISPM 15 heat-treated wood required for international shipments, to build durable and supportive crates. To further protect your equipment, we incorporate specialized crating supports and packing materials designed to secure the machine inside the crate, minimizing movement during transit. Depending on the type of machine being shipped, our team will discuss additional packing options to ensure maximum protection for your valuable items.
Custom Crating Solutions
Custom crating solutions ensure that your large machinery is optimally supported and protected for transport. Custom crating involves building a crate around your machine or piece of equipment. It also includes custom-designed padding and support structures inside the crate and, in some cases, built into the crate itself.
Packing Techniques
Packing involves preparing the machinery to be enclosed into a custom crate, including securing the pieces to minimize movement and avoid damage during transit.
Preparing the Machinery
Before your machinery can be packed, it must first be prepared for transport. Pending the type of machine you’re crating, you can disassemble certain parts so that it can fit safely into a crate. Navis’s crating experts will discuss your specific machine or piece of equipment to determine what can be removed and devise a packing plan to keep it safe in the crate.
Securing the Equipment
When the packing begins, the key element is to both pad and secure the machinery inside the crate. This may involve using braces, straps, and padding materials to support and lock in each loose component and moving part.
Custom Crating Services
Crating is the process of enclosing the packed machinery into a custom crate, so it is protected and secure.
Designing and Building the Crate
When designing and building a crate for large machinery, Navis considers the necessary crate dimensions, the size and fragility of the machine, and structural integrity, as well as the shipment's final destination. Navis chooses the correct wood and fastening methods to lock the crate together.
Shipping Large Machinery
Not all carriers can handle large machinery shipping. You will need a freight carrier that can transport custom crates. Navis partners with multiple national, regional and international shipping carriers and will walk you through your freight shipping options to find the best option for you.
Shipping Costs and Coverage
Don't forget to plan to protect your shipment with shipping coverage. Discuss your various coverage options with a Navis shipping expert.
Customer Tips and Recommendations
- Work with Navis’s professional packing and custom crating team who has 30+ years of crating expertise.
- Navis will give you shipping options for multiple carriers who specialize in large machinery transport.
- Discuss coverage to protect against damage or loss.
- Create a checklist to prepare and properly support all machinery components for packing. Navis can help determine the best methods for protecting each component or part.
- Track shipments and keep in touch with your carriers.
Ship Your Machinery with Navis
When you are planning to ship large machinery, plan ahead for custom packing and crating to ensure the most reliable delivery plans and undamaged components. Let our crating experts build a custom shipping crate for your machinery, so you can focus on your business. Ready to start planning your machinery shipment? Contact Navis Pack & Ship for assistance with your machinery packing and crating needs.
