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contactFrom Wanssum to Calgary: export-ready crates for the facade of an NHL arena
For Kersten Group, Buitelaar Packaging packed the aluminium facade profiles that will soon form the exterior of Scotia Place, the new arena of the Calgary Flames. Custom-built, certified for export and shipped to Canada.
The challenge
Kersten Group supplied the straight and curved aluminium profiles for the facade of Scotia Place. Those profiles had to cross the ocean undamaged, from Wanssum to Canada. A project with strict requirements: fumigation and certification for export, crates that could be stacked two high and handled by forklift from two sides, and deliveries that kept pace with the construction schedule on the other side of the Atlantic.
The initial idea was to use pallets with dunnage, mainly because of the direct costs. A logical starting point, but not where the conversation ended. With a load like this, the packaging determines how safely, how compactly and how cost-effectively everything ultimately reaches its destination.
The approach
Buitelaar was involved in the project at an early stage and helped think through the entire logistics chain, not just the crate. That is exactly where the difference lies.
Advice: crates instead of pallets
Loading a container with pallets and dunnage is possible, but it is labour-intensive and increases the risk of transport damage. Buitelaar made the case for closed, custom-made crates. Because sea freight is charged on volume and booked space, that choice paid off immediately: the shipment went from eleven containers to six. Fewer containers, tighter loading and a significantly lower risk of damage in transit.
Export-ready down to the last detail
The crates are ISPM-15 heat-treated and carry the stamp and certificate required for transport to Canada. They can be stacked two high, each up to 1100 mm in height with a net load of 600 kg, and are designed for forklift handling from two directions. Exactly the set of requirements that international export packaging demands, and where international regulations leave no room for half measures.
Never just a crate
For Buitelaar, a crate is not simply a box with a lid. What product goes inside, how much does it weigh, where are the tipping points and how does it arrive intact on the other side of the world? That is why the first crate is deliberately a trial crate: it is used to test the process before series production starts. Buitelaar is present during packing and during the customer's production, and where needed sends an engineer to the dispatch area to see what can be improved in the next series. This way, every series gets a step better and the end goal stays the same: everything shipped as safely as possible.
The result
The result
65 custom-made crates, delivered export-ready to Kersten in Wanssum. Six containers instead of eleven meant almost half as much booked sea freight, with more compact loading and less risk of damage in transit. The profiles are on their way to Calgary, where they will form the facade of Scotia Place.
Need export packaging for an international project?
From initial design to export-ready delivery: Buitelaar helps you think through weight, product, packaging and safe transport. Never just a crate.
