After your medical carts have shipped, there’s little accountability for what happens to them en route. When a customer receives a damaged product, you want to know the cause so you can fix the problem. Here are a few things you can do to pinpoint the source of the damage.
Track Shipping Quality with an Indicator and Recorder
There are various indicators that you can place on your boxes to let you know if your product was mishandled at any point during the shipping process. These labels do not indicate if there was any damage because of the mishandling, but they do bring awareness to the possibility of issues. They also serve as clear deterrents for rough handling on your carrier’s part.
Omni-Directional Impact Indicators: Labels that change color/react when a box is dropped from a specific height, or hit with a damaging amount of force on any side.
Bi-Directional Vertical Response Impact Indicators: Labels with two separate color-changing spots to indicate where the damaging amount of force was applied.
Tilt Indicators: Some labels options will change color when the container has been tilted over 80⁰. Other labels measure the exact angle at which your product has been tilted and if it has been completely turned upside down.
Impact Recorders: Recording system that offers impact recording. Some versions also offer real-time reporting and asset location.
(View some available indicator options here)
Track Mishandling of Truckload Shipments
When you’re shipping a full truckload (FTL) directly to a customer, the shipment should never be handled en route. On the other hand, less-than a truck load (LTL) shipping often carries several customers’ products in one trailer, so your product will more than likely be handled throughout transportation. If you are shipping a full truckload, consider applying a zip tie with a seal number, otherwise known as a security seal to your shipping container. If the same zip tie arrives at its destined location undamaged, your product was not handled since the trailer was originally loaded and closed.
Finding and fixing the cause of your shipping problems can take out the extra time and hassle involved in having to repair any damages and reship your medical carts. If you have other questions about ways to protect your shipments, contact us today.
