|
The EPS News Interview
Stuart Mudge, Raymarine
 Stuart Mudge is Senior Mechanical Engineer leading new radar product development at Raymarine. Raymarine designs and manufactures electronic marine navigational equipment for the leisure marine market.
Raymarine is supplied expanded polystyrene packaging by LINPAC Moulded Foams in Chichester.
What do you use expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging for?
We currently purchase EPS to package our RL 80C. This is a high value 10.4 inch colour LCD display for radars. It is a hard-wearing product that can work outside in all weathers. The RL 80C is a luxury product for the leisure marine market and we have to be certain that when it arrives at the point of sale the customer is presented with a product in perfect condition which, to us, includes the packaging.
Where do you send the radars?
We export this product around the world. Around 60 per cent goes to the U.S. and the remainder is split between Europe and the rest of the world.
Have you used other packaging products?
A few years ago we switched away from EPS to cardboard principally because of storage and delivery reasons. However, our new high value products needed better, more sophisticated packaging than cardboard. We investigated several options including EPS. We found that EPS is being recycled extensively in the UK and around the world. The manufacturing process has a minimal impact on the environment and CFCs and HCFCs are not used to make EPS. We also got help from Andrew Barnetson, Environmental Affairs Manager of the EPS Packaging Group. We wanted to check that EPS packaging would be accepted everywhere in the world. With Andrew's help we established that we could use EPS anywhere. Getting this accurate information gave us the confidence to trial EPS to package this product.
How did you trial the EPS packaging?
We put the EPS packaging through our rigorous testing regime in parallel with cardboard. The tests showed that in comparison to cardboard, EPS: a) provides better protection. b) gives a better perception of quality. The product is gently cradled in two pieces of EPS rather than several bits of cardboard. c) cuts the packing time by two-thirds. These excellent results convinced us that EPS packaging is a great option for our highest value products that need the best protection from the packaging.
So you switched back to EPS packaging?
Yes, we use EPS to package our RL 80C. The packaging is delivered twice weekly and it only has to be ordered 24 hours in advance. Our supplier stores it for us and delivers whenever we want it. This is very convenient for us — we don't have to store it ourselves.
Will you use EPS for other Raymarine products?
 Definitely. It is doing an excellent job, it protects our products as they travel all over the world and ensures they arrive in perfect condition. In fact we have already placed further orders with LINPAC to develop EPS packaging for our top-of-the-range antennas.
|
