Professional Equipment Packaging for Export Machinery Shipments

Export packaging decides the condition of your machine on the day the container doors open. A band saw, a dicing machine or a complete forming and breading line spends weeks in salt air and heavy weather before it reaches your factory floor, and the packing is the only protection it has. On this page we set out how Jinan Henco Machinery plans export packing for food processing equipment. We cover the three protection layers applied to every unit, the timber standards we follow and the stainless surfaces we protect. We also explain how removable parts are packed and numbered, and which inspection records travel with the shipment.

If you would like to learn more about the packing specification for your machine, we can send a sample packing list and the photographs from a recent shipment.

How We Plan Export Packaging Before the Machine Is Finished

Packing is planned at the order stage, not on the day the machine is ready to leave the factory. Once the model list is confirmed, our shipping team fixes the packing method, the case dimensions and the shipping weight for each unit. This early decision matters because packing changes the loading plan, the freight quotation and the delivery date that your project depends on.

The plan starts from the machine itself. We record the footprint, the height, the total weight and the position of the centre of gravity for every unit. We then identify the parts that must be removed, supported or locked before the unit can be packed. Machines that travel in their working orientation arrive in better condition, so we first look for a case height that lets the machine stay upright.

We also agree the destination conditions with you at the same time. A machine bound for a humid coastal site or a long sea route needs more moisture protection than one that travels inland by truck. A site with restricted access or no crane needs smaller cases that can still be handled on arrival. Tell us about the route and the unloading equipment early, and the packing is built around those facts instead of around assumptions.

The Three Protection Layers in Every Export Packing

We protect an exported machine in three layers, and each layer has a different job. Leaving one layer out shows up later as surface marks, a seized bearing or a control cabinet that will not start.

Layer one: individual machine protection. The unit is cleaned, dried and wrapped, with the food contact surfaces treated first and the sharp edges padded. Removable parts are boxed, labelled and fixed inside the case so that they cannot move against the machine body.

Layer two: the case or the pallet. The wrapped machine is bolted or strapped onto a timber base, or enclosed in a case, so that it becomes one rigid package. A forklift or crane can then lift the package by its base without touching the machine frame, the guarding or the pipework.

Layer three: securing inside the container. Packed units are placed according to the loading plan, braced against the container walls with timber and strapped so that nothing can shift in heavy weather. This layer is what stops a well packed machine from becoming a damaged one at sea.

Plywood Cases, Solid Wood Crates and ISPM 15 Heat Treatment

Case material is chosen from the weight and the destination, not from habit or from whatever timber happens to be nearest. A plywood case, sometimes called an engineered wood case, is light, dimensionally stable and, in most markets, outside the international rules that apply to solid wood packaging. It is our default choice for standard machines.

A solid wood crate is stronger for very heavy, tall or irregular machines, but solid wood used in export packaging must be treated first. The international standard for wood packaging material is ISPM 15, published by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Heat treatment under that standard means a minimum core temperature of 56 °C held for at least 30 minutes. The finished packaging then carries the IPPC mark, the country code and the producer number. Untreated solid wood packaging is refused, returned or fumigated at the buyer's cost at many ports, so no crate leaves our factory without the mark.

In practice we use heat treated solid wood where the machine weight or the shape demands it, and plywood cases for everything else. Both types carry a case number, and the packing list matches each case number to the machine or part inside it.

Protecting Stainless Steel and Food Contact Surfaces During Transit

Chlorides in sea air are the main cause of corrosion on stainless steel. Food processing machines also work every day with salt, brine and cleaning chemicals, which is why the surfaces need protection on the voyage. Grade 304 stainless, the standard material for our food contact parts, contains roughly 18–20% chromium and 8–10.5% nickel, which together form the passive film that resists attack. Grade 316, used where the duty is more aggressive, adds about 2–3% molybdenum for better resistance to chlorides.

Even a good alloy needs a packing routine behind it, and ours has four steps. First, food contact surfaces are cleaned and dried at the factory so that no residue is trapped under the wrapping. Second, the machine is wrapped in stretch film, or in VCI film that releases a corrosion inhibiting vapour around the metal surfaces. Third, corners, control panels, pipe ends and exposed threads receive foam or board edge protection. Fourth, desiccant is placed inside the case, with the quantity matched to the internal volume and to the length of the voyage.

Food safety rules reinforce the same point from another direction. Equipment used in food production in the European Union must be designed and kept so that it can be cleaned and, where needed, disinfected. That requirement is set out in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Buyers in other markets often work to Codex Alimentarius principles instead. A machine that arrives with clean, unmarked contact surfaces is ready for its own hygiene validation, and a machine that arrives with pitting is not.

Packing Removable Parts, Blade Sets, Moulds and Tooling

Anything that can be removed from a machine will move in transit unless it is packed properly. We go through each unit, list the parts that must come off, and pack them so that your team can identify them without the machine standing next to them.

Blades, cutting grids, mould plates, dies, belts, sensors and electrical components are removed where necessary and packed in their own protection. Each one is labelled with the machine serial number and the part number, and listed on the packing list in the same order. Blades, grids and dies travel in rigid cases with shaped supports, so the cutting edges never touch each other or the case wall.

Numbering is not a small detail. A forming and breading line may be built from six or eight modules, and the installation drawing refers to them by number. When the crates arrive with matching numbers, your engineers can assemble the line in sequence instead of sorting parts across the factory floor. We keep one numbering system in the operation manual, the packing list and the crate labels, so a single number follows a single part from our workshop to your line.

Moisture and Shock Protection for Motors, Control Cabinets and Touchscreens

Electrical parts are the most sensitive items in an export shipment, because moisture and vibration damage is usually invisible until the machine is switched on. Motors are wrapped with their shaft ends protected, and a motor that stays mounted on the machine is strapped so that it cannot move on its own mounting plate.

Control cabinets are closed, wrapped and packed with desiccant, and every cabinet door is taped shut so that it cannot swing during the voyage. Touchscreens and operator panels are covered with a soft cloth and a rigid board, then marked as fragile on the outside of the case so that nothing heavy is pushed against them. Cable entries and open terminal boxes are sealed before wrapping, because a damp terminal strip is a fault that appears weeks after installation.

Shock and tilt indicators tell the truth about the journey. We can fit impact labels and tilt labels to the case or to the machine frame, and the labels change colour permanently if a package is dropped or laid on its side. If a label has triggered when you open the container, photograph it before you move anything and send us the image, so that we can assess the machine before installation starts.

The Packing Inspection and Photo Record We Keep for You

Every shipment leaves with a packing record, and the photographs are taken at fixed points so that nothing is missed. The inspection covers the machine condition before packing, the wrapping and the desiccant placement and the closure of the case. It also covers the strapping inside the container and the closed container with its seal number visible.

The photo set normally includes the clean machine, the protected food contact surfaces and the packed removable parts with their labels. It also records the case before it is closed, the stow inside the container and the seal. The seal number is written on the packing list, so one number ties the photographs to the shipping documents and to the container you actually receive.

The record has two practical uses. It shows you that the machine was packed as agreed before it left our factory, and it is the evidence set that your insurer will ask for if there is damage on arrival. We keep the same routine for a single spare part order and for a complete production line, because a claim does not care about the size of the shipment.

Customer Supplied Packing Instructions and Fumigation Free Alternatives

Many buyers already have a packing specification, and we are glad to work to it. Send the requirement with your order and we will confirm in writing whether the machines can meet it. That applies especially where you specify case dimensions, timber grade, humidity protection or customer marking.

Common requirements include a nominated case size so that the units fit a racked warehouse, and stencil markings on the case sides. Some buyers also set a defined desiccant quantity, or a rule that no solid wood may be used at all. The last one is straightforward to meet. A fully plywood case, or a machine on a plywood pallet with a strapped steel frame, contains no solid wood. It therefore avoids heat treatment, the stamp and the related documentation entirely.

If you prefer an independent supplier to build the cases, we will work with your nominated packaging company and arrange the factory inspection with them. In every case the packing list, the case numbers and the labels follow our standard format, so the shipment stays traceable whichever route you choose.

How Packing Affects Delivery Time, Weight and Freight Cost

Packing is not a cost that appears at the end of an order; it changes the freight quotation, the loading plan and the delivery date. Case size decides how many units fit in a container, and the container count decides the sea freight. Case weight adds to the mass of the shipment, which is why we weigh packed units instead of estimating them.

Under the SOLAS convention, 100% of loaded containers must have a verified gross mass declared by the shipper before the vessel can load them. Our confirmed weight comes from weighing each case at the factory, and we send the figure to your forwarder in time for the vessel cut off. A packing change late in the order therefore delays the documents as well as the crate, which is the practical reason to settle the packing method early.

On timing, packing runs alongside production rather than after it. A standard machine is normally ready for shipment within 15 to 30 working days of order confirmation, and a customised unit takes 30 to 60 working days. Where a shipment is split across two containers, we plan the packing sequence in installation order. The machines you want to install first are packed and loaded first, and the moulds, spare parts and tooling follow in the second container.

FAQ: Professional Equipment Packaging for Export Machinery

Do you use heat treated wood or plywood cases?

Both, depending on the machine. Plywood cases are our default for standard equipment, while heat treated solid wood crates are used for very heavy, tall or irregular machines. Every solid wood component is treated to ISPM 15 with a minimum core temperature of 56 °C held for at least 30 minutes, and the finished packaging carries the official mark. If your market or your warehouse bans solid wood completely, we build the whole shipment in plywood instead.

How do you protect stainless steel food contact surfaces in transit?

We clean and dry the surfaces at the factory, then wrap them in stretch film or in VCI film that releases a corrosion inhibiting vapour. Edges and control panels get foam or board protection, and desiccant is placed inside the case for the length of the voyage. Grade 304 parts contain roughly 18–20% chromium and 8–10.5% nickel, which is what gives the surface its corrosion resistance, and grade 316 adds about 2–3% molybdenum where the duty is harder.

Are blades, moulds and spare parts packed separately?

Yes. Blades, cutting grids, mould plates, dies, belts, sensors and electrical components are removed where necessary and packed in their own protection. Each item is labelled with the machine serial number and the part number, and listed on the packing list in the same order. The crate labels use the same numbers, so your team can match each part to its position on the installation drawing.

Can we ask for our own packing specification or a third party packer?

Yes, and many customers do. Send your packing specification with the order and we will confirm in writing that the machines can meet it, whether you specify case sizes, timber grade, desiccant quantity or stencilled markings. If you prefer an independent packaging supplier, we will work with your nominated company and arrange the factory inspection. The packing list, the case numbers and the labels still follow our standard format.

If you would like to review the packing method for your next shipment, contact our shipping team with the model list and the destination port. Send your site access notes as well, and we will confirm which case sizes can be handled on arrival. You can also explore our full logistics service to see how packing, loading and freight are managed together. Learn more about our OEM and ODM service if your order includes custom built equipment.