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"SHEET METAL", two words that seem to be the cause of major grief for our customers these days. No matter whom you talk to, be it manufacturers, packagers or dealers, the issues seem to be the same. "What are you doing about protecting the parts?"

I am not writing this to tell you that we have all the answers and are coming out with a foolproof design in the near future. I am here to tell you that we have been working and continue to work with other packaging organizations and our brand partners to come up with the best designs.

We have worked with LTL carriers, particularly Federal Express regarding their handling practices of our sheet metal and we feel that we have made some great strides. In fact, the Six Sigma project on Sheet Metal and Crash Part damage is proving to be a success. The twenty-two hoods that were redesigned last August have seen a Referral damage rate decrease of 80%. Using claims data may not impress all of our dealers but at present, the claims process is the best yardstick we have.

The packaging redesign and the education of our carriers have proven beneficial. However, we do realize that much more improvement is still needed. This is where we encourage the dealer body to help us help you. As Doug Moyer (Packaging Manager) stated in the Parts Talk Live session, "WE DO HEAR YOU." We in the packaging arena are becoming more and more data driven. So, the more specific information that dealers can provide the better off we all will be. (Please provide specific information on the Packaging Concern Form and on any Surveys that you may fill out).

Packaging Engineering is up to the challenge ahead. The new network that seemed distant is now upon us. We now work with the other PS&L departments to fulfill our new distribution strategies. There are many opportunities to improve Customer Satisfaction and Packaging Engineering feels that we are at the forefront in achieving these goals.


Learn more about the author of this article, Dan Marshall, in this months "Who's Talking" article.