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This Is Why a UPS Testing Lab Regularly Drops, Shakes & Smashes Packages With Brutal-Looking Machines

Dec. 13, 2012 7:26am Billy Hallowell

ADDISON, Ill. (TheBlaze/AP) — It looks like a torture chamber for cardboard and bubble wrap. At a lab in suburban Chicago, UPS Inc. tests new packaging designs by dropping, shaking and smashing boxes with brutal-looking equipment. The point is to see what type of packaging can withstand the trip from supplier to customer, protecting the delicate products inside.

From cupcakes to live crickets, products of a mind-boggling variety are now shipped by online retailers to consumers around the world. As the holiday shipping season throttles up, companies want their products to arrive safely. But they also demand sustainable materials for their packaging so they can boast of being green. On top of that, they want to reduce their costs.

UPS Package Design and Testing Lab Tests Packages in Extreme Conditions

This Dec. 11, 2012 photo shows holiday decorations that survived repeated drops of an impact taster at the UPS Package Design and Testing Lab in Addison, Ill. UPS tests new packaging designs by dropping, shaking and smashing boxes with brutal-looking equipment to see what type of packaging can withstand the trip from supplier to customer, protecting the delicate products inside. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

The UPS Package Design and Testing Lab helps with all that, crunching and squeezing prototype packaging for 750 businesses a year and designing innovative new boxes for an additional 50 customers.

Men’s suits arriving at the store wrinkled? That’s a job for UPS’ Quint Marini and his team of eight packaging engineers. Their new design for a perfect suit box solved the problem by layering 10 suits on hangers in alternate directions and keeping them in place with a built-in strap.

“It took us five months,” Marini said. “First we were going to put each suit on a piece of corrugated (cardboard) and tag it to it. That didn’t work. Then someone came up with this design. But it took three months to make sure.”

Boxes to protect fragile frosting on cupcakes, to keep cheesecakes cold, to keep pharmaceuticals at room temperature – Marini’s team has designed them. Their busiest time is summer when companies get ready to launch new products.

A typical testing workout takes four hours. Boxes get a 900-pound hug from the compression table. They crash 17 times from the drop tester. They endure the cruelty of the bridge impact tester, which slams into them from the sky like a karate chop. They shake for two hours on the vibration table, which mimics a bumpy truck ride. The altitude chamber simulates flight conditions; it can explode bag of potato chips.

To demonstrate a typical test, packaging engineer Kyle Blakey switches on a pneumatic compression table. A box withstands 900 pounds of force, but eventually the box buckles under an iron plate when Blakey turns the force up to 2,000 pounds.

Other shipping companies, including FedEx Corp., have similar labs.

Marini gets some odd requests.

One supplier of reptile foods wanted to ship dead rats and live crickets in the same truck. Marini advised against it: The dry ice needed to keep the rats from decomposing would have suffocated the crickets.

Another unusual challenge: protecting two forensic facial reconstructions of Civil War sailors during a trip from Baton Rouge, La., to Washington, D.C. Experts at Louisiana State University had modeled the unique life-size heads from skulls found in the turret of the USS Monitor after it was raised from the ocean floor.

Photo Credit: UPS

The heads — made of soft clay and resin — were to be unveiled at a ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of the ship’s sinking. It would be the first time the public saw the shipmates’ faces.

Marini’s team built each head a super shock-absorbing box from wood, cardboard and plastic foam.

“They were very, very fragile,” he said simply. “They made it.”

Marini has some tips for people packing breakable holiday gifts:

-Start with a new box.

-Fill partway with foam packing peanuts.

-Place a piece of corrugated cardboard on top of the foam peanuts.

-Wrap the gift items in bubble wrap. Place them in a snug layer on top of the cardboard platform. There shouldn’t be too much give or extra space.

-Place another piece of corrugated cardboard on top of that.

-Add more packing peanuts a little higher than the brim.

-Close the box and use packing tape on all the seams.

Marini packed just such a box recently in the lab and had his crew drop it repeatedly from the drop tester. The ornaments and snow globe he packed inside survived perfectly.

So, there you have it. If you have you ever wondered how to mail intensely-fragile objects without error, you’re in luck — and just in time for Christmas.

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Comments (25)

padabear
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 10:54am
These drivers are jerks. They kick, step & drop our packages. How do I know? I worked for them during the holidays and watched it first hand. I frequently get packages with black footprints on them, even though it say’s fragile on it. Sure UPS will pay the claim, but sometimes you can’t wait for a second item or it’s a one of a kind type deal.

These guys get paid so good and still hate their jobs. I wish they would quit and let people who want those jobs do it. They’re are overpaid mailmen that drive like maniacs. UPS used to be good and know they suck!

They hate their customers and comment about us on a site specifically for them called “brown cafe”. Everyone look it up and read as much as you can on that site.

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raderby
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 9:12am
and also check UPS’s box to check on their on-line shipping software. “carbon offset” – they actually will bill you for additional charges to “offset carbon” usage because of my shipping a box.

This bother anyone? I would not lionize UPS…….

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Warphead
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:51am
Why are they resorting to expensive testing with pricey machines when they have their freight handlers and delivery ppl already doing the same thing. I sent several packages and they were broken as well. But hey at least they got to their destination. I received a much anticipated package from FedEx this week. The driver didn’t knock, didn’t ring the doorbell or try to notify me in any way. I only knew he was there because the dog barked. When I opened the door I caught a glimpse of his tail lights as he sped off. Then I saw the box. It was large, about 4.5 feet tall by 6 inches deep by 2.5 feet wide. It was mutilated. One corner was ripped open. The end you would normally open was already open and overall it looked like the old Samsonite luggage commercial where the gorilla tries to destroy the luggage. Unfortunately my box wasn’t made by Samsonite. When I picked it up I knew it was empty. It should have had a high power air rifle inside but all I found was paper and a packing slip. Luckily the seller immediately sent me another as FedEx said it would take 5 to 7 days before anyone could even review my claim. It seems that good service is deteriorating everywhere, well at least the service I have received lately. Oh, The same FedEx driver came back the next day to get the empty box. He had the guts to tell me that he did not leave it like that. I looked up and pointed to the security camera and said that’s a bunch of bull. He took the empty box and left.

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BJC
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 6:03pm
Funny this story is on here today after what happened to me yesterday. I had an UPS delivery yesterday, it was a kitchen island and the woman was rolling it across the yard from the truck up to the porch. She couldn’t pick it up. I was in my pajamas and had to rush out there before she destroyed my package. There were two packages and the one she was rolling was 40 pounds. I thought how stupid it is to have people deliver packages that can’t lift 40 pounds. She looked like a quota/minority hire and acted like one also!
Equality is bull**** if you can’t do the job. It’s a shame a company had to spend more on ways to protect the product from damage. I laughed after I seen all the packaging in the box. All because UPS hires unqualified people.

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- Dr Vel
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 10:38pm
  Dear UPS, would you please stop using my packages in these tests?
  
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- annepanee
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 11:10am
  Tell me what a minority looks like? Did she have brown skin, black or yellow skin? You my friend sound like a racist. Welcome to America. I also think it’s funny that you comment on a 40lb package…why didn’t you go get it at the store yourself?
  
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s.n.
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 5:27pm
Only one of it’s kind my butt. FedEx has been testing pkgs like this for many years….long before UPS copied FedEx’s system. In fact….UPS is always copying FedEx and they they lie and say it was their idea.

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s.n.
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 2:55pm
We at DHL dont’ need no stinkin package lab….we just have our couriers throw them over the fence and if it don’t crash….then it was packaged correctly.

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- OhioRifleman
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 3:59pm
  DHL…now there’s a name calculated to get the attention of an Ohioan.
  
  All things considered, the few packages I got from DHL before their stateside meltdown were in decent shape outside and in proper condition on the inside. Airborne Express, DHL’s protege, I never had a problem with either. UPS has screwed me once or twice, same with the Postal guys.
  
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biblegeek119
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 12:10pm
UPS received money from our taxes btw. See how good our money is doing?

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Zipit
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 11:23am
I prefer the American Tourister Gorilla test!

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=8C-e96m4730&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8C-e96m4730

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ltb
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 11:05am
Here’s a novel idea for UPS… instead of throwing boxes around like they were bags of cement, treat each box as if it contained something of value that you owned. If everyone practiced the Golden Rule, just imagine what a wonderful world this would be.

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Tayper
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 10:32am
No more UPS for me! They pulled their support for the Boy Scouts because they don’t let gays join.

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resme
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 8:57am
It’s not fun to receive processor’s with bent pins, :). Haven’t had a order lost yet… I tend to stick with UPS since newegg offers free UPS shipping with most products.

Merry Christmas!

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toomuchgovt
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 8:29am
My UPS guy is great. I have dogs don’t like the UPS truck and can smell him coming a mile away, they start barking. This poor guy can’t get near the property. So he politely leaves our packages in a secure location out of the reach of our dogs and any thieves. We have never received a broken or damaged product.

Only once did I not receive a product – a new driver left the package on the back of our truck, my hubby drove off with the package on the tailgate. It dropped off and a few days later, someone called to tell us they had our nephews toy John Deere Tractor. It was handled appropriately by UPS.

We have a great USPS person too. Maybe giving complements where they are due, would help us all.

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biohazard23
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 8:11am
Hmmmm….. UPS guys…. ;) Hey, my hubby used to work at UPS so I’m a little biased.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 8:45am
  Morning BIOHAZARD. Uhhhh, biased in which direction? I hope not to offend, but I have had more packages lost and damaged through UPS than any other shipping company. I order a lot of things for a couple of hobbies, and I have to admit that I avoid using UPS if I can. Oddly, have had far better service through the USPS. Okay, have to admit, I think that all of my problems with UPS have been on order originating in California. Nothing from down your way. Other than smaller items that the USPS will accept I will ship UPS. They are the only other shipping company that I do not have to drive out of the county to get to one of their locations. That is a problem living near a much smaller city now.
  
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- biohazard23
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 9:01am
  Good morning, RJ! I’m a little biased in favor of UPS guys. The FedEx drivers are OK, and our mail lady (can we call her that??) is really super nice, but I just prefer the boys in brown. We also get A LOT of shipments via UPS and we’ve rarely had any problems. I guess we’ve been lucky. :)
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 9:20am
  BIOHAZARD, I hear you and can understand you bias. I like our local UPS drivers too. We have either of two who show up out here, and they are very pleasant. Not to mention what they have to go through to get out here to us. LOL, your packages must not be coming from California. We have either of three mail persons. One in particular is a great guy. He is the usual guy, thank goodness.
  Hope you guys have a great day down there.
  
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- biohazard23
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 9:59am
  It’s not too hard for them to get to us in the ‘burbs. We have 2 regular guys who cycle through and they’re both awesome. The dogs don’t like the truck very much but they like the drivers. Both of our guys made tons of deliveries to us throughout my pregnancy so they were pretty excited to see our Little Man when he was old enough for me to show him off in public. It’s pretty sad when you’re on a first-name basis with your UPS drivers, but hey, it breaks up the monotony of the day!
  
  I have to finish up work here real soon so I can finish my online Christmas shopping. I refuse to go to the mall – BLEH!! You have a good day up where you are, too, my friend!
  
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Seagal45
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 8:09am
Wow, this explains the box of broken glass I recently received instead of shade replacements for my oil lamps!

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HOOT_OWL
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 7:44am
This sounds like this could have been our current presidents perfect job .

If he would have ever held a job in the private sector…Trying to destroy stuff.

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TIME_2_END_THE_PAUL_CAMPAIGN_IN_12
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 7:42am
When you have Teamster Union members working for you… you have to go way out your way, and incur large cost to be pro-active and have the best packaging protections in place… because these over-paid bulls in a china closet definately know how to damage a thing or two… thousand a day.

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Lesterp
Posted on December 13, 2012 at 7:29am
They also do extensive field testing!

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- ResistSocialism
  Posted on December 13, 2012 at 3:38pm
  They surely do
  
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