Rust problems caused by the harsh environment at sea are well recognised.
The most critical point for components and machines is when products are transported. Most of the time, transport takes a long time and you lose control of your goods.
The container environment, especially in sea freight, is probably the worst environment the product will be exposed to throughout its lifetime and all too often you get rust problems.
Most companies lose control as soon as the container leaves the company and the following factors then affect the components contained in the container:
- Weather impact (rain, salt, air, sandstorms)
- Customs (packaging/packages are not opened and resealed)
- Freight forwarder (goods are left on the quay in extreme cold/heat for a long time)
- Murphy's Law (things happen that you never expected)
Do a risk analysis - avoid rust in container transport
Tribotec therefore recommends carrying out a risk analysis well in advance in order to prevent as many negative factors as possible. In our experience, rust problems in sea transport can be reduced by up to 98%, which means huge cost savings. After all, rust not only attacks the products, but ultimately also the relationship with the end customer.
Risk analysis implementation
- Current situation/future (What is the situation today and what do we want to achieve with rust protection)
- Test proposals (Based on the baseline analysis, we provide test proposals)
- Implementation (Test/ sample packing)
- Follow-up (Documentation of test / rejection / goods value)
- Decision ( Choice of protection method)
- Implementation (Training / packing instructions / co-operation agreement / continuous improvement)
Depending on the goods to be shipped and the final destination, many different corrosion protection solutions are available. Contact protection is often needed in combination with barrier protection, in some cases in combination with some form of absorbent material. The most important thing is to design the packaging protection according to the destination and the material to be protected. The costs of creating good corrosion protection are not as high as many people think, but relatively low. If you put the cost of corrosion protection in relation to the value of the goods, the decision is quite easy to make.
The technology is tried and tested and is already used by the leading export companies in the Nordic countries. Below you can see an example of a completed job.
The rust prevention team at Tribotec develop risk analyses and packing instructions. You can read about all vci anti-corrosion solutions which are available here.
