Have you experienced the disappointment that comes from receiving a damaged package? You were excited to receive that new item, but since the box showed up damaged you’re questioning the quality of the product and are wondering if it will perform as promised.
Now transfer this personal experience to your business. How are your medical devices and supply carts showing up at your customers’ locations? What negative impact might packaging damage – and the product damage that may go along with it – have on your brand reputation and the bottom line?
As you can imagine, the structural design of your packaging is extremely important. One way you can help ensure your packaging will stand up through the delivery process and keep your product safe during shipping is by ensuring it meets International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) standards.
The ISTA provides test standards and delivers protocols, tools and educational programs that enhance the effectiveness of package design and testing. The organization pioneered package performance testing more than 60 years ago, and is the most trusted, knowledgeable, and respected authority in today’s package-performance testing.
At a minimum, your packaged medical cart packaging should be able to pass the ISTA standards below:
- ISTA Procedure 1A: Fixed displacement vibration and shock testing for packaged-products weighing 150 lbs. (68 kg) or less.
- ISTA Procedure 1B: Fixed displacement vibration and shock testing for packaged-products weighing over 150 lbs. (68 kg).
Beyond 1A and 1B standards, you should also consider having your packaged cart tested to additional ISTA procedures that may be applicable to your product, such as:
- Rotary vibration
- Random vibration
- Incline impact ramp
- Mechanical shock
- Free-fall drop
- Compression
- Atmosphere (temperature, humidity, and pressure)
At a minimum, HUI verifies that packaged carts produced for customers will pass the 1A and 1B standards and can facilitate testing to other ISTA standards as requested.
If product damage from shipping has been an issue for your company in the past, it’s a good time to consider ISTA package testing. Through these tests, you will not only ensure your products arrive safely, but also help protect your reputation and bottom line.
