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Keeping your equipment protected from all the elements during shipping and storage isn’t an easy task. But, which of mother nature’s elements are the MOST harmful to your equipment? Great question! Knowing the answer can save you time and money when deciding how to protect your assets during storage, down-time, and transportation.

Every day, new products are transported around the world on flatbed trucks, railways, and ships. They pass through a constantly-changing environment of both environmental and scenic materials. But according to Matt Peat, U.S. Director for Transhield, the majority of manufacturers don’t protect their cargo from those factors, and that can be costly.

In 2017, at the request of the United States Army Reserve G-4, a MEP-803A generator and a HMMWV-1097R1 were each protected by a Transhield XT advanced protective cover with vapor corrosion inhibitors (VCI) at an Army Reserve base in Orlando, FL. Paired coupons were employed inside and outside the cover to assess the level of protection provided to the asset. Some stand-alone coupons were also employed.

The latest Avengers blockbuster movie and the hugely popular Fortnite video game series both use powerful software to create spectacular graphics and CGI so lifelike your eyes think it’s real. But deploying similar technology to create protective coverings might be even more unexpected. On today’s podcast, our very own Bob Coulter, director of data acquisitions & technology, sat down with MarketScale Transportation to reveal how his company utilizes CGI software to create perfect-fitting protective covers.

Since its formation under the 1970 OSH Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) agency has had one primary mission: to assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. As such, by law, private sector, state and local government, and federal government agency employers must provide their workers with a workplace that is free of known hazards, find and correct safety and health problems, and follow all OSH Act safety and health standards. However, until a few years ago, OSHA lacked data for where and how the most severe injuries were occurring, limiting how effectively the agency could respond.

Protecting your equipment from outdoor elements is crucial during transportation and storage. Corrosion, moisture, UV rays, dust, road grime, rodents, and scratching are all hazards while in transport or storage. Although most equipment seemingly has a tough, impenetrable outer surface, leaving it unprotected will cause damage over an extended period. In this post, we will introduce some protection options available to help stop equipment degradation before it starts. Every piece of equipment is different, so be sure to fully understand your asset’s vulnerabilities before deciding which option is best.

 Machinery breakdowns can be a major expense. Some breakdowns are easily fixed with a spare part but others require hours or days to repair. The one type of damage that is most often overlooked yet easily prevented is environmental damage. UV rays cause degradation of exteriors which lead to corrosion. Dirt and dust cause sensitive components to malfunction. Environmental damage can take a machine out of commission and cause delays in production which increases the financial loss exponentially. In the case of the military, if an asset isn’t mission ready, it could mean a life or death situation. Watch below to learn more.

Shipping, on the surface, seems like a straightforward task. However, it’s a task that comes with complex issues to consider, especially when it comes to fragile or expensive equipment.

As one who served in the military for 30 years in a very maintenance intensive field (Artillery), and as someone who has also been involved in providing protective cover solutions for the military for over a decade, it was very gratifying to review the U.S. Army’s comprehensive business case analysis on the use of equipment covers for Army ground systems.