Transforming the Dunnage Bag: A case study in innovation

Cordstrap are proud to be the global leaders in cargo protection. For over 50 years, we have kept our customers’ loads safe in transit. And central to this is working collaboratively with our customers to innovate solutions to an ever-increasing range of needs. 

The customer challenge

During discussions with a ceramics manufacturer we discovered they stacked their large slabs of ceramics in containers in a A-frame shape. This meant that the voids they needed to fill were at an angle which was causing two problems:

1. They needed the dunnage bag to be off the ground for inflation and so they were sticking them to the cargo with tape to hold them in place
2. The dunnage bags were moving in transit because the tape didn’t hold them in place

Their loading times were increasing, and their cargo wasn’t effectively secured. They tried different ways to solve the problem but none of them were suitable or safe long-term solutions.

Innovation and development

Our team of cargo protection experts visited the customer and worked with the customer to find an innovative solution to the problem. This led to the development of two new solutions:

• SuperGrip: a surface treatment is applied to the Dunnage Bags to increase surface friction and prevent movement

• EasyFix: positioning stickers to allow the precise positioning of bags before loading and inflation

As with any new technology, there were difficulties to overcome. Initial SuperGrip samples proved too sticky and attracted too many insects and mosquitos. We changed the composition to create a solution which gripped but wasn’t sticky.

One of the additional benefits that was realized with the creation of EasyFix was the ability to prepare the cargo before it gets loaded into the container, optimizing load times and reducing pressure on the operative.

An innovative and efficient solution

EasyFix bags save as much as 10 minutes per container.  The customer we developed them with estimates SuperGrip bags save as much as 15 minutes in load time for each container.

Contact your local Cordstrap Rep to find out about the availability of the SuperGrip and EasyFix Dunnage Bags at your location.