Benefits of our packaging materials
Shock Protection
Efficient impact absorption.
Lightweight
Reduces transport and handling costs.
Recyclability
End-of-life recyclable materials
Packaging designed for the transport and delivery challenges of household appliances
Transporting household appliances is a real logistical challenge. Washing machines, refrigerators, food processors, and microwaves: all these appliances contain sensitive mechanical and electronic components. Shocks, vibrations, temperature variations, and repeated handling can lead to costly damage, product returns, and decreased customer satisfaction.
Faced with these challenges, packaging plays a crucial role. It must protect the product, optimize logistics and overall transport weight, and adapt to the specific characteristics of each appliance. Custom packaging for household appliances allows us to meet these requirements, taking into account dimensions, weight, sensitive areas, and transport conditions.
Protection against shocks and vibrations
Household appliances are particularly exposed to shock and vibration during transport. Electronic components, circuits, motors, and other fragile parts can be damaged by repeated impacts or drops during handling.
Our protective cushioning and custom packaging solutions made from EPS and EPP are engineered to absorb shocks and vibrations during storage, handling, and transport. Their air-filled structure helps absorb and distribute impact energy, protecting the most sensitive areas of the product, including corners, contact areas, and bottom sections.
By using custom-designed packaging for household appliances, manufacturers can reduce the risk of damage, limit after-sales service costs, and minimize product returns, while keeping appliances protected through to final installation.
Weight optimization to reduce shipping costs
Packaging weight directly impacts shipping costs and fuel consumption. In a sector with high shipping volumes, weight optimization is a key lever for reducing logistics costs.
The molded foam materials used by Knauf Industries combine high load-bearing capacity with very low weight. Composed primarily of air, they effectively protect appliances while minimizing the overall weight of the transported loads. As an added bonus, our custom-made packaging for household appliances helps to limit space loss and, therefore, maximize the loading capacity of transport vehicles.
Custom packaging tailored to your product
Over the years, Knauf Industries has designed packaging for a wide range of products: from small appliances to double-door refrigerators, we have extensive experience. This allows us to meet the specific constraints of each product, whether in terms of dimensions, weight, center of gravity, fragile areas, or logistical requirements.
And because we know that standardized solutions don't always meet these specific needs, we offer custom-designed packaging for household appliances. Our packaging and protective inserts are designed to perfectly conform to the shape of the product, ensuring optimal support and uniform protection across the entire surface.
Thanks to this high degree of customization, we can:
- Adapt the material density to the most exposed areas;
- Reduce the number of protective components required;
- Optimize transport volume and storage.
Customization thus becomes a lever for logistical efficiency and cost reduction, while guaranteeing optimal product protection.
Our design process
To design custom appliance packaging, Knauf Industries offers a comprehensive co-development approach involving an R&D department, an in-house design office, and a testing and prototyping laboratory. Leveraging our expertise in the field, we apply eco-design principles to your projects.
This process unfolds in several stages:
- Needs and specifications analysis: study of technical, logistical, and environmental constraints.
- Design and CAD modeling: creation of customized solutions adapted to the product's dimensions and sensitive areas.
- Prototyping and testing: tests for resistance to shocks, vibrations, and logistical constraints.
- Validation and industrialization: production launch with strict quality control.
- Continuous optimization: performance improvement and cost reduction.
Through this approach, Knauf Industries develops reliable, high-performance solutions perfectly tailored to your requirements.
Materials used by Knauf Industries for your packaging
Knauf Industries primarily uses two cellular materials for manufacturing appliance packaging: EPS and EPP. These materials offer an excellent balance between protection, lightness, and logistical performance.
EPP (expanded polypropylene)
- Lightweight and resistant cellular structure
- Excellent shock and vibration absorption
- Long lifespan
- - Can be recycled through dedicated existing streams.
EPP is ideal for reusable solutions or logistics circuits requiring significant mechanical resistance.
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene)
- Up to 98% air for exceptional lightness
- Good shock absorption
- Excellent insulating properties
- - Can be recycled through dedicated existing streams.
EPS is particularly well-suited for protective packaging for household appliances, thanks to its ability to absorb impacts and protect sensitive products during transport.
Packaging solutions that support a circular approach
Lowering the environmental footprint of packaging is an important challenge in the household appliance industry. To address this, we develop packaging solutions that protect products while supporting a more circular approach to material use.
The molded foam materials used by Knauf Industries are recyclable in dedicated existing streams. Their low weight can also help reduce fuel consumption and transport-related emissions, depending on transport conditions and product configuration. Depending on your needs, we can also support an eco-design approach for cushioning and packaging by integrating circular materials.
We also offer circular alternatives such as RELOOPP®, an alternative to expanded polypropylene, and RELOOPS®, an alternative to expanded polystyrene.
In addition, we provide collection and recycling programs for packaging waste to help extend material use and limit waste where suitable collection and recycling systems are in place.
The advantages of our custom packaging for household appliances
The custom packaging for household appliances developed by Knauf Industries meets the technical and logistical requirements of the sector. While adapting to your specifications, it generally offers:
- Effective protection against shocks and vibrations;
- Reduced weight and transport costs;
- Precise adaptation to the dimensions and constraints of the product;
- Optimized storage and handling;
- The use of recyclable or reusable materials.
Why choose Knauf Industries?
Choosing Knauf Industries means relying on an experienced partner in the design of packaging for household appliances. Our expertise covers all stages, from design to production, including testing and logistical optimization.
We support appliance manufacturers with:
- A co-development approach focused on their needs;
- Tailor-made solutions for all types of appliances, from small appliances to large equipment;
- High-performance, lightweight, and recyclable materials;
- Optimized production processes and strict quality control.
We offer protective cushioning and reliable, durable packaging adapted to your specific requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Cellular materials such as EPS or EPP are composed primarily of air. Their cellular structure absorbs impact energy and limits vibration transmission to sensitive appliance components.
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The total weight of a package directly affects transport costs, fuel consumption and handling efficiency. The cellular materials we use offer high mechanical resistance with extremely low weight. This lightness helps reduce transport costs, optimise loading capacity and improve logistics ergonomics.
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EPS (expanded polystyrene) is very lightweight, rigid and provides excellent shock absorption. EPP (expanded polypropylene) offers greater durability and increased flexibility as well as stronger resistance to mechanical stress.
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The materials we use are recyclable within dedicated recycling streams and can be reintegrated into new production cycles. Their lightness also helps reduce transport-related emissions, contributing to more sustainable logistics and a reduced product carbon footprint.