Exporta creates a custom pallet box solution for subsea engineering company, Oceaneering

Exporta strives to provide solutions that are tailored specifically to customer’s needs. Sometimes a stock product is capable of doing this. Other times, they have to think outside the box.

In 2020 subsea engineering firm Oceaneering came to Exporta with a problem. They had an array of different pallet boxes that their engineers would use to take parts on-site to a job. The problem was, there was no consistency or style of box in place, it was a collection of different styles and different lids. 

This meant regular confusion and wasted time for the engineers working on site. The boxes weren’t identifiable as Oceaneering property meaning they regularly went missing, putting the crucial parts inside at risk. The lack of identification also caused confusion when trying to have the correct box of parts delivered and this resulted in wasted time, it also meant Oceaneering boxes could be confused with other boxes belonging to other firms at the dockyard. Another concern was security, there was nothing in place to secure the lids to the pallet boxes and lock them in place.

Erin Mentiplay from Oceaneering recognised the need for a uniform pallet box that was easily identifiable as Oceaneering property, that’s when she got in touch with Scott Logie at Exporta.

The challenge Exporta faced was to create a bespoke solution to Oceaneering’s issue, nothing in stock would work so it was clear something would need to be manufactured. This was a bespoke design project. The first step was to virtually meet with the team of engineers from Oceaneering to work out exactly what was going wrong. The aim was to get their ideas on how we could provide the best solution. 

Working with the team that was directly affected by the pallet box confusion was the key to providing the most suitable pallet box design.

There were a few options to consider initially, these included rigid pallet boxes with castors and collapsible pallet boxes. In the end, it was decided that castors would not be suitable for the rough dockyard terrain. Collapsible Pallet Boxes wouldn’t be necessary due to the nature of the contents. It was clear that the best option was a modified Rigid Pallet Box. The key modifications required were an attached lid, that could easily be locked and Oceaneering branding to ensure they were recognised as their property.

Exporta worked on a prototype in-house. The intricate lid system had to be carefully designed to work with the unique pallet box design. Having completed this, the engineering team at Oceaneering tested the prototype to ensure it worked as required in their operation. 

The Pallet Box worked, and it was approved for production with the order being placed in December 2020. The modified rigid pallet boxes were branded with Oceaneering’s logo and delivered after only four weeks. The design process had been undertaken over the recent winter lockdown and through a series of virtual meetings and prototype testing before the project was completed.

What was the outcome for Oceaneering?

The uniform boxes, complete with Oceaneering branding, means they no longer have an issue with missing pallet boxes. The boxes are easily identifiable at the dockyard as Oceaneering property. This has saved on cost and also in time, as engineers no longer have to hunt for the correct pallet box to take on a job. The lockable lids provide added security and protect the valuable contents of the pallet boxes. 

The engineers now have keys to the pallet boxes and simply take the corresponding key and pallet box on-site when required. As well as the added identification benefits, the boxes also provide some added brand exposure for Oceaneering with their logo clearly displayed on the pallet boxes. Alongside the branded workwear also provided by Exporta. This creates a highly professional brand identity that compliments the secure and efficient system of Rigid Pallet Boxes in place.