Stronger Together: Engineering a Safer, Smarter Packaging System Through Partnership
How Custom Crating and Corner Board Innovation Solved a National Supply Chain Challenge
Case Study Summary
A leading provider of packaging design and supply-chain solutions faced recurring product damage, rising shipping costs and safety risks caused by inconsistent crate construction and unreliable corner protection packaging from offshore sourcing.
4 Minute Read
The Challenge
4 Minute Read
When a national packaging and supply chain leader began sourcing specialty corner protection for the inner and outer diameter of steel rolls and accompanying custom shipping crates domestically, it encountered unforeseen supplier issues that affected multiple areas of its operation.
Its product required long, reinforced corner protection and precise custom crating to prevent damage during transport. But existing suppliers, both domestic and international, struggled to keep up with demand and deliver consistent shipments. Shipments arrived sporadically and with quality-control issues that resulted in costly product damage and safety concerns for the customer’s warehouse workers.
Every new load brought uncertainty: exposed screw heads punctured crates, employees sustained minor injuries while unloading, and inefficient stacking wasted valuable space and increased freight costs. The customer needed a packaging partner that could look beyond the symptoms and deliver a scalable, long-term solution.
Corner protection packaging wraps the inner and outer diameters of each steel roll, preventing damage during transport and handling.
Listening First, Solving Together
When the opportunity reached the Litco team, they recognized both the challenge and the potential. Meeting the customer’s expectations would require more than supplying a like-for-like replacement for the existing product. It would demand collaboration and creativity.
Litco reached out to Millwood, a trusted partner, because together they could bring broader experience, production insight, and engineering expertise to the problem. Working closely with the customer, the two teams analyzed how the existing product performed in use and what was needed to improve its consistency and strength.
That partnership led to an improved corner protection program, including visual inspections and surface checks to ensure every unit met quality standards before shipment.
Once the product was performing reliably, the collaboration expanded. Litco and Millwood worked with the customer to develop a custom crating solution that improved safety, increased shipping efficiency and reduced freight costs. By optimizing the crate design for stacking and handling, the customer could purchase larger volumes and move product more economically.
Today, Litco builds the custom crates, while Millwood manufactures the corner protection, creating an integrated packaging system that is safer, stronger and more efficient. Together, the companies demonstrate how collaboration can produce a more comprehensive solution for the customer.
Each 18-foot corner board is manufactured with precision notches and scoring, then loaded directly into custom crating skids before quality inspection and shipment.
Engineering Efficiency From the Ground Up
From the beginning, both teams treated the project as more than a product supply agreement. It was an exercise in process engineering.
Every element of the program was designed for repeatable performance, including standardized quality checks, defined communication channels and a proactive production schedule aligned with the customer’s delivery cycles.
Litco’s custom crating team designed and built 18-foot skids optimized for transport and load efficiency through their Lordstown facility, while Millwood manufactured the corner board components under controlled conditions.
The resulting solution allowed each flatbed to carry 12 fully loaded skids, with each skid holding 1,200 corner board pieces, for a total of 14,400 pieces per truckload. This reduced freight costs by approximately 10% per unit and improved delivery consistency. The process provided greater predictability for the customer and improved efficiency for Litco and Millwood, creating a shared win built on accountability and disciplined design.
Twelve fully loaded skids of corner board, each holding 1,200 pieces, are stacked on a single flatbed at the Lordstown, Ohio, facility, helping reduce freight costs by approximately 10% per unit.
Results That Stack Up
The difference was immediate. Shipments became more efficient and safer to handle. The improved crate design virtually eliminated the safety issues that had previously affected unloading crews. Dedicated inspection and documentation improved product consistency, while a steady production schedule supported supply continuity and customer confidence.
Each truckload now carries more than 339,000 linear feet of product, with approximately 3.4 million feet shipped annually. Since the program launched, there has not been a single reported safety incident.
More importantly, the customer regained control of a critical part of its packaging supply chain. It no longer had to choose between cost and quality. Litco and Millwood’s joint solution provided both, delivering measurable value and greater reliability through partnership.
Partnership in Practice
Behind the technical achievement was a relationship built on collaboration and trust.
Litco and Millwood shared ownership of the outcome, maintaining open communication among their engineering, sales and production teams. This alignment allowed each company to apply its strengths: Millwood’s corner-protection manufacturing and Litco’s custom crating design and construction capabilities.
That balance turned what could have been a single product order into an ongoing, multi-phase packaging solution. By working as one system, the companies delivered measurable efficiencies and demonstrated that customers benefit most when their suppliers work together rather than in silos.
Results At A Glance
Freight
Cost Reduction
Pieces
Per Truckload
Feet
Shipped Annually
When Crating
Gets Complicated,
Litco Makes It Simple
Protect Your Products From Damage
Save Freight And Storage Space
Avoid Costly Export Delays
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"By optimizing the crate design for stacking and handling, the customer could purchase larger volumes and move product more economically."
"Each truckload now carries more than 339,000 linear feet of product, with approximately 3.4 million feet shipped annually. Since the program launched, there has not been a single reported safety incident."
See What Collaboration With Litco Can Do
Litco helps manufacturers and packaging providers strengthen their supply chains through innovative corner protection, collaborative engineering, and custom crating solutions.
Connect with a Litco expert today to learn how the right partnership can turn packaging challenges into measurable results.
Commonly Asked Questions
What is custom crating and why does it matter for shipping?
Custom crating is the design and construction of shipping crates built to the exact dimensions and handling requirements of a specific product. It reduces product damage, improves stacking efficiency, and lowers freight costs compared to standard off-the-shelf packaging.
In this case, Litco designed 18-foot custom crating skids engineered specifically to hold corner board for a national packaging customer. The optimized design allowed 12 fully loaded skids per flatbed, each holding 1,200 pieces, for a total of 14,400 pieces per truckload. That design improvement alone reduced freight costs by approximately 10% per unit while virtually eliminating the safety hazards caused by the customer’s previous crating supplier.
How can custom crating solutions reduce shipping and freight costs?
Custom crating solutions reduce freight costs by optimizing crate dimensions for maximum stacking efficiency, allowing more product per truckload and fewer total shipments.
Before Litco and Millwood redesigned the packaging system, the customer’s previous suppliers delivered inconsistently sized crates that wasted valuable flatbed space and drove up per-unit freight costs. By engineering skids specifically for the product’s dimensions and weight, the new solution fit 12 skids per flatbed, carrying more than 339,000 linear feet of corner board per load. Approximately 3.4 million linear feet are now shipped annually at roughly 10% lower cost per unit.
What is corner protection packaging and how does it improve product safety?
Corner protection packaging uses materials like corner board, edge protectors, or flexible wraps to shield vulnerable product edges and surfaces from impact, compression, and abrasion during transit. It is critical for heavy or high-value products like steel coils.
The customer in this case study faced recurring product damage and worker safety issues because their existing corner protection was inconsistent in quality. Exposed screw heads punctured crates, employees sustained injuries during unloading, and product arrived damaged. Litco and Millwood replaced the failing system with corner protection manufactured under controlled conditions, paired with custom crating designed for safe stacking and handling. Since launch, there has not been a single reported safety incident.