5 Applications for Impact Indicators At Your Business

Impact indicators are an important part of any logistic business. Whether you are hauling large-scale items like power transformers or smaller sensitive items such as consumer electronics, it is vital to prevent shock, vibration, and impact damage across your entire trip.

The last thing any logistic business wants is to have damaged goods present along their supply routes. Damaged items lead to financial issues, revenue loss, replacement costs, and many additional problems that can be devastating for businesses.

That is only one reason utilizing devices such as impact indicators is a great idea. Impact indicators are small, field-armable devices that can register any impacts or damage your cargo incurs along the supply chain. If you are not already using them—or are simply unsure about what to use them for—impact indicators are one of the most vital tools logistics managers have today.

In this article, we’ll help you learn about five unique applications for these phenomenal devices.

1. Automotive Supplies

Companies ship all sorts of things around the world, from food supplies to industrial machinery. One type of freight that can benefit from impact recorders is any type of automotive supplies.

Automotive parts are often high-precision, meticulously crafted parts that you don’t want to damage. When they are not dealing with the other inherent issues that happen along supply chains such as theft, not being transported, or tampering, auto parts need to be safeguarded throughout the shipping route.

Impact indicators can help with this because they are tamper-proof and can demonstrate when somebody tries to mess with a shipment. Furthermore, they can detect issues with parts moving around or being hit with higher forces than what they can withstand to help identify problem areas during the shipping process.

2. Furniture

Furniture is another heavy freight item that can suffer from significant damage. And the furniture is big business: in 2019 alone, furniture sales reached as high as $200 billion.

Most of that furniture was purchased online, meaning it needed to be transported along supply routes to the destination. Furniture can break and become massively damaged and transit. That is why it can benefit from Impact indicators or vibration lockers.

Using these simple little tools, it is easy to keep tabs on problems that arise during shipment, identify packing issues, or gain insight into better methods for shipping these larger items.

3. Telecom Equipment

Part of living in a connected, incredibly online world is using a vast array of different types of technology to facilitate those connections. But that telecommunications equipment has to get from point A to point B somehow.

Transporting telecom equipment comes with its own set of challenges. Most of it is heavy and high precision, requiring meticulous packaging. It also might require monitoring or special considerations due to some of the metals/materials used in the construction of the equipment.

Your impact monitors are going to be an essential tool for monitoring and keeping this type of precision equipment safe as it moves along various supply routes.

4. Transformers

Power transformers are an integral part of our entire infrastructure and power grid. Without them being in good working condition, significant problems are on their hands.

Transforming high-grade power transformers from one point to another along a supply route can be a very scary endeavour. Why? Because that is when damage can occur. Worse, damage can be invisible and might not be noticed until well after the fact.

This can create the obvious problems of the power transformer not functioning correctly, but also make for a costly repair or replacement. That is why it is vital to install a shock locker or impact indicator onto this type of freight as you move along your routes.

Using an impact Indicator and recorder on every large shipment can save money, time, and resources while safeguarding your most valuable cargo.

5. Consumer Electronics 

Impact recorders are ideal for shipping consumer electronics. Considering how valuable and fragile consumer electronics can be, it behoves any logistics manager to understand what can go wrong when they get chipped across long distances.

On top of that, installing shock loggers or impact indicators onto the cargo can be a good way to monitor them for potential issues and product tampering. To begin with, they can help monitor damage during transit. They can also ensure the electronics arrive at the proper destination.

Furthermore, they can provide a visual indication of whether or not something’s been tampered with or damaged. This can aid in the recovery of any kind of damage costs or replacement costs associated with the shipment.

Consumer electronics is a big business and any problems along the supply chain can have a deleterious effect on the shipping company. That’s why using impact indicators is so essential when dealing with these types of items.