How well do you protect your equipment?

Your tools, calibration equipment or sensors are worth a lot of money. If they break, it can cost you a lot of money. So, question: how well do you protect your equipment?

Text: Kim de Booij

Your equipment is usually safe in the hands of the user. They know what they have in their hands and how to handle it. So don’t panic. But what if your equipment is transported by others, for example during air travel? What could also happen to it in the heat of battle, when there is a time crunch or when there are harsh conditions? And what if you end up in that ‘little corner’ where all those ‘accidents’ are?

More than repair or replacement

“Then you realize that you have to protect your equipment well against risks,” says Mark Neeleman of Vonk BV, a wholesaler specialized in suitcases and crates, among other things. “That realization becomes even greater when you consider the consequences of defective equipment. After all, it is about much more than just having to repair or replace it. Often there are major interests attached to the functioning of the equipment. For example, you have made customer promises that you cannot keep with defective equipment or your process comes to a standstill because you do not have the right tools for a repair.”

Being able to trust is crucial

Especially at customer locations far from home, this can cause serious problems, Neeleman knows. “Think of calibration equipment that has to be used on drilling platforms or in factories in faraway countries. You don’t want to think about arriving at your destination after a long journey and finding that your equipment doesn’t work or is unreliable. Or that you take medical equipment to a location and it turns out to be defective upon arrival. It is absolutely crucial that you can trust your equipment.”

Cases, no bags

So, protection. But how? “With cases,” is Neelemans’ advice. He advises against bags. “They are a bit lighter, but they do not provide sufficient protection against damage from falls or sharp impacts. Suitcases do. They have a hard exterior and a soft interior of foam that surrounds the equipment. They are a bit heavier than bags, but that problem is quickly solved with a retractable handle and wheels.”

Type of foam

The type of case you choose best depends on the use. “Look at the inside, for example. You can choose soft pluck foam or custom hard foam. You have to pluck the first to size yourself. The second is completely pre-formed to size. If you need the case very quickly and you only use the equipment a few times a year, pluck foam will suffice. If you can wait for custom work and you use the equipment daily, always choose custom work. When taking the equipment in and out, pluck foam gets damaged more quickly and it no longer looks good over time. Custom hard foam is a much more sustainable solution in all respects.”

Lifetime warranty

This sustainability is partly reflected in the lifespan. “At Vonk BV we work with the quality brand PeliTM. These cases are of such high quality that they come with a lifetime guarantee. Your equipment will need replacing sooner than the case due to use or innovations. That is why we regularly receive requests from customers to only replace the custom interior for new equipment in their existing case.”

Take good care of each other

Such a case does have a somewhat higher price tag than a bag or a standard case. “Custom work always costs a bit more. In small editions, that weighs more heavily than with larger quantities. But the investment in terms of purchase always pays for itself in the long term. Not only because of the longer lifespan of the foam, but especially because your equipment is always stored properly and safely. It is reliable and requires less maintenance. You reap the benefits of that in terms of work technology and finances. It is actually very simple: if you take good care of your equipment, your equipment will take good care of you.”

Protected against moisture

Dry equipment can still get wet when stored due to condensation of the air in a case. This occurs with temperature changes. A bag or can of silica gel from Hydrosorbent® in the case keeps the equipment dry. Ideal for steel tools or sensitive (measuring) equipment, for example.

Vonk BV

Vonk BV does not make the cases and custom interiors themselves. They leave that to the specialists of PeliTM, among others. What they do, is make it as easy as possible for the customer by translating user requirements into the most suitable total solution. That is to say, the right case with the right interior in which your equipment fits perfectly. And where necessary also with the desired appearance, for example by stickering the case in house style.