The importance of instrument’s packaging

Packaging may not be the first thing that pops into your mind when writing up your calibration SOP, but it is critical in the process of effective and controlled calibration management. Modern instrumentation can be a large investment and for specialist instruments the service costs can also mount up. You have invested a lot of money in your installed base and you want to protect your investment.

When your instruments are in the hands of your technicians and your trusted calibration vendor everything is in control. You know that concerted effort is made to ensure that the instruments won’t get damaged.

So, then it only stands to reason that the same care and attention should go into the transportation of your instrument to and from your calibration vendor. This could be a single trip with one driver and a truck, but this also could be several different stages and opportunity for damage to occur.

A correctly packaged instrument ensures there is less chance of damage. It also gives an auditor peace of mind knowing you have all the bases covered.

And for reference standards packaging can be especially important as they may be more sensitive to shock than a rugged process instrument. Moreover, reference standards are of critical importance. The slightest degrade can affect the calibration results of critical instruments and consequently the production.

A lot of effort goes into effective calibration management, don’t let the transportation of your instruments be the weak link.

Read our article ‘Are you ready for an audit?‘ and learn how to prepare for audit inspections!