Thermoformed Dunnage Trays & Returnable Packaging
Custom thermoformed dunnage trays and returnable packaging in heavy-duty HMW-HDPE, shaped to your parts and built for repeated trips.
- Pockets shaped to your part
- Heavy-duty HMW-HDPE
- Built for repeated trips
- Made in Zanesville, Ohio
Dunnage trays hold parts in place between machines, between plants, and between you and your customer. Shirley K’s forms them to the shape of your part, and custom pockets help locate and separate parts during handling. Heavy-duty HMW-HDPE is built for repeated, demanding use, so reusable dunnage and returnable containers can make trip after trip.
Returnable dunnage
Where dunnage trays are used
- Work in process between machining, painting and assembly steps
- Returnable shipping between a supplier and an assembly plant in a closed loop
- Kitting for assembly lines, with a pocket for every part in the kit
- Protected storage for finished or service parts
Common applications include parts for automotive and heavy-truck suppliers and for makers of electric motors, pumps, compressors, HVAC and appliance components, and lawn and garden equipment.
Designed around your part
We form trays with pockets shaped to your part. Tell us whether trays need to stack when full, nest when empty, or both, and we design around it.
What to send for a dunnage tray quote
- The CAD model of the part
- How the trays are loaded, moved and cleaned
- Parts per tray and trays per order or per year
- Any existing tray tool or sample tray
Materials
HMW-HDPE is our choice for heavy-duty returnable trays that see repeated handling (see HDPE thermoforming). Other thermoformable materials are available for lighter duty. See thermoforming materials.
From short runs to production
We run dozens to hundreds of trays per order and larger volumes when you need them. If you want to keep a tray design you already use, send the tool details and we’ll check whether we can take it over, or send a sample tray and we can reverse engineer a new tool from it. See tool transfer and reverse engineering.
Stock totes or custom dunnage?
If a standard container will do, look at our stock stack-and-nest totes, divider totes and other material handling totes, which need no tooling. Custom dunnage makes sense when parts need their own pockets.
About Shirley K’s
Shirley K’s was spun out of Fabri-Form in 2013. We make custom thermoformed parts and packaging at our plant in Zanesville, Ohio.
Common Questions About Dunnage Trays
What is dunnage?
Dunnage is the material that holds and protects parts inside a container during handling, storage and shipping. A thermoformed dunnage tray holds each part in a formed pocket.
Is thermoformed dunnage right for our parts?
It depends on how many trips the packaging makes, how the parts are handled and how the trays are cleaned. Tell us about your current packaging and we will help you compare options.
Can you match the trays we already use?
Often, yes. Send the existing tool and we’ll check whether we can take it over, or send a sample tray and we can reverse engineer a new tool from it.
What quantities do you make?
Dozens to hundreds of trays per order is our specialty, and we run larger volumes too.
What material do you use for returnable trays?
HMW-HDPE for heavy-duty returnable use. Other materials are available depending on the part and how the trays are handled.
Send us the part the tray has to hold
Start with the CAD model of the part.
Call: (740) 868-8140 · Email: orders@shirleyks.com · 1150 Newark Road, Zanesville, OH 43701