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1. PURPOSE / SCOPE:
This document provides the minimum general packaging requirements for the packaging of
product shipped to any worldwide Tesla Motors manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution
facility. For Off the Shelf (OTS) the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) packaging is
acceptable.
3. DOCUMENT OWNER:
Material Planning
Responsibility: This procedure applies to all team members in Tesla Facilities that have an
impact specified in the scope of this document.
and regulations. These rules and laws include export shipments as well as transportation
requirements and regulations pertaining to hazardous materials.
To ensure supplier conformance, all shipments are subject to inspection. Tesla Motors reserves
the right to reject any shipment which is not in compliance with these specifications.
5. PACKAGING
5.1 Package testing
Package performance is critical to maintaining part integrity during the shipping phase. Tesla
Motors requires that the product packaging be able to withstand the normal hazards seen during
the distribution environment, such as vibration, shock, compression, and impacts.
5.1.1 Vibration
Vibration is the one hazard element that will occur during every handling and
transportation phase of a distribution cycle. It is also the one element that is most
difficult to understand without performing product vibration testing. Essentially,
the package materials that are chosen for a specific product must, ideally,
attenuate the forcing frequencies seen in the distribution cycle which are close or
match the natural frequencies the product may have.
5.1.2 Shock(s)
Shocks (drops) are a common hazard element that may occur in the distribution
cycle. Essentially, a packaged product will see drop height that correlate to the
size and weight of the package product. Typically, the smaller the package the
higher the drop height that may occur.
The following table shows packaged product weights with typical corresponding
drop heights that may occur during the distribution cycle. The supplier must
adequately package the product to prevent damage occurring at these drop
heights.
11-50 36
51-100 24
101-250 18
251 + 12
Palletized Loads 6
Table 5-1: Typical Drop Heights
5.1.3 Compression
There are two types of compression, static compression and dynamic
compression. Static compression comes from warehousing and storage while
dynamic compression stems from compressive forces incurred during
transportation and material handling.
5.1.4 Impact
Impacts can be regarded as horizontal shocks. Impacts are common to the rail
industry during rail car coupling and in other environments during the sorting of
packages. The supplier package should be designed to withstand impacts
normally incident to the distribution environment. Special attention should be
placed on packages that are being shipped by small parcel shippers. The small
parcel environments are extremely hazardous during the sorting process, and
impacts to the packaged product can come from any and all directions.
5.3 Temperature
In the distribution environment, products may be exposed to temperature extremes ranging
from 20º F to 140º F. Packaging exposed to extreme temperatures may degrade the
package performance. Even at extreme temperatures, the supplier must select packaging
materials which effectively protect the product from handling damage
Reactive gases, such as oxygen can react with surfaces of products, resulting in discolored
or tarnished appearance. To prevent corrosion degradation from occurring, the supplier
must either eliminate or reduce the amount of reactive gas molecules in packaging
There are three methods available which the supplier should utilize to prevent degradation:
the use of desiccant, the use of vapor corrosion inhibitors, and the use of a non-reactive
gas purge
5.5 Desiccant
Desiccants are typically the primary material used to reduce the moisture level in
packaging by absorbing water molecules from the environment. Acceptable barrier
materials include:
• Good: Polyethylene (4-6 mil) provides a good moisture barrier for parts which
are not extremely moisture –sensitive
• Better: Barrier materials which are manufactured to military standard MIL-B-
131. These are foil/polyethylene combination with various types of outside
layers (Tyvek, polyester, kraft paper)
Note: All ocean shipments require some form of moisture protection
electromagnetic interference (EMI), and Radio frequency (RFI). When the product is
susceptible to ESD, EMI, and/or RFI damage, it is the supplier’s responsibility to determine
the type of packaging required to prevent damage
CFR 49 specifies all of the required shipping papers, markings, labeling, and performance test
required for a shipment of hazardous material. The shipper (supplier) of hazardous materials
must meet or exceed the established hazardous material federal regulations. The following is a
list of applicable documents the have specific modal requirements:
In the absence of a formal return logistics program in MES at Tesla Motors or at the supplier
today, the design and reusability effort of a package is a joint effort between Tesla Motors and the
supplier. The involvement of each party is critical to fully support the logistics of using the
reusable packaging
Although individual reusable packs may require varying marking and labeling requirement, all
reusable packs should include at minimum;
All marking and labeling should be highly visible, and should not interfere with any handling assist
devices, handling symbols, or handling instruction on the package
Prior to reuse, all reusable containers, crates and stillages should be refurbished, as necessary,
to a like-new condition. Any reusable item which can not be refurbished, and compromises safety
and product protection due to its degraded state, should be removed from the reusable packaging
system
7.2 Recycling
To reduce the amount of solid waste, suppliers should always strive to incorporate recycling into
their packaging designs. Such goals should include
o Use of packaging materials, which are easily recycled like paper and plastic corrugated,
polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene
o Designing packages which allow the package components to be easily separated prior to
recycling, such as avoiding designs which bond two or more dissimilar materials
o Appropriate recycling symbols should be utilized on all recyclable materials
Unless the part cleaning requirements are otherwise stated in a contract, purchase order, drawing
or separate specification, the part should be, at minimum free of any visible contaminates (visibly
clean) including, but not limited to dust, corrosion, films and shavings
Same parts must be packaged consistently from shipment to shipment, both in the containers
used and quantity of parts per container for a given number
Protect all bagging from punctures, abrasions, and protrusions which could lead to personal
injury, part damage, and part contamination during the handling and distribution cycle.
All studs must be capped and all sharp edges and corners protected to prevent damage to
personnel and/or other parts
Ensure the packaging is safe to handling personnel, including, but not limited to protruding
staples, nails, and loose bending
Parts must be packed to prevent shifting/rubbing. If needed, separate parts to prevent damage
Packaging must not adhere to parts, nor produce part corrosion or oxidation
Package should not be filled to the extent that they bulge or deform
Heavier parts should always be placed at the bottom of the container
Voids should be filled as required to prevent part shifting or movement within the package. Use of
loose-fill dunnage is not recommended
Do not overload a container whereby the weight exceeds the container’s designed capability
As required, use proper labeling to mark packages with special handling consideration such as
“Fragile”, “Handle With Care”, “This End Up”, and “Do Not Stack”, to name a few
Package closure should permit access to contents for inspection purpose without destroying the
container’s usefulness. For example, plastic bags should be sealed such that they can be opened
and re-sealed at least one time
When the center of gravity (CG) is not in the center of the unit or unitized load, the location of the
CG shall be marked on all 4 sides to keep maintain load stability during material handling
All wood packaging must conform to the European Union Emergency Measures for Coniferous
Non-Manufactured Wood Packaging Material to prevent the spread of the Pinewood Nematode.
Refer to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (a division of the United States
Department of Agriculture) for compliance requirements
All wood packaging must be free of the insects and insect infestation
Nylon: This material typically used to bag items which are chemically cleaned. The
cleanliness level of nylon is higher than most bagging materials in regards to
surface particulate, out gassing, and mobile ions
10.3 Cushioning
Product packaging often requires “cushioning” for adequate product protection. When
cushioning material is required, proper material selection and design is essential in
providing damage free product. It is recommended that the supplier seek a packaging
professional experience with cushion design if necessary
To determine the pack code, review (Table 10.4.1), then match the pack code to the
Primary Packaging Requirement Matrix (Table 10.4.2)
After locating the pack code on the Primary Packaging Requirement Matrix, follow the
column from top to bottom to determine the packaging requirement
If a part meets the definition of more than one family, the requirements of all applicable
families should be met.
140A Fabricated parts meeting description for pack code 140, with special surface cleanliness requirements for safety
critical adhesion joint
141 Fabricated parts, Non-Fragile
Assemblies - Fragile - Assemblies which possess plated, anodized, coated painted or
142 treated critical surfaces which are easily damaged
143 Assemblies - Non -Fragile orientation label required
• All parts must have metal shavings, chips, etc. removed and cleaned prior to
packaging. It is essential that cleanliness levels attained during parts fabrication are
not degraded by the packaging
• Place like parts into a bag and seal the bag. Additionally, if the hardware contains
sharp points or protrusions, place part into a double bag or wrap parts in the bubble
cushioning before placing them into a second bag
• Do not overstuff the bag
• One bag of hardware shall not exceed 5 lbs. unless previously agreed. Bulk items
over 5 lbs. shall be split into several bags as accepted
11.2.1 Special stillages are manufactured for components and modules which facilitate
the delivery of items to line side at the manufacturing facilities. The stillages are
designed and manufactured via joint effort between Tesla Motors and the
supplier
11.3 Outsourced Module & Sub- Assembly Packaging
11.3.1 Outsourced modules and sub-assemblies must be at minimum, bagged and then
containerized. Packaging alternatives must be approved by Tesla Motors. Due to
often more complex nature of modules and sub-assemblies, package design
must particularly allow for safe, efficient, and damage-free removal of the product
from the container
11.3.2 Specification ESS shipping Crate – single unit
11.3.3 Specification PEM shipping crate – single unit
11.3.4 Specification PEM shipping Crate – three units
11.3.5 Specification Motor shipping Crate – single unit
11.3.6 Specification Motor shipping Crate – four units
11.3.7 Specification Transmission Shipping Crate – single unit
11.3.8 Specification Transmission shipping Crate – multiple units
All primary and secondary packages equal or greater than 10 pounds are defined as
“Heavy”, and must be labeled with the exact package weight rounded up to the nearest
pound. One weight label package is required and must be placed in a highly visible
location on the package (usually next to bar code ID label). If the weight of the packaged
product remains consistent, the weight can be pre-printed on the container
Follow the instructions on the procedure BMS-0000003 for the specification of the weight
label
• ≥ 200 lbs.
• Height ≥ 48 inches
• Height ≥ 2X width dimension
• Center of Gravity (CG) higher than ½ the container height
If the CG is not known, label the container as top heavy if it meets the other three criteria
but its height ≥ 1.5 X the container width dimension
The top Heavy label is an industry-common 3.00"x4.50" label which can be purchased
from a variety of sources including but not limited to packaging distributors
All parts that are sold to ASO centers must be packaged in individual sets per the Tesla PO
Updated “x” for pack code matrix. Nylon and Poly bags and heat seal and
04 10/2011
tape indicated as optional. Corrected BMS-002 title and added BMS-151
Traceability to references.