Farnell packaging - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: IO390
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 05:36:53 pm
content: I've never known farnell to be particularly pragmatic with their packaging practices, however this one really takes the biscuit.I ordered, along with some other things, a single Xmega32, so I was pretty surprised...... When a whole tray arrived...... With my single chip in the corner.Also interesting to note that my order was split, as one item (solder paste) was sent from the French warehouse. The single tiny syringe of solder paste was sent in a huge box, whereas my parts from the UK warehouse, including the tray and some reels, were sent in a jiffy bag.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 06:01:59 pm
content: Last one when they picked, so left in the package.

author: IO390
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 06:09:34 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on June 03, 2015, 06:01:59 pmThat's what I thought, still seems silly though as it doubled the size of the package.

author: kolonelkadat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 06:10:04 pm
content: you should be glad they were shipped separately. I ordered some stuff from mouser recently. Just some through hole whatevers (caps, pots, etc) and 2 spools of solder.so I open my box. Inside is someone else's bom, 2 1lb spools of solder, and a dozen ziplock bags filled with banged up and busted e-waste. I dont blame mouser. I blame jerks who complain that their orders are shipped too securely and that their items are all accounted for and intact.

author: IO390
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 06:14:09 pm
content: I don't remember complaining.

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 06:58:06 pm
content: Check your order, you may have explicitly asked for a tray. For example, the ATXMEGA32A4U-AU has "each" under packaging (which I assume means tray), while the ATXMEGA32A4U-AUR is cut tape. Farnell's site isn't the most clear, but both Mouser and DigiKey sell Xmegas in trays with a minimum quantity of 1.

author: 0b01010011
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 10:32:52 pm
content: Packaging isn't that good from Farnell Australia either - ordered 20m of hookup wire in various colours, and all came on old SMT spools, which is good, but one came just coiled up with the part labels stuck round, 180deg from each other. A bit annoying to unreel when you want it and the labels leave sticky shite behind.Also ordered 150 3mm LEDs and was suprised they were just loose in bags, but none seemed to suffer.

author: Christe4nM
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 11:11:27 pm
content: I have encountered the same thing twice: a full tray for just 3 micros. In my case the micros were sitting on the middle of the tray both times.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 11:26:15 pm
content: I often get QFPs in trays form Farnell - much better that the Farnell's stupid blister packs, or other inadequate packing that ends up with bent pins.

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 09:16:53 am
content: I once ordered 100 1206 resistors from Farnell. I got 99 from UK and 1 from Belgium warehouse

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 09:22:08 am
content: This is funny.I tend to do stupid orders with CPC (owned by Farnell) to see what they do. They sell more consumer oriented crap as well.So I ordered 8ft garden canes, a small screwdriver and some FETs in one order and they shipped them in two separate packages. I was disappointed not to find FETs and a screwdriver crudely taped to some garden canesThe courier was pissed about the garden canes though as they wouldn't fit in his sooty van.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 01:53:10 pm
content: On the subject of CPC I've had stuff like small(maybe 12v 10Ah) sealed lead acid batteries rattling around in huge oversized boxes big enough for a couple of PC tower cases. Lots of air filled bags to try and cushion the goods did nothing. The battery was almost escaping and just about everything else in the box like a load of small hardware / connectors etc had fallen out of the hole punched through the box by the battery.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 05:00:17 pm
content: Same actually.Worst one I had was a single micro SD card delivered in a 2 foot long box!?!?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 06:04:12 pm
content: Quote from: m100 on June 04, 2015, 01:53:10 pmSame here - CPC are crap at packaging

author: slurry
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 07:08:51 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 04, 2015, 06:04:12 pmCPC, Crappy Packaging CompanyOnce i ordered some small parts, i think it was from Farnell, and two rolls of 500g 60/40 solder, the two rolls had smashed into each other so violently that they looked lika a dog had been chewing on them,also some alu oxide wafers were chrushed by the two rolls.But, it have never happened since, maybe it was a new guy

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 10:18:34 pm
content: They can't win can they?If they pack inadequately they get slated. If they pack over the top then they get slated. But whatever happens they put it right at their expense.And some people still expect free shipping even for small orders??

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 11:15:35 am
content: Farnell packages better than RS Online.RS puts everything in separate bags. If you order 100 trimpots, you'll get 1 bag with 100 bags of 1 trimpot.Yes indeed sometimes they missed something, or some other random product ends in the box.Most of the time it is too cheap to even bother complaining, just order again.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 11:23:38 am
content: I was most happy with my Farnells packaging via one of their agents..... it is all I will say. Apart from that just think of all that free storage you get if it comes in boxes or trays.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 11:35:01 am
content: Funny this came up. I had a dream the other day which featured Farnell boxes in a delivery van.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 11:50:46 am
content: Quote from: TopLoser on June 04, 2015, 10:18:34 pmFarnell packaging is, in the main very good, I'm sure they could use smaller cushioned bags, and shorter boxes, but they are way better than RS with their endless paper sweetshop bags and individual plastic bags for passives.CPC certainly do spend the money on the packaging, it's just they don't effectively pack, as it those doing the packaging have no real appreciation of what happens in transit and how things end up in the hands of customers. Heavy and light stuff simply doesn't mix in an oversized box with the endless air bags.Cramming everything in a box 1/3 the size with little room the rattle around, with a few layers of bubble wrap around the contents would in many cases be far better than what they usually do, although the boxes might need beefing up a bit. Rather than the massively oversized boxes, the same amout of cardboard in triple layer boxes would be ideal. Then they might get used for something useful for a few years rather than immediately go to landfill / recycling.Is any intelligence built into the systems such that when the bin gets to the packing stage it's not a case of picking the nearest box or bag regardless of the contents?

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 09:28:54 pm
content: It's simply that they get a 'per package whatever the size' deal from UPS.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2015, 11:15:13 pm
content: ^^^ This.When I got the flux pen pictured below, I asked someone at Farnell about their wasteful packaging, and they said that they had to use standardised packaging sizes, and they got charged a flat rate. Top marks for the "this way up" sticker, but bottom marks from the carrier for ignoring it (not that it really mattered to be fair).

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2015, 04:53:54 am
content: Fragile stickers are a challenge for the couriers, to see just how fragile it is........As I deal with them all the time I get to see how they move stuff. 500 20 kg boxes to load in the truck, time with me and the driver and assistant was 30 minutes from the pallets on the ground to the truck loaded and closed. Make a line and one picks, one aims and one stacks. I do a lot of stuff that way.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 03:25:49 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 06, 2015, 09:50:38 pmThose Farnell and CPC use (shown above) have the advantage that CD's and DVD's fit quite nicely. More than half a terabyte of storage with random access by finger. Forget cloud storage that IS the future.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2015, 02:10:53 pm
content: CPC parcel arrived, UPS bloke struggling to carry the bulk. Box is 600 x 400 x 400. Opened flaps removed over140airbags. Contents in bottom corner of box barely visible. Repacked into another box to check against packing note, contents easily fit into a box 450 x 300 x 200, which is less than 30% of the sent package.Massive box to dispose of, room full of airbags to dispose of.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2015, 09:17:12 am
content: Quote from: m100 on June 09, 2015, 02:10:53 pmI let the kids have them. The box is disintegrated in 5 minutes flat and all the air bags are popped 2 minutes after that.