Justin Locks, managing director and Ingus Lasinskis, operations director at 5 Star
UK - For the past 40 years, 5 Star Cases has been manufacturing flight cases that are already trusted by a vast range of industries, ensuring the safe transport of vital equipment around the world, even in the most challenging of environments, safely and securely.
Taking its four decades of experience and expertise, 5 Star is now producing a new range of custom-designed packing crates, which can be used as a cost-effective alternative when flight cases are not required, or as an added level of protection when they are.
Using the same advanced production techniques and extensive infrastructure at its dedicated manufacturing facility in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens, 5 Star packing crates are constructed with strength and durability in mind. They can be used for storing and transporting products across different industries and applications, from AV, entertainment, engineering and motor racing to medical and catering equipment. In fact, with an optional foam lining for additional equipment protection, 5 Star’s packing crates can be used to transport almost anything, anywhere, says the manufacturer.
“As with our flight cases, our packing crates are custom-designed to the specific requirements of our customers’ products,” says 5 Star’s operations director, Ingus Lasinskis. “Like all our products, they’re designed and built quickly and efficiently, but if you want something off the shelf, we also have a range of standard sizes you can choose from.”
5 Star’s packing crates are constructed from high quality 18mm durable Oriented Strand Board (OSB) which comes from sustainable sources. OSB panels are produced by bonding layers of various wood chips and strips with adhesives, which are then laminated together using pressure and heat to create exceptional strength and durability. Plywood and composite wood blocks are other materials being used, meaning Phytosanitary Certificate is not required.
“Using OSB means we are totally confident that our packing crates can handle pretty much anything that can happen during transportation, so the products inside will arrive in the same condition they left their own manufacturers,” Ingus adds.
As with all its flight cases and foam inserts, 5 Star packing crates are CNC-machined for accuracy and repeatability. The crates feature specially designed sprung metal clasps to secure the individual panels to each other, making them easy to assemble and take apart. Crates can be stored flat-packed for space saving purposes and reused again and again.
Each crate comes with a pallet style fork-lift or pallet truck handling feature for easy loading and unloading. They are also available with a choice of different type industrial castors for easy movement, and with most flight case customisation features such as handles, label dishes, partitions or CNC foam inserts.

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