The Value of Integrated Expertise in Lithium Battery Packaging and Transport

Featuring insights from Chris Egloff, Vice President of Strategic Opportunities, Americase

In the world of lithium battery logistics, safety is paramount and compliance can be complex. Successfully navigating this landscape demands coordinated expertise across engineering, regulations, logistics, and safety testing. Understanding how cross-disciplinary collaboration enhances packaging design and performance can help organizations better manage their risk, timelines, and operational efficiency.

Why Cross-Functional Expertise Matters

Designing protective packaging for lithium batteries involves more than just meeting basic specifications. Regulations are constantly evolving, logistics environments vary widely, and fire risk must be proactively addressed. In response, industry leaders are turning toward integrated approaches that bring multiple specialties into the process from day one.

“When you’re developing a packaging solution for lithium batteries, you’re not just building a box—you’re aligning with fire codes, transport regulations, facility infrastructure, and battery chemistry,” explains Chris Egloff, Vice President of Strategic Opportunities at Americase. “Each factor affects the others, and addressing them in isolation can lead to gaps in safety or performance.”

A Systems-Based Approach to Packaging Design

A systems-based approach to packaging design begins with early collaboration between subject matter experts—engineers, regulatory specialists, and testing professionals—who work together to evaluate the full lifecycle of the product. This ensures packaging is not only compliant, but also tailored to fit seamlessly into operational workflows.

For example, integrating regulatory review into the design process can prevent delays in certification or shipping. Similarly, by factoring in how a container will be handled, stacked, or stored, engineers can preemptively address physical wear or failure points. This type of holistic thinking enhances both safety and usability.

Building in Validation: The Role of Testing

Performance testing is essential in validating whether a packaging solution meets real-world demands. At Americase, extensive testing is conducted through Fulcrum Testing, which can include drop tests, vibration analysis, and thermal event containment simulations.

“Testing helps translate theoretical design into proven protection,” says Egloff. “It’s one thing to meet a regulation on paper. It’s another to demonstrate your solution works in worst-case scenarios, such as battery thermal runaway during transport.”

Including testing early in the process also allows teams to refine and iterate designs based on data—not assumptions.

Expertise on the Manufacturing Floor

Beyond design and testing, execution on the manufacturing floor plays a critical role in solution effectiveness. The best results come from craftspeople who not only follow instructions but understand the purpose behind each build—what Egloff calls “master builders.”

“These aren’t assembly line workers—they’re professionals solving real problems through precision craftsmanship,” he notes. “When your manufacturing team understands both the function and the risks, the end product reflects that expertise.”

Final Thoughts: Education Leads to Better Outcomes

When organizations understand the importance of cross-functional input—regulatory, engineering, logistics, and testing—they’re better equipped to make informed decisions. Lithium battery transport is not a plug-and-play challenge; it’s an evolving landscape that rewards safe, proactive, integrated solutions.

For companies transporting high-energy batteries, asking the right questions and involving the right experts from the beginning is critical. The more you know about the process, the more likely you are to select solutions that meet not just today’s needs, but tomorrow’s challenges.

Americase brings this cross-functional expertise under one roof—engineering, regulatory guidance, safety validation, and manufacturing—to help companies navigate complexity with confidence. By collaborating across disciplines from the start, Americase enables smarter, safer packaging outcomes built for real-world demands.