The ECG Quality Working Group in its meetings in 2020 was discussing about the utilization of Full Body Covers (FBCs) in the supply chain. These covers protect the cars from damage and contamination throughout their transportation. The use of FBCs is not universal amongst the OEMs, some don’t use them at all. Even if an OEM does use them, not all of its models are equipped with FBCs and sometimes it is the final destination of the vehicle that determines the use of FBCs (for instance if protection from sand is needed, etc.)
The issue came to the agenda of the Quality Working Group at the beginning of 2020 when concerns were raised that these covers might pose Health & Safety issues at compounds due to a reduced visibility when driving them around. Besides this, it was reported that the zipper can break or the FBC can get torn on car transporters or on open wagons which can create problems at unloading as well as quality issues. A broken zipper can even cause a scratch to the vehicle.
The Quality Group members learnt that the matt paint used by some car brands is very sensitive and can be easily damaged. The only way to fully protect a vehicle with this matt paint is to use an FBC. As the sales number of matt coated vehicles is set to grow in the next years, the utilization of FBCs will probably become more common in the supply chain. That is why the Quality Group saw the need to elaborate a good practice guide which gives recommendations as to design features of the FBCs, as well as to their correct application on compounds, road, rail and maritime transport.