Chevrolet Volt Battery Recall and the Start of a Skiving Revolution

Did you know that more than 40 air transport incidents involving lithium batteries have occurred since 1991, with 21 of these incidents involving passenger aircraft? Lithium batteries are classified as Class 9 hazardous materials under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). This classification highlights the potential risks associated with their transport, such as overheating or short circuits. To mitigate these risks, strict guidelines and safety standards were needed. This led to the United Nations (UN) creating global specifications for shipping electric vehicle batteries, called the United Nations Standard 38.3. 
 
When Chevrolet faced a major recall on the Volt’s electric battery they called Packaging Products, Inc. (PPI), to meet UN shipping standards (UN 38.3). It was the middle of the COVID-19 supply chain crisis—but we were ready. Thanks to our strong relationships with our vendors, we quickly sourced and delivered custom cushioning foam that met global safety regulations.
 
Responding to the Call
The issue? The Volt’s battery packaging needed to meet international transport regulations for lithium-ion batteries, a material classified as hazardous due to its fire and explosion risk. Chevy urgently needed compliant cushioning foam that passed safety tests and met recyclability standards.

The scope of the project included the following:

• Managed over $5 million in raw materials in just 4–5 months.
• Processed 2–3 truckloads of foam weekly during a strained supply chain.
• Identified, recommended, and approved this application within a week.
• Provided initial material for a rapid UN approval:
• Drop test.
• Underwriters Laboratory 94 VO burn test approval.
• Designed for recyclability for circular sustainable automotive recycling criteria. 
• Delivered every order on time and defect-free.

 
This project not only solved a critical issue for Chevrolet—it confirmed something we had been thinking about for months: the need to invest in next-generation skiving technology.
 
The Birth of the Precision Skiver
The success of the Volt project gave us the confidence to take a leap of faith with an ambitious idea: bringing the world’s longest horizontal vacuum skiver—a 52-foot German-engineered Fecken-Kirfel Skiver Table—to the U.S. But we didn’t just install it. We engineered it further.
Our team designed and integrated a dual-motor system with anti-vibration overhead support, making it the first of its kind in the U.S. With these enhancements, we became the first to skive expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam in densities of:

• 4.2#
• 5.0#
• Up to 8.0#

 
Unlocking Future Markets
Our Precision Skiver didn’t just expand what we could cut—it expanded who we could serve.  We are now able to produce custom rubber and soft crush rubber rolls up to 50 feet long, complete with roll tagging and flagged splicing to reduce changeover time on high-speed presses. This has dramatically increased productivity for our clients—and opened the door to new industries.
 
Today, the Precision Skiver supports applications across:

• Automotive
• Military
• Aerospace
• Freight
• Construction
• Medical
• Drones
• Flooring
• Soundproofing
• Sports Arenas
• Ship Fenders
• Digital Devices
• Satellites

Interested in more success stories like this? Check back on our blog, and we’ll continue sharing other instances of the Precision Skiver in action. 

Visit packprod.com to learn more, watch the Precision Skiver in action, and contact our experienced engineering and sales team to custom-engineer a solution tailored to your specific application.  
 
About Larry Flory
Laurence Flory is a seasoned packaging engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. He founded Packaging Products in 1986, specializing in custom-fit foam solutions for automotive, aerospace, military, as well as many other applications.
 
In 2023, Packaging Products brought the world’s longest horizontal vacuum skiver to the U.S—a 52-foot German-engineered Fecken-Kirfel Skiver Table. After improving its engineering capabilities, the Precision Skiver is now servicing a wide variety of industry needs including those in aerospace, freight, construction, flooring, soundproofing, and drones, among many others.
 
Laurence holds a B.S. in packaging engineering from Michigan State University and has been a featured speaker at the Foam Expo on circular sustainability and recycling. His company is also an active member of the supply partnership for the environment.