Somewhere in your business design is a chapter on how to ship your product. You've already identified that your product is either too heavy, too large, or too fragile to rely on the trusty old cardboard box. The concern is now, how to select quality wood crates for Animal?
Choosing which crate to utilize to ship your product to your customers so that it shows up intact is an essential decision not to be left to the treasurer in the back space. There are many wood shipping crate providers out there vying for your company. Here are a few suggestions to help you through the process of how to pick quality wood boxes from a maker to match your shipping requires:
This may sound like a box company near me that specializes in creating wooden boxes, but what do you understand about them? For how long have they remained in the crate business?
Can he deal with the volume of crates you need on a weekly basis, or does he order from another supplier and re-sell to you? Do your homework and make a few calls prior to choosing on a crate maker, and don't sign a volume buying contract before you see a sample of their work.
If you buy boxes in volume, will you have enough area in your storage facility to keep them all? Stacking them outside up until required in some areas of the nation is simply not an option. 'Assembly Required' might seem like extra labor on your part, however boxes that show up broken down and prepared to put together will use up less room in your storage facility. Likewise, it will provide your shipping department something to do throughout down-time. If your item is reasonably little, and you do have the storage capacity, then stocking a supply of ready-to-use boxes can be a viable choice for you.
Take a look at the materials used in the wood crate you are thinking about. Is the wood devoid of knots and imperfections? Are the sides loose, or strongly attached to the corners and braces? Did the builder use thin metal staples to tack the parts together? Steel screws, bolts and ring-shank nails mark a quality wood box that will not chill out throughout the rigors of delivery. Kiln dried, and ideally chemically dealt with or painted wood, are chosen over inferior grades of neglected lumber sheathing and framing. Quality wood boxes that have steel enhanced corners and a durable lower assembly can be reused over and over once again. Think about charging a deposit on your shipping crates, it may conserve you from needing to buy new shipping stock in the future.
Look for a supplier that gets their products from local, sustainable sources. Crate suppliers that do not need to import their products may have lower overhead, and pass their cost savings down to their clients. Marketing that your shipping crates are made in the U.S.A. can be the choosing element in whether a buyer selects your items. You might request for a sample to be delivered to your office, or schedule a factory tour to see for yourself if the box maker takes pride in their product, and produces a quality wood box.
The International Standards For Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 needs that all shipping crates that are used to transfer products overseas be treated versus bugs and illness. If you intend on worldwide sales, make sure your boxes meet these requirements. The very same obtains MIL-STD product packaging and shipping boxes. If your item needs additional defense, and the price point/profit margin enables, you can't do better than MIL-STD basic wood crates to guarantee safe shipment of your item to your consumers. If you just plan on shipping within your own country, conserve the money invested on crates that meet these requirements.
Before going on a buying spree, or speaking with possible wooden crate suppliers, you should educate yourself on the terminology of wooden crates. That method, when the salesperson from Kevin's Crates talks about an unsupported span, a batten cleat or the lower assembly, it won't sound Greek to you. If you don't comprehend just what you are ordering, the quality of the wooden crate doesn't matter if it doesn't fit your requirements. Contact EWC with any questions you might have because we intend to be an excellent source of quality wood crates.
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