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Finding an International Shipping and Warehouse Company

June 20, 2008 By admin

Searching for an international shipping and warehouse company can be tricky. Service offerings are confusing: some international shipping and warehouse companies offer cold storage, freight forwarding, pool distribution, cross docking, co-packaging and fulfillment, and the increasingly popular multi-modal transport. That all sounds great — if you know what it means. If, like me, you’re just trying to find the right company to transport, warehouse, and distribute your products overseas, it’s a maze of complicated language I don’t have time to deal with. I just want to know how to find the international shipping and warehouse company that’s right for me!

The trick to finding the right international shipping and warehouse company is to first understand what you want the company to do for you. This will vary for each individual customer: some companies will have the infrastructure in place to pick up their shipments from the warehouse, utilizing their own distribution networks. Others, like me, aren’t quite that big yet, and can really profit from using the international shipping and warehouse company’s resources.

Cold storage is a feature you may want in an international shipping and warehouse company, particularly if you’re in the food or beverage industry. Additionally, consider the security that the international shipping and warehouse company offers: you want to know your merchandise is in good hands far from home.

Consider the local knowledge your international shipping and warehouse company has. How long have they been in the destination you’re shipping to? The longer an international shipping and warehouse company has operated, the more experience they’ll have with local custom, regulation, and hiring practices. This will all impact the way your merchandise is shipped and stored. Bear in mind that many international shipping and warehouse companies function by relying on partner networks with locally-based vendors. This gives them the advantage of local knowledge and infrastructure, resulting in a cost savings.

Call 800-400-7204 or click here for a free quote.

Filed Under: Long Distance Moves Tagged With:

Considering Wooden Shipping Crates Construction

June 14, 2008 By admin

Wooden shipping crates are everywhere. You can’t walk through a warehouse or across a loading dock without seeing one of these ubiquitous boxes, protecting and concealing everything from machinery to clothing, fine foods to industrial equipment.

Yet have you ever thought about how they’re made? If you’ve ever pondered wooden shipping crates construction, perhaps you’ve imagined a very boring workshop, where gnomes pound out box after box after box, an endless pile of pine planking and plywood panels at the ready. Not so. Wooden shipping crates construction is far more complex and involved than you ever might have imagined.

For one thing, not all crates are created equal. Wooden shipping crates construction needs to take several things into account: what will the crate be used to carry? Is it okay for the contents of the wooden shipping crate to shift during transportation or must they remain locked safely in place? The answer to that question will have a great impact on wooden shipping crates construction.

Additionally, how far will the crate have to travel? A wooden crate that’s crossing town does not have to be as sturdy or substantial as one going into a container ship crossing the Pacific. Wooden shipping crates construction involves crafting a crate that can stand up to the job at hand.

Custom wooden shipping crates construction is becoming increasingly popular. Having wooden shipping crates constructed to hold products perfectly in place, protecting them from the trials and tribulations of transport, cuts down on damage and breakage costs. Additionally, as environmental concerns are becoming increasingly more important in every sphere, wooden shipping crates construction companies are designing multi-use units that can deliver products safely without requiring a new crate every time. This is a great boon cost wise, and can also help companies that are trying to ‘green’ their corporate image. 

Call 800-400-7204 or click here for a free quote.

We are a member of Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association. NELMA is pleased to offer IPPC ISPM 15 certification inspection services to facilities that produce wood packaging materials (WPM) such as boxes, crates, skids, pallets, etc. destined for use in exporting goods to the numerous countries that have implemented the International Standard for Wood Packaging.

Filed Under: Packaging Solutions Tagged With:

Three Things Your International Freight Shipping Company Wishes You Knew

June 11, 2008 By admin

Shipping freight internationally can be complex. It’s a mystifying process: your merchandise leaves your warehouse, only to disappear for an indefinite amount of time, to somehow mysteriously reappear at its destination. There’s reams of paperwork and an alphabet soup of abbreviations to navigate. Life could be easier for all parties, however, if there was a better understanding of what was going on. Here are the top three things your international freight shipping company wishes you knew:

1. The more information you provide, the better!

An international freight shipping company cannot, under any circumstance, ‘fly blind’. They need to know a great deal of information, from an exact description of what you’re shipping, what it’s made of, and where it’s going, before they can even begin to give you a price quote. Varying regulations and transport requirements greatly affect price. The more information you give the international freight shipping company, the better they’ll be able to help you.

2. There are things beyond the international freight shipping company’s control.

Buy insurance. No matter what you’re shipping, or where it’s going, you want to insure your materials. Most international freight shipping companies offer insurance or work closely with vendors who do. Buy it. Planes crash, ships sink, and meteors crash out of the sky and smash delivery vans flat. None of these are common occurrences, but you want to be prepared.

3. Transit takes time.

The people who work at the international freight shipping company live in the same world you do, replete with instant messaging and microwave dinners. It’s a fast paced world, and we’ve all become used to instant gratification.

That being said, there are actual, physical limits to how fast international freight shipping happens. Air shipments generally require a few days. Ocean transport, however, can take longer — sometimes several weeks. Be realistic about your expectations, and you’re far more likely to be pleased with your international freight shipping company.

Call 800-400-7204 or click here for a free quote.

Filed Under: Long Distance Moves Tagged With: