Posted on Wed, Aug 04, 2010
Pack n send builds custom crates for both commercial and residential customers. While we crate art work and sculptures, we can also crate your delicate machinery. We are posting this quick video of a very simple crate for artwork.
Since we have been in business since 1981 we can offer advice on how to prepare items to be placed inside a crate, and the best way to build a crate.
There are some very basic questions you need to ask before you contract someone to build a crate.
You need to ask if they can supply the wood for both domestic and international shipping.
Can they build reusable crates?
Do they have experience with both large and small items?.
Have they crated delicate or valuable items in the past? Be sure and ask for examples of these items.
Do they know the proper amount of padding to add inside the crate for different types of items. High value painting with glass require different preparation and padding from artistic statutes.
How do they bind the crate? Do they nail it or use screws to close the crate? Do they secure the crate with metal banding?
If you would like to use and experienced crate builder and freight shipper with over 25 years experience, contact pack n send at 713 266 1450 for your next freight or shipping job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsuPd4aVik
Posted on Thu, Jul 29, 2010
CANADA – After harsh words had been exchanged over what the Innternational Transport Workers Federation (ITF) called last week “a needless overreaction” it seems talks are to resume at the Port of Montreal which will possibly mean an end to the labor dispute which commenced in June. On the 27th of that month the dockworkers claim that employers changed the working conditions of 169 dock workers with the least seniority. The longshoremen responded by refusing to work overtime as of the 9th July.
On Sunday the 18th July the union and employers met all afternoon and planned to continue ongoing negotiations during the following week. During the next 48 hours however there was a lockout preventing access to the port and infuriating union officials. The lock out was described as “incomprehensible and pointless. News of the lockout reached them they were in the middle of a general meeting to cancel the planned application of pressure tactics. They pointed out that overtime is voluntary and no reason to be excluded from work.
Now it appears common sense has prevailed on both sides and they have agreed a protocol to return to work enabling the port to function whilst negotiations continue, with union representative Michel Murray saying that with both sides talking an agreement could be reached in the next few weeks.
Shipping through the port, Canada’s second largest behind Vancouver and capable of handling one and a quarter million TEU’s per annum, has been diverted to other ports, principally Halifax, since the dispute started and the problems are causing delays and possibly the cancellation of new contracts and investments.
Pack n send has reproduced portions of this article from Handy Shipping News as a service to our customers.
Pack n send monitors port operations throughout the world. While most of our cargo shipments go via ship to ports in Central America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, any port closure or slowdown can affect freight shipments throughout the world.
For more information on overseas shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
Our services include:
Packing and crating
Domestic and international shipping
Pick up and delivery
Small moves- both local and long distance
Packing and unpacking
Estate packing
Document shredding
Full value coverage
Choice of delivery method
Freight preparation
Container loading
Freight receiving
Turnkey eBay Service
Pack n send is located at 6214 Beverly Hill Street in Houston Texas. We are between Fountainview and Hillcroft, at the light at Greenridge.
We operate an 8400 square foot facility and are open Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 6 p.m.
Se habla Espanol.
Please call us at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
China– The North Eastern port of Dalian which had been closed to freight traffic has just reopened. Friday there was after a huge explosion and fire left the oil terminal there in flames. The explosion was caused by a pipe from the tanker caught fire. The pipe exploded and then burst an adjacent pipeline which also ignited.
There is a cleanup underway with about 800 vessels. It is reported that they hope to have the clean up completed by July 24th. At this point in time, due to heavy winds and rains, the 800 vessels have exited the area until the weather improves.
Both Chinas oil and grain markets are affected by the closure of this port.
Pack n send monitors ports throughout the world. When we ship cargo and freight, we watch water ways and ports that are affected by both closures and personnel strikes.
For information on packing, crating shipping and freighting, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450. We offer both domestic and international shipping.
Posted on Mon, Jul 19, 2010
Pack n send is posting this article form Handy Shipping News. As new ideas in freight appear on the market pack n send tracks their success. As a company that recycles we are constantly tracking ways to save on fuel and improve freight shipping.
Con-way Invests in New Trade Marked Double Stacking System
US – Fitting a system of racking within a box or tilt trailer isn’t new but, as usual, they do things big in America, and they don’t come much bigger in the full truckload market. Conway Truck load a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. This week the company announced they have initially converted 100 of its standard 53-foot truckload trailers to their DoubleStack™ system, with additional unit conversions planned for later this year, based on customer demand. The racking system allows for loading of cargoes on two separate, adjustable levels throughout the length of the trailer, accommodating shipments of different dimensions while more fully utilizing the trailer.
The advanced cargo loading and capacity management system which allows shippers to more fully and efficiently utilize space in trailers whilst a custom-designed strapping mechanisms unique to the DoubleStack system enable shipments to be securely tied down to prevent movement during transit and provide added protection against damage.
"We are continually exploring ways to bring our customers advantages that enable them to obtain the highest value for the transportation dollar," said Herb Schmidt, president, Con-way Truckload. "With DoubleStack trailers, we're maximizing the available capacity customers can use and adding better protection systems to reduce claims, while driving benefits to our operations through more effective asset utilization."
Con-way Truckload's DoubleStack trailers feature thick aluminum tracks attached to supporting vertical posts every 16 inches along the trailer walls, with adjustable bars, or cross beams, that clamp securely into each track. The metal cross beams are height-adjustable and can be set in a variety of horizontal track positions to accommodate freight pallets of different sizes, while maximizing the stability of loaded freight at any point in the trailer and ensuring optimum capacity use. The DoubleStack system is ideal for a wide variety of customer goods, including fragile products that must be segregated and traditionally cannot be double-stacked, or pallets with products of varying height dimensions and stability.
Posted on Wed, Jun 30, 2010
Is Manufacturing Coming Back to the U.S.?
Why is pack n send posting this article on our website? If it costs us more to do business with China, it will be more expensive to import Chinese goods. If the US can pick up on this, we should be able to manufacture more in the US. This should enable the US to not only to manufacture more goods, but also export more goods to other countries! This will be good for not only pack n send, but other companies that prepare freight, and ship freight to other countries.
By Jack Stack Article from New York Times
June 23, 2010
If you haven't been paying attention to the news lately, you might have missed some interesting developments: the Chinese government has started allowing the value of its currency to fluctuate, and Chinese workers have begun striking in efforts to increase their wages. Both of those developments are likely to increase the cost of manufacturing in China, and here's another newsflash: the costs of shipping containers are also going up. Fast.
Steve Crowder, the president of GuildMaster, an SRC affiliate that manufacturers and sells accent furniture, told me that the costs of overseas shipping containers have increased by 30 percent since the beginning of May - increasing from $4,000 a container to $5,200. And that doesn't fully account for the fuel surcharges that logistics and shipping companies have begun tacking on to take advantage of all the goods needed for an expected surge in demand for the upcoming holiday shopping season. The reason I point out these stories is that I'm seeing an emerging trend: the increasing cost of doing business in China.
The upside of such a trend, of course, is that more and more companies like GuildMaster are taking a second look at United States manufacturers, something that's being called "near-sourcing."
Personally, I've always seen off-shore manufacturing as a significant risk to a company's cash flow, something not enough people pay attention to. It used to be cheap and easy to borrow the money to finance off-shore manufacturing, but that's changed. Consider this example: Let's say you want to order a batch of widgets from a manufacturer in China that's charging 50 percent less than a manufacturer here in the United States. The price may be good, but you have to wire the money up front to pay for your order. Then you wait - up to 90 days while your product is produced and shipped across the ocean.
When you finally get the product to your customer - let's say it's a big-box retailer - you then have to wait up to 90 days before you get your money. Think about that. The time between when you lay out your money to your manufacturer and when you finally receive a payment from your customer can be as long as 180 days. So, you might wait up to 225 days before you get your money back. That's a long time and a serious drain on cash flow. And that's assuming everything goes well. It's also possible that your product won't sell and your big-box client will return it. If that happens, you're stuck holding more inventory and waiting to get paid for it, possibly until the following season.
But let's look at this scenario from a different angle. Suppose you choose to hire a domestic manufacturer instead of one in China. Now, rather than paying up front, you may well be able to negotiate terms where you pay your supplier 60 days after you receive your product - which amounts to a 60-day, interest-free loan. Ideally, you end up paying your supplier at just about the same time you receive your payment from your customer.
The shorter supply chain also comes into play in a big way if you run into a quality problem or a shipping delay or if you have the happy problem of needing more product to meet customer demand. Several big-box retailers will penalize you if they sell out of your product and you can't resupply them immediately - what's known as a "stockout."
When you source your product from China, and need to wait up to 90 days for each order, you have to carry extra inventory as stock-out protection - another big hit to your cash flow. When you use a domestic supplier, you can turn to FedEx or UPS to solve your problem overnight. That means you don't have to carry as much extra inventory.
With a long supply chain, an entrepreneur faces tough choices because the company's cash is tied up with suppliers and customers. With credit still tight, companies can end up struggling to cover the inevitable cash shortfalls that come from growth. Some companies resort to doing things like factoring - borrowing off their accounts receivable at interest rates that can top 20 percent - or bringing in outside investors and private equity money, decisions that cut into either net income or equity.
Then there are companies like Springfield Spring in Springfield, Mass., an open-book company founded in 1942 that makes precision-engineered springs and clips. Norman Rodrigues, the company's chief executive, says that domestic small businesses have long underestimated the true cost of manufacturing overseas, but he believes those costs are now becoming clearer.
"Six years ago, everyone was falling over themselves to get into China to save money and maximize what they called their ‘shareholder value,'" Mr. Rodrigues told me. "But, when you begin to add up the cost of freight, the aggravation of delays, the lack of quality control, and the money you need to invest relative to cash flow, you're starting to see people in the boardrooms of the big corporations reconsider that decision."
Of course, we don't have the same manufacturing base here that we used to. And, for certain products, off-shoring might still make sense. But, given the advantages that a domestic manufacturer can give its customers, like just-in-time delivery and better quality controls, maybe we'll see more opportunities for new businesses to take root in the United States in the near future.
Pack n send already makes our custom crates for shipping in our ware house. That way, each crate is specifically prepared to fit the individual order.
For freight and cargo shipping please visit our website at http://www.pack-n-send.com/. We have listed the countries that we ship to. Or, you can call us at 713 266 1450
Posted on Wed, Jun 16, 2010
Pack n send has republished this article from Handy Shipping News. We are monitor improvements in both freight and worldwide cargo shipping.
PHILIPPINES - There will be a Diplomatic Conference held in Manila between the 21st and 25th June which is set to change the way seafarers are trained and certified to improve safety standards on freight and passenger shipping in the future. The Conference will be held under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for maritime safety and security and the prevention of pollution from ships.
Technology and social requirements have changed vastly in the past fifteen years and the draft amendments to the STCW Convention and Code mark the first major revision of the two instruments since those adopted in 1995, which completely revised the original 1978 Convention and introduced the Code. It is anticipated that, once the proposed amendments have been adopted, the necessary global standards will be in place to train and certify seafarers to operate any modern, technologically advanced vessels well into the future.
Among the measures due for adoption in Manila are a number of important changes to each chapter of the Convention and Code, including:
- improved measures to prevent fraudulent practices associated with certificates of competency and strengthen the evaluation of Parties' compliance with the Convention
- updated and expanded requirements on hours of work and rest and new requirements for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as updated standards relating to medical fitness for seafarers
- incorporation of new certification requirements for able seafarers
- new requirements relating to training in modern technology such as electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS)
- new requirements for marine environment awareness training and training in leadership and teamwork
- new training and certification requirements for electro-technical officers and electro-technical ratings
- updating of competence requirements for personnel serving on board all types of tankers, including new requirements for personnel serving on liquefied gas tankers
- new requirements for security training, as well as provisions to ensure that seafarers are properly trained to cope in the event of attack by pirates
- introduction of modern training methods including distance learning and web-based learning new training guidance for personnel serving on board ships operating in polar waters
- new training guidance for personnel operating dynamic positioning systems
- new training guidance for personnel serving on board off-shore support vessels
The Conference will also consider 16 draft resolutions, relating, among other things, to the provision of accommodation for trainees aboard ships; attracting new entrants to and retaining seafarers within the maritime profession; promotion of the participation of women in the maritime industry; standards of training and certification; and ships' manning levels. The date for implementation of any changes will also be considered at the Conference.
The propositions and the location of the Conference are of course timely, this having been declared ‘Year of the Seafarer' and with some of the dramatic events we have witnessed recently at sea, not least the ongoing Deepwater Horizon tragedy, and the huge upsurge in Piracy
For more information on freight and cargo shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
www.pack-n-send.com
Posted on Tue, Jun 08, 2010
US - The use of new technology, rail computer software which analyses traffic flow information and planned schedules and then optimizing the routes that train should take has been undergoing tests on a 200 mile stretch of track in Georgia. The system, GE Rail Edge Movement Planner, was thoroughly trialed by rail giant Norfolk Southern after an approach from GE Transportation, and the results appear remarkable.
Norfolk Southern is expanding the technology's use to its entire 22-state rail network through 2012. Movement Planner will help Norfolk Southern increase the average network speed train velocity of its trains by 10-20 percent, representing a significant opportunity for cost savings and train delay reductions. The companies say that by integrating railroad logistics with traffic control systems, the technology projects expected track usage, based on train schedules, and then produces an optimized plan to get trains moving faster and more efficiently. By maximizing existing railroad resources, Rail Edge also improves railroad crew management availability.
"With railroads, it's about scale," said Wick Moorman, CEO of Norfolk Southern. "GE's Rail Edge supports incremental routing and speed improvements down to the individual train level. That will add up to sizeable efficiency gains on a 2,500-train per day, 21,000-route mile system like ours. When we make the best use of our existing transportation infrastructure, that's a competitive advantage for our customers and for the country."
Pack n send has published this article from handy shipping guide as service to our customers. Pack n send has ships cargo from Houston as well as the rest of the nation. We also ship furniture via freight and ship internationally both via cubic meters and containers.
For more information about the ways pack n send can help make your freight shipping easy, please call us at 713 266 1450.
www.pack-n-send.com
Posted on Fri, Jun 04, 2010
US - The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will conduct its annual Roadcheck event, June 8-10, at more than 1,500 locations across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world. The event mobilizes thousands of federal, state, provincial and local inspectors to conduct comprehensive North American Standard (NAS) Level I Inspections and other related roadside enforcement activities.
The CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It has representation on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and the mission of the organisation is to promote safety in the field of commercial vehicle safety.
The majority of Roadcheck safety inspections are not performed at random. Inspectors target trucks and drivers for inspection based upon the safety record or previous inspection records of the motor carrier, the driver, or upon the observation skills of the trained inspectors.
Last year, 9,683 CVSA and FMCSA certified inspectors at 2,145 locations across North America performed a record 72,255 truck and bus inspections. Of that total, there were 56,486 NAS Level I inspections, the most comprehensive roadside inspection. Road check 2009's record total of overall inspections and Level I inspections showed significant declines in vehicle and driver OOS rates, as well as a significant drop in safety belt violations. Data show the highest overall vehicle compliance rate - 80.4 percent - since 1996, and the highest overall driver compliance rate - 95.7 percent - ever. For NAS Level I inspections, the compliance rates of 77.8 percent (vehicles) and 96.1 percent (drivers) were both records for Roadcheck, and represented 7.1 and 20.4 percent improvements respectively over 2008's totals.
The event is supported by a wide spectrum of interested commercial vehicle industry parties including the American Trucking Association's (ATA), FMCSA, state enforcement agencies, and other safety organizations all of whom will kick off the event at an international press conference at Fed Ex Field in Landover, Maryland at 10am on the 8th June.
"ATA has supported CVSA's annual Roadcheck since its inception and has worked cooperatively with CVSA to determine emphasis areas," American Trucking Associations (ATA) Vice President of Safety Policy Rob Abbott said. "Roadcheck is a very beneficial program since it spotlights the importance of roadside enforcement and focuses limited state and local resources on unsafe operators. ATA looks forward to this year's Roadcheck results which we anticipate will reflect the industry's improved safety record, as they have consistently done in years past."
This article was printed in Handy Shipping Guide. Pack n send has re printed it here as a service to our customers. If you or your company need help with domestic or international shipping, crating and or freighting, please fell free to call pack ‘n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Thu, Jun 03, 2010
Pack n send is reprinting this article form the handy shipping guide. DHL is offering humanitarian aid to Guatemala.
GUATEMALA - The problems faced in Europe by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, with the resultant ash clouds disrupting air traffic, pale into insignificance when compared to the disaster unfolding this week south of Mexico. The double disaster of Pacaya, the giant active volcano which sits less than 20 miles from Guatemala City erupting, coupled with tropical storm Agatha sweeping the region has left over 100 dead, thousands homeless and the country virtually cut off from international assistance.
With the reopening of the main airport on Tuesday the DHL Disaster Response Team (DRT) for Americas were amongst the first to arrive to try to assist in alleviating some of the logistical problems associated with any such disaster. A team of 20 DRT volunteers deployed yesterday at La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City and began to set up a temporary, professional warehouse, including sorting facilities and making a full inventory of donated goods. Depending on the situation the mission is expected to last for 7-10 days initially.
Due to its international presence in over 220 countries, DHL can deploy its trained volunteers quickly to any severely affected area around the globe. Out of the 450 DHL employees in Guatemala, 32 are trained DRT volunteers, essential in a country where volcanoes cause problems regularly, most of whom usually work in different business units of DHL Guatemala. Everywhere, the DHL DRTs work on a pro-bono basis as part of the companies Corporate Responsibility Programme.
DHL can respond in this fashion partly because of the agreement they signed last year with the National Coordinator for Emergency Disaster Risk Reduction (CONRED). Once called on by the local authorities, this Memorandum of Understanding gives the DRT the option for a swift deployment as well as the immediate set up of the necessary logistics for the handling of relief goods at the airport.
In 2005, DHL entered into a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in the area of Disaster Management. DHL's global DRT network consists of three teams which are assigned to a specific geographic region covering Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and Africa. Each of these teams consists of a pool of about 80 specially trained DHL employees, who - in addition to their normal job - have volunteered to take part in the pro-bono humanitarian efforts.
The DRT can be deployed to a crisis area within 72 hours and for a period of up to three weeks. By that time, the initial wave of international charter aircraft bringing in aid supplies has normally subsided to a level that is manageable by local authorities. Up to fifteen members of the team are present at any point in time during the deployment.
Gilberto Castro, Disaster Response Team Manager for Americas, said: "Due to our global presence we have 32 DRT volunteers in Guatemala ready for an immediate deployment. In times of disaster, time is essential and we are glad to be able to provide a quick and efficient service to support the local relief efforts."
Rainer Wend, Executive Vice President Public Policy and Responsibility, says: "It is important that the worst affected areas in Guatemala will receive essential goods such as water, food and aid material as quickly as possible. I am therefore glad that we have been asked by the Guatemalan government to bring in our logistics expertise at the main airport to help manage incoming goods and so make the relief efforts run as quickly as possible."
For information on freight and cargo shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450. As more information is posted about the relief efforts in Guatemala, we will try and keep our customers updated on this situation.