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 Mon, Aug 02, 2010
As we reported earlier on our blog, a shipping container was being used to house a subway restaurant. We have found another innovative use for shipping containers in the country of Haiti.
In Haiti, 20 foot containers are now serving as independent housing units with many going on to provide shelter for the survivors of the January earthquake. The earthquake cost the lives of around 230,000 people. We have commented previously on the innovative uses of the ubiquitous container but with one million made homeless by the disaster this means a relief effort of gargantuan proportions is required and each 20 foot container is capable of carrying steel building sets for 50 homes
There are continuing efforts to bring some sort of normality back to the island most recently by transporting the emergency housing units to homeless families. Shipped in the containers and packaged into kits, the homes are assembled in country by trained Haitians and humanitarian aid workers.
To date, there have been 68 containers shipped to Port-au-Prince. In all, the plan is to send 300 containers to relief organizations in Haiti. The temporary structures, which replace tents, measure 10 feet by 20 feet and are hurricane resistant, fire resistant and earthquake resistant and are the ideal structure for harsh environments and are being delivered to various aid organizations in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, including CHF International and the Lutheran World Federation.
Logistics teams worked closely to ensure that fifty of the structures were loaded into each 20-foot container at a new 70,000-square-foot warehouse near the Jacksonville Port Authority's Dames Point Marine.
The housing of displaced Haiti residents is still one of the toughest logistical challenges faced by many aid organizations according to individuals working in Haiti. While the recovery in Haiti is expected to be slow, this is a great help in the restoration of normalcy in Haiti.
Parts of this article have been taken from Handy Shipping News.
Pack n send prepares freight for shipping and ships cargo worldwide.
For more information on freight shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
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 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 Thu, Jul 08, 2010
US – Regular readers will know that we are always pleased to publish stories about the new generation of environmentally sound freight delivery vehicles (just type Electric into the News Search box as evidence) but today sees a special honor for one of the foremost companies in the field who are producing practical commercial vehicles every day.
President Barack Obama is making a special trip to visit the Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation (Smith US) facility in Kansas City, Missouri today where he will discuss the economy with the plant’s 50 workers. Smith US is the only company the President is visiting that day.
Smith US, which is America’s first manufacturer of new technology, all-electric trucks, recently received $22m in grants from the Obama administration. The funding, which follows an initial $10m government grant, is helping Smith US to build more than 500 of its market-leading ‘Smith Newton’ electric trucks. Designed for urban operations, the Newton has a top speed of 50mph, a range of up to 100 miles on a full battery charge and payload capabilities of up to 16,000lbs (7,500kg).
Smith US is an associate company of Smith Electric Vehicles UK (Smith UK), which was founded in 1920 and is the longest established electric vehicle manufacturer in the world. Based in Tyne & Wear, the company produces the world’s largest range of electric commercial vehicles (vans and trucks), in the Smith Edison van and minibus (electric Ford Transit) and the Smith Newton truck. Hundreds of these electric vehicles are now in service in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Hong Kong and Southern China.
Bryan Hansel CEO of Smith US, said:
“This is a very proud day for everyone at Smith Electric Vehicles. The Government has been extremely supportive of Smith US since we started work in Kansas City last year. This help is enabling us to quickly grow and develop our business, attracting new customers and already creating a significant number of jobs.
“Electric trucks represent a fantastic opportunity for America to create green collar jobs, cut carbon emissions from the most polluting vehicles on our highways and reduce reliance on foreign oil.”
The President will witness first hand the range of Smith’s electric commercial vehicles including the development of their latest project a purely electric version of the iconic London black taxi. Smiths US only began production in October last year and have already supplied vehicles to numerous blue chip companies
Pack n send has reproduced this article originally published in the Handy Shipping Guide.
Pack n send has recycles peanuts and boxes in an effort to help the environment.
For information on international and domestic shipping and moving, please call pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Wed, Jul 07, 2010
While the cargo shipping is beginning to pick up in the United States and exports have increased during the last quarter, Subway has come up with an ingenious use for cargo containers.
The New York Times recognized this ingenuity, and pack n send is posting parts of their article to our website. Our hats are off to Subway for pushing the American Dream to new heights.
Most of the patrons are drawn from an elite group of high-beam artists, namely ironworkers laboring hundreds of feet above the street. The dress code is severe: hard hat, overalls, safety vest and glasses. Security clearance and a union card are a must.
The restaurant, a Subway franchise, opened its door at the top of the steel honeycomb that forms 1 World Trade Center, the skyscraper rising at ground zero. The building will be the city’s tallest when finished in 2013, and the sandwich shop, currently sitting on the 27th floor, will rise along with it.
The sandwich shop is one of four movable “pods” on hydraulic legs sitting on either side of two tower cranes; the other pods house offices, a shanty where workers can change clothes, and bathrooms for men and women.
But despite advances in engineering, materials and safety, when it comes to lunch, ironworkers and other laborers are used to eating the way their literal and proverbial forebears did during the skyscraper boom of the 20th century: out of a lunch bucket, with a plastic cooler doing the job of the old metal pail.
The array of pods cost $3 million, but the contractor hopes to recoup some of the expense in saved time. “The days of eating on top of a steel beam are long gone,” said Bill Grutta, a DCM vice president.
Each pod is made of nine cargo containers welded together and stacked three levels tall. In the dining pod, the Subway sits on the top level.
It is no different from any other Subway, with a kitchen, a walk-in freezer, a service counter and refrigerators for drinks. One level down, there is a heated and air-conditioned lounge with tables and chairs. A compost tank and an evaporator in the bottom container take care of all the solid and liquid waste.
The menu, for now, is instantly recognizable to any connoisseur of the chain. But Mr. Schragger may add ready-to-heat lasagna, burgers, hot dogs and pretzels to the usual $5 footlongs to infuse the shop with a sense of variety. There is also talk of adding Papa John’s pizza. After all, he must cater to the whims of his clientele.
“I don’t think the veggies will be a big seller,” said Mr. Schragger, who owns four other Subways in Manhattan. “I imagine most of the guys will want protein. Philly Cheesesteaks and the Feast.”
The shop is open to ironworkers, who work at the top of the building as it goes up, as well as laborers, concrete workers, electricians and others on the lower floors; at any time more than 1,000 people can be on the job site. But they are not required to eat at the Subway. Business was a little slow Wednesday for what Mr. Schragger called a “soft opening,” but he and DCM are hoping the shop will catch on.
But it is probably the only one whose 500-gallon water tank is replenished weekly by an even larger tanker lifted by a crane. DCM expects — or hopes — that the compost container will not have to be opened until the building is finished. The waterless toilets and urinals are cleaned by negative pressure that pulls the waste into an evaporator that turns much of the sewage into steam.
“As the building goes up,” he said, “the views will be pretty nice. I’m sure it will be one of the most talked-about sites to come have lunch.”
For more mundane uses of cargo containers, please contact pack n send for both cargo shipping and freight preparation at 713 266 1450.
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 Tue, Jun 29, 2010
Most Common Offence Committed by Drivers of Small Commercial Vehicles
UK -This week the Freight Transport Authority (FTA) offered a timely reminder to the owners and operators of vans about the problems and dangers of overloading cargo or equipment into small commercials. The FTA has published a best practice guide for transport managers on the safe securing of loads in vans. The intention is to provide realistic and practical advice, clarifying compliance standards for operators and helping them to improve their drivers' safety.
Worryingly, yet unsurprisingly to many industry insiders, the LGV overloading prohibition rate found by traffic enforcers increased from 55.1 per cent in 2007 to 66.9 per cent in 2009 (VOSA) making it by far the most common offence found among light goods vehicles (LGVs). Often drivers are unaware of the actual carrying capacity of their vehicles and equally many shippers fail to provide accurate weights for consignments they consider too small to warrant proper attention.
Additionally, many drivers are unaware that correctly distributed axle weights, even on small vehicles can be crucial to ensure the safety of their vehicles, and problems like this led the FTA to commission the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to conduct a research project - jointly-funded by members of FTA's Utilities Working Group - which, unlike previous research, accounted for the typical forces experienced by an LGV and its load in a collision. While the Department for Transport's (DfT) code of practice on load retention only accounts for deceleration forces of 1G, as found in normal driving conditions, a serious collision can generate more than 20 times this force. FTA used TRL's unparalleled experience of analyzing road traffic accidents within the UK to identify the real risks of unsecured loads in everyday situations.
James Hookham, FTA's Policy Director, said:
"With many of its members running vans as well as trucks, FTA recognizes the strong need for consistent and clear guidance regarding the safe securing of loads, especially in the face of more onerous operator liability.
"We wanted to fill the void in guidance with meaningful advice based on realistic data to not only improve the safety of drivers and passengers in commercial vehicles, but also remove any legal ambiguities, so that operators know exactly where they stand.
This article has been partially reprinted from the Handy Shipping Guide.
Pack n send prepares freight, and ships freight both domestically and internationally. For more information about our cargo shipping and freight shipping services, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jun 22, 2010
If you would like to save money, why not let pack n send move your furniture via freight? We load your furniture onto a pallet ship it via freight, and deliver it to your door step. For one item or more than one item, this is a great option.
There are no dollar amount minimums, or pound minimums.
Whether is an estate that your are dismantling, a student going off to college or a relocation, this is an inexpensive way to move furniture and household items. New job? We can help you're your move easy. We will set up the delivery with you the day before, so that we make sure you are on hand to see your furniture unloaded.
Corporations find furniture freighting as a very cost effective way to ship. Documents, office files as well as furniture are a natural for freighting. We also offer overnight shipping of computers so that your office is up and running in a very short time period.
If your furniture is large, small oddly shaped or very heavy, we can pack and ship it professionally so that it arrives in great shape!
We have been packing and shipping since 1981, so please call us with any of your questions. Our staff answers each phone call personally. No answering machines to deal with. You can also email in your request for a quote. We can ship your items either domestically, or internationally. We even prepare all the international documentation.
If you need a high value item crated for your freight move, pack n send is the company to call.
Our phone number is 713 266 1450, and email address is sales@pack-n-send.com
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