Less is More < = >

< = > Less is More

As more and more people and things fill our living space, the more and more valuable the space becomes. No place is this more evident than in logistics, where the major players in parcel and freight distribution instituted a pay for space pricing metric called dimensional weight shipping.

Traditionally all parcel and freight moving ground in the U.S was charged by weight only,  so a small box measuring 10X10X10 that weighed 20 lbs cost the same to ship as a box that also weighed 20 lbs but measured 20X20X20 which is twice as big, but not anymore.

Shipping a 20 lb box measuring 20X20X20 today means you are going to pay for shipping 49 lbs not 20. Why? Because now you pay for shipping the dimensions of your box not the weight of your box, actually now you will pay the higher rate of the two, actual weight vs. dimensional weight, whichever is more.

   

I have covered dimensional pricing before in this blog and talked about the factor. Both FedEx and UPS use the same Dimensional weight factor to calculate this. The factor is 166 for domestic parcels and 139 for international parcels. So if our 20X20X20 box were shipping from Arizona to Ohio and weighed 20 lbs we would take our Length X Width X Height and divide it by 166. 20X20X20= 8000 then 8000/166 = 48 lbs. This same package going from AZ to London England though would be 8000/139 = 57 So going out of the U.S you would pay for shipping 57 lbs, big difference when you’re  talking about actually just shipping a 20 lb. box but now you are paying for shipping 57 lbs.

So now the biggest price differentiation in logistics is box, crate and pallet size. Long before the change to dimensional priced shipping, Gateway Crate and Freight was in the business of making custom sized boxes, crates and pallets to optimize packing and shipping costs as well as provide better protection for the contents being shipped.

That’s right! Custom packing in smaller cartons can decrease the risk of your items breaking and now it can also decrease your shipping costs. How do we do it? 

First and foremost we design all packaging to provide maximum safety to the item being shipped, secondly we use quality materials and always have the needed materials on hand at our facility to secure a snug fit.

We have found that a snug fit with proper cushioning is more secure than filling void space with peanuts or paper in a bigger box. Most people assume a bigger box provides more protection, but that’s not always the case. Empty space in a box provides even a higher risk of damage to your items due to movement and vibration to the items inside the box.

Here are boxes of fragile and non fragile items shipping to France. We need to make sure these are safely packed, and secured into the smallest amount of square space as possible.

We reduced the original shipping size by over 30% saving a lot of money on air freight.    

We classify items into 3 categories based on how fragile they are;

Not Fragile: Clothes, Books, Stuffed Animals

Fragile:  TVs, Computers, Antique Desk

Very Fragile: Glass, Mirrors, China and Tableware, Kachina Dolls

   

Custom boxes and crates designed by Gateway Crate and Freight to specifically protect the items being shipped, provides for a snug fit and enough protection for the items, even in a smaller container, saving you money in packing, and with the new costs brought on by dimensional pricing, saving you money on the cost of shipping as well.

The times of just having a box and filling the void space with newspaper, shredded paper, cardboard and peanuts is over. Nowadays filling void space is a waste of time and money. Even when the protection needed for a shipment requires a Double box, custom sizing that box could save you on shipping costs.

Shipping your items in a crate that is custom sized, allows us to properly foam, block, brace and secure your items in the crate in the smallest space possible while providing the utmost protection for your items during transport.

This 80" Flat Screen HD TV was custom crated with foam and A framed to ensure the TV would not lye down on its front or back which would make it most susceptible to breaking, A minimized A frame allowed for maximum protection in a minimized space as this TV was safely delivered from Arizona to Florida.

Let Gateway Crate and Freight show you how “Less is More” when it comes to logistics. Using less packing and shipping space is more Money in your pocket. Give us a call today 855-474-4685 or visit us at www.gatewaycrateandfreight.com for more info on how our custom box, crate and palletizing services can benefit you.