Shipping – Damage Free and Ready to Install

Brooke: So Brant, how do you get them there damage free?

Brant: Well, we go vertical.

Brooke: What do you mean by that?

Brant: A shutter panel is strongest when it’s standing up, so we have these special palettes that do just that. A single screw holds them in place, and then boxboard covers the rest.

Brooke: It looks expensive.

Brant: Compared to corrugated boxes, it’s not bad, and our customers save these palettes and ship them back to us.

Brooke: So is everything shipped out on these palettes?

Brant: Everything we can, but if the panels are too tall to fit inside the trailers, then we do the next best thing. We have palettes that put them on their edge. Or if the shipment’s too small, we do have corrugated boxes.

Brooke: There must be some damage there?

Brant: Yes, but it’s minimal.

Brooke: Is shutter freight expensive?

Brant: Well it’s not cheap, and we average about 5% so that’s reasonable.

Brooke: So you bill the customer whatever it is?

Brant: No, we have an unusual freeight policy. We include the proportionate cost of the freight in the price of the product using an average. The only thing that shows up on the invoice is a standard $30.00 for shipment which we call a Freight Constant.

Brooke: So you just invoice $30.00 for a shipment no matter what the size?

Brant: Regardless of the size of the shipment, it’s $30.00. Local pick-ups are an exception, or if a customer wants air freight then we add the actual cost to the invoice. But if it’s regular freight like motor freight of FedEx Ground, then it’s $30.00.

Brooke: Sounds simple! Well, Brant, as editor of Modern Woodworking, I’ve toured many great woodworking plants, but I’ve especially enjoyed a tour of O’Hair Shutters. You build a great product!