CRATING COMPANY


Our expert Michigan crating company has spent the past 70 years serving as the one-stop packaging division for military, aerospace, automotive and commercial manufacturers and producers. Some of the crating services we provide include custom crating, custom pallets, military packaging, automotive packaging, aerospace packaging and more.

crating company

Your business succeeds or fails not only on the quality of your products, but also on the quality of the packing and shipping containers you use to get your products safely and securely from your location to those of your customers. We work as your partner to meet all your industrial packaging needs from design and engineering to assembly and kitting to warehousing and distribution of your products with the markings and documentation required for domestic and international shipping.

Benefits of Using a Crating Company

Depending on your needs the benefits of using a crating company range from knowing that your products or items are expertly packed and secure. Items which are not securely packaged can easily be damaged in transit, whether it is being shipped simply to another state, across the country or overseas. Variables to take into consideration when packaging and crating include: temperature, moisture, dirt and dust, and shock and vibration.

Custom bracing and custom crating should be considered for maximum safety when transporting. Protecting your cargo is our number one priority to ensure that your crated merchandise arrives to it’s destination in perfect condition.

Are Crates Reusable?

Crates can be designed to be reusable. For example, if the crate is being shipped back to you at the end of the cycle, you can reuse it for subsequent shipments. Not only is this better for the environment, it can also boost your bottom line. While reusable crates typically cost more to make, they also pay for themselves after so many shipments. If a crate can’t be reused, it can still be recycled.

How Do You Pack a Crate for Shipping?

A professional crating company makes sure that your goods and products are properly secured by using proven packing practices. Eliminating excess space within the crate is crucial to prevent items from being jostled in transit. It is also important to make sure crates are packed as full as possible by using additional material to fill-in excess space within the crate. Items can also be wrapped individually for an added layer of protection.

When packing items of various sizes and weight which are to be shipped, put the heaviest items on the bottom and the lightest on the top. This prevents delicate components from being crushed.

Once the crate is completely packed, use easy-to-read labeling to ensure it’s handled accordingly. If the items within are fragile and must be handled with care, make sure the crate is labeled appropriately. You will also want to affix the packing slip and bill of lading, so the package can be easily identified.

What is Export Crating?

Many people ask “what is export crating?”. By definition, export crating entails everything you need to properly package, crate and document your products so as to meet the requirements of not only the countries to which you’re sending them, but also of the various shipping modalities – air, sea and ground – you may be using.

Each aspect requires careful consideration in the design, composition and size of your crating materials. Considerations include the following:

  • Air transport: Aircraft door sizes constrain the height and width of your shipping crates. You also need to consider length. In general, airfreight pallets are either 10′ or 20′ long. If your container is even a few inches longer than 10′, you risk being charged for two pallets.
  • Sea transport: Ship door sizes likewise constrain the height and width of your shipping crates. Maximum crate sizes generally are 7.5′ tall, 7.8′ wide and 20′-40′ long. Your packaging should also provide extensive product and moisture protection since it will endure humid conditions, longer transit times and a great deal of handling and rehandling.
  • Ground transport: Not only must your shipping crates conform to the size of the trucks and trains that will carry them, but you also need to consider the altitude at which your product will travel. Higher altitudes and abrupt altitude changes often cause condensation, so your crates must provide moisture protection as well as sturdiness.

Wood Crates

Wood crates offer the best protection for your important products and parts. Here at Export Corporation, we use CAD and Crate Pro to design and build the following types of wood packaging:

  • Commercial wood boxes and crates
  • Custom wood boxes and crates
  • Custom skids and bases
  • Kit crates
  • Military wood boxes and crates

In terms of our export wood boxes and crates, rest assured that our ISPM-15 Heat Treat Certified export compliant industrial packaging meets all international standards and requirements.

Crates vs Wooden Boxes

The terms crates and wooden boxes often get used interchangeably and can be confusing. Especially since crates are usually box shaped. A crate could generally be described as large durable box used for storage or transport which provides excellent protection to an item. A box is simply a container in which items can be stored, which often includes a lid and can be designed (depending on the material of construction) to be collapsible. If we are specifically speaking of wooden boxes (rather than cardboard or plastic) then wooden box packaging is very similar to a crate.

Most Common Types of Crates

Some options you may want to consider when crating and or having a custom wood container built include the following:

  • Hinged Top or Lidded
  • Reusable Crates
  • Mil-Spec
  • Export Crates
  • Stackable

Military Crating

export crating

Perhaps no other type of packaging and crating requires more attention to detail than that used for transporting products and parts to the military. Export Corporation’s Mil-Spec packaging complies with all of your military contract’s requirements, including the following:

  • MIL-STD-129P, MIL-STD-1186, MIL-STD-2073-ID, ASTMs
  • NAICS 321920 – Wood Container and Pallet
  • NAICS 493110 – Warehousing
  • NAICS 488991 – Packing and Crating
  • NAICS 561910 – Packaging and Labeling
  • Nelma-091155 ISPM-15 HT Wood Box Certification
  • RFID Labeling and Bar Coding
  • WAWF Documentation

In addition, we are ITAR registered, SAM registered and stand ready, willing and more than able to provide you with the package engineering and design services required for all types of military preservation.

Custom Crating

Whatever your custom crating needs, Export Corporation can meet them. In fact, our mission is to exceed your expectations with our custom wood products, including the following:

  • Wood boxes and crates
  • Wood pallets
  • Wood skids

Our professional design team works closely with you to create exactly what you need in exactly the sizes and dimensions you need it.

Kit Pack and Dunnage Crates

Kit packs contain all the necessary components of your application. By containing all components in a single kit, they are well-organized and ready to be used once they reach their destination.

Upon receipt of components, our team will get to work designing your kit crate. We use your exact specifications to ensure the finished crate is best suited to your application. If necessary, we’ll then perform assembly, before warehousing your kit in anticipation of distributing it to the next destination.

Interior protection within the kit is also important. That’s why our custom crating company offers a wide range of dunnage solutions, which ensures we can meet the needs of many diverse clients. Options include shrink wrapping, foam padding, carpeting, reusable, returnable, foam-in-place, plastic, multi-material, moisture barriers, and more.

Warehouse and Distribution

Finally, if you need a building in which to store your products and parts, we have one. But we don’t simply warehouse them, we also add value to your supply chain by providing you with inventory management, packaging operations and direct-to-dealer services.

Bottom line, our company succeeds when your company succeeds.