As our website and business matures, we are getting more and more interest from professionals who are buying pellets in larger quantities. We are VERY happy to source pellets for your business and due to our expertise and experience, we always offer the best value for your money! We can almost always find a product which will meet your needs and save you some money. There are a few key considerations which you will want to explore as you order in larger volumes. Aside from product performance and cost, which has been discussed in previous blog posts, your major concerns will be related to shipping and handling of the bulk volumes.
One of the first considerations is how we plan to handle such a large volume of pellets? How do you want to receive them? Do you have a way of moving a 1500 lb pallet full of pellets? Can you receive 50 lb bags and move them one by one into your processing area? Do you have a fork truck or pallet jack to move the pallet from a tractor trailer truck to your storage area? Do you have the space for bags or a 4 foot square box? Is there access at your place of business for a tractor trailer? Do you have a dock door or will you require a lift gate on the truck to lower the pallet of pellets to the ground level? How will you get pellets from a 4 foot square gaylord box to your processing area? Let's discuss each of these in general, and if you have specific questions, please call us. Our phone lines are waiting and willing to help!!!
Many of our small business customers manufacture right out off their homes or garages! For this reason, they often don't have a fork truck or pallet jack to get a large 4 foot square pallet full of pellets to their homes or garages. In this case we almost always recommend 50 lb bags of pellets. In this way, we can ship the pellets in large heavy duty plastic bags similar to fertilizer bags in size and shape. These bags are stacked on a pallet about 4 feet high and stretch wrapped for stability. They can be unloaded one by one and carried to the processing area and restacked or used. You will also want to have the product delivered on a truck with a liftgate in order to lower the pallet from the truck to ground level unless you have access to a fork truck. Also, you will want to have plenty of help to move the bags when they arrive as the driver will not want to wait long for you to unload the bags from his lift gate!
Our larger and more experienced customers might have fork trucks or pallet jacks in order to transport the pellets from the trailer to their processing area. In these cases we recommend large 4 foot square and 4 foot high gaylord (5 ply corrugated) boxes on a pallet. These boxes are lined with a poly liner to keep the pellets clean and dry. They have a lid and are typically stretch wrapped or covered for extra protection and security. There is NO WAY to physically lift one of these boxes as they weigh well over 1000 lbs! You will need a pallet jack or fork truck. If you have a pallet jack only, you will need to have the pellets delivered on a truck with a lift gate to lower the pallet to the ground level. Then, you can use the pallet jack to move the box off of the jack so the driver can depart.
Don't forget to consider access to your processing area. Remember that this product will be delivered on a tractor trailer semi truck! They need to be able to get to your neighborhood or processing area!!! Sharp turns and narrow roads don't bode well. Can they get into your driveway or will they need to park on the road out front? How will you move the product to you home or processing area? In some cases we can deliver to a trucking or transportation terminal near you and you can pick up the product from there as long as you have a way of transporting the product.
As you can see, there are many considerations when moving larger volumes of plastic and poly pellets from me to you!!! We don't want any surprises or obstacles. A little planning will go a long way! Call us if you have questions. And most importantly....HAVE FUN!!!