9- You’re gonna need a bigger boat! Zinc top transportation logistics.

Domestic manufacturers have not adopted standards on length for their products.  Because they have reduced the number of seams in tops, products have gotten longer and heavier, which translates to more hassle and cost for customers.

Longer products create a number of issues for manufacturers, but more importantly for you as you, the customer attempt to receive, move, and install on site.

Any product over 8’ in length that is created with a wooden core will have at least 2 internal plywood seams, because plywood comes in 8’ lengths, and products over 16’ in length will have 6 or more internal seams!  These seams create stress inside the metal and can damage the product if not transported completely flat and without deflection; this can be tricky.

Sometimes, steel strong backs are mounted under the tops, which further increases weight and makes the task more difficult.

As an example, a standard 2’ wide bar section with a 4” edge 16’ long can weigh over 750  pounds!  This doesn’t include the weight of the crate. That means that 4 crew spaced 4’ apart on EACH side must (drawing of 8 crew carrying top) support almost 100 pounds while transporting the top, all the while keeping it level, making sure they don’t sweat or mark the top with their hands, and taking care not to rip the fasteners from the strong backs that are attached to the bottom of the piece.

These crates can be enormous.  I have seen crates five feet tall and some as long as 18’ with widths just wide enough to fit inside a normal container or trailer.

How do you remove these crates to handle on site?  Many leave that up to you, as shipping is standard curbside only.  I have seen some crazy things, with recommendations that you rent two forklifts to assist with getting crates off trucks.  Sometimes, manufacturer’s recommend that you supply a team of up to 20 workers to lift the crate and the contents in one load off the truck.  This creates major liability issues for shippers, who usually disallow this activity, and it can disrupt your site in a major way.

What’s worse, what do you do with it once it comes off the truck?  Often, logistics have to be coordinated down to the minute to remove the load and move the tops to the site with adequate manpower.  What’s left is hours of breaking down this well-built crate, as I have been on both ends of this process.  Nothing is more tedious than having to repurpose or toss a crate that will fill half a 20-yard dumpster.

Oftentimes the trucks that pick these crates from the manufacturer must make a transfer at a distribution center, which results in even more handling and a greater possibility of damage.

While it is understandable that manufacturers increase product length while they attempt to reduce seam count, it creates greater problems elsewhere.  As you are engaged in the process of design, be sure you understand how these products will make it to your site for installation.  Because once you are in possession of the tops, manufacturers are not going to take responsibility for errors in foresight on your part.

Crating and transportation of this product is a major issue facing the industry.