Out of the Box

Welcome to Export Boxes. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you find some useful information here.

Our business was founded in 1982 by my father. A Fortune 500 company approached him with a need to ship a very large, heavy product that they were manufacturing. We built their really big crates by hand, and still build them for that company. As time passed, our manufacturing techniques and output rates improved, and we attracted more customers.

I grew up in this business with time out for two undergraduate degrees. As Dad approached retirement age, I had a choice to make: Either take over the business or it would be sold. My choice is obvious. I left my white-collar job and came back to the business full-time. That was in 2004.

Who needs our products? If you manufacture, distribute or sell something too big to ship in a cardboard box, you come to us. We build containers and boxes for things that are big. We don’t typically build just one or two, but hundreds and thousands over a year’s time. We keep you supplied and happy. We deliver our products to you; you put your products in our crates, then ship them domestically and overseas.

ISPM 15
When you ship something in a wooden container out of the country, it has to have what is called an ISPM 15 stamp. This stamp certifies that the container meets international guidelines and will not provide refuge for unwanted animals and pests that infest untreated wood products. Very similar to the provision that prohibits transporting fruit and other agricultural products from one country to another when you are on vacation. This whole process is managed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the regulation itself is called International Phytosanitary Measure 15. ISPM 15 defines what kind of wood packaging is acceptable to enter a foreign country.

We have auditors who look at the amount of certified heat-treated lumber or raw materials coming into our business and what is going out. By checking our paperwork they certify that we are using only heat-treated material in our products, which are the only ones eligible to be used in a crate or container which receives this ISPM 15 stamp.

When a product is exported, the exporting agencies and Customs are looking for this stamp on any wooden containers, pallets, etc. If a wooden shipping crate doesn’t have the ISPM 15 stamp, it is stopped and held at the border. Of course, neither you nor your customers want this. We make sure you have a crate that will get through Customs.

Our containers can also be used domestically. Some companies simply prefer to have all of their shipping containers ISPM stamped to avoid duplicate part numbers and inventory. This is where we come in. We can make sure you have the right box for your needs. We design to your specification: drawings, weights, and sizes. Normally we can produce your initial order in a matter of days and have it ready for pickup or delivery.

If you are doing something new for the first time, we will build samples and send them free of charge. Then you can test our container with your products and determine if modifications are needed.

You’ll really like that we stencil your logo and handling messages on the sides of our crates. We have attracted many customers who like seeing their company’s name on the side of the box. It seems so simple, but our competitors don’t do it.

In future articles, I will be covering details of ISPM 15 specifications and updates to this policy. As the specification is modified, you can trust Export Boxes.com to provide the latest news and updates.

Thanks for your time. Call us if we can be of any assistance. We look forward to serving you.