Millions of pallets are shipped across the planet every day. They are one of the most effective, secure and efficient means by which to transport goods. Pallets are flat wooden structures into which companies place their goods. They can be stacked and moved with relative ease and, as a result, are often used in warehouses. They make the storage and movement of individual items more efficient and less labour intensive. Pallets can be lifted into their position on the warehouse racking using a forklift.
What is pallet shipping?
Whether you’re transporting goods around the country, within Europe or beyond, pallets are invaluable. They offer companies a range of benefits. Firstly, they’re strong and can carry most items with very little problem. They’re cheap to manufacture and purchase, and easy to fix if one of the constituent boards breaks. They are also incredibly versatile, which is one reason why pallet shipping has become the most common form of distribution in the world.
Pallet shipping is the process of moving goods from one place to another on a pallet. Most pallets are designed to hold a maximum weight of around 1000kg. The cost of sending pallets to the end user individually would prove extortionate. Therefore, most companies will make use of a specialised pallet distribution network in order to ship their goods. These will group your pallets and reduce your shipping costs considerably.
Usually, pallet transport companies will provide their clients with warehousing services. This means that it’s possible to store goods at a single location, and then have them distributed by the pallet company from there.
How professional freight forwarders can speed up the process
Shipping pallets internationally works on a similar basis to shipping them within the UK. The difference is the extra costs and logistical demands of transporting pallets across international borders. A freight forwarder takes the headache out of the process for the company who are sending the goods. They act as an intermediary between the importer or exporter and the shipping company or whatever means of transport is being used to move the goods. Freight forwarders will have access to contacts all around the world.
Rather than having to deal with a raft of different businesses and organisations, the business who is sending goods only needs to deal with the freight forwarding company. The freight forwarding company will have vast experience and knowledge to draw on. They will have encountered problems and hold-ups in the past and will know how to deal with any issues that arise.
They will also deal with a wide variety of tasks including time-consuming and bureaucratic jobs such as customs clearance and documentation. Making errors on forms can lead to costly delays and a freight forwarding company will ensure that your paperwork is completed correctly.
It’s no exaggeration to say that freight forwarding companies are the backbone of international shipping. They bring companies and services together, act as necessary intermediaries and get the goods where they’re needed in a timely manner. Without them, international shipping would be inherently more costly and slower.
Why you should use a freight forwarding company for your international pallet shipping
A freight forwarding company will save you considerable amounts of time, allowing you to concentrate on finding new business opportunities and activities that increase your cash flow. Despite initial upfront costs they will ultimately also save you money, while cutting down on complex paperwork. They will go directly to the shipping and haulage companies they know can be relied upon, both nationally and internationally.
They will also be skilled negotiators and part of their job is to secure the best possible price and most efficient service for their clients. Few business owners are experts in shipping cargo so it makes sense to tap into the skills and knowledge of those that are. They are a source of knowledge and advice as well as a skilled representative for your company when it comes to securing the most competitive deal for shipping your goods.
As recently happened with Brexit, international shipping is a continually evolving regulatory environment. For the average business owner it’s neither practical nor cost-effective to devote too much time to monitoring these changes. This is particularly the case with overseas regulatory regimes which you may not be familiar with, nor sure where to find the necessary information. It’s the job of the freight forwarding company to keep abreast of regulatory changes and if they don’t immediately have all the information to hand, they will find it out for their clients.
In short, freight forwarding companies offer a diverse range of services to their clients all of which would be time-consuming, complicated and potentially costly if taken care of purely in-house.
SSO Logistics can take care of your international pallet shipping
At SSO Logistics, we are experienced when it comes to international pallet shipping. Our world-class freight forwarding services can take care of the whole process leaving you free to concentrate on your core business. While import and export offers businesses an incredible range of opportunities it can seem daunting, particularly if it’s your first time dealing with international markets. We work to ensure that the process needn’t be off-putting or overly complicated. Our services are geared towards helping companies achieve their goals and overcome any barriers that might previously have made them hesitant about international trade.
We undertake every aspect of freight forwarding including import, export, customs clearance, transport, warehousing and storage. We also have the capacity to handle every type of cargo from small items up to large items such as vehicles, heavy cargo, gauge equipment, time sensitive and fragile materials.
Call 01744 416 999 or email enquiries@ssologistics.co.uk to find out more about our comprehensive international freight forwarding services.
