600 Pound Baseball Player?

The statue titled "Mighty Casey" has been on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York since 1987.  The bronze statue, inspired by the 1888 Ernest Thayer poem "Casey at the Bat", stands nearly 7 feet tall and weighs 600 pounds.  The statue was sold at auction and was time for Casey to move on to his new home in California. 

In order to ensure Casey's safety, he was picked up from the Hall of Fame in a truck with an "air-ride" suspension and returned to our shop for construction of the crate.  The large, heavy base was encased with foam for cushioning and to prevent shifting in the crate.  We then used foam lined braces throughout the crate to hold Casey in place for his 3,000 mile journey. 

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_at_the_Bat
www.baseballhall.org

Rutgers University Race Car Sponsorship

A couple of months ago, we were contacted by an engineering student of Rutgers University in need of shipping a race car they built to California for an upcoming competition.  At first glance, I didn't know what the project would entail, so we decided to meet a couple members of the Rutgers team to learn more.  The students took the time to show us their work in progress and we were quickly impressed.  There was an instant connection as my partner and I, both engineers, welcomed the discussion of compression ratios, g-forces and data acquisition.  This car had more sensors than the space shuttle!  OK, enough of the nerd talk but you certainly didn't need an engineering degree to appreciate the effort these students put into the design of this car. 

The event is being held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.  That's where we come in.  We decided to sponsor the team and donate the services.  The team, working right up to the last minute, dropped the car off at our shop for us to build the custom crates.  The crate needed to be built in a way that they can quickly unload the car upon arrival and then reload it when the race was over.  Following the completion of the race, we will then organize the pick-up of the crate for the return shipment to Rutgers.  Special considerations were factored in such as specific delivery and pick-up times at the venue, special markings on the crate, and securing the car in a way that didn't allow the suspension to bounce the entire trip out there.  Overall, this was a fun project to be involved in.  We wish the Rutgers Racing Team good luck and success in CA!

Rutgers Formula Racing Team:  www.rfr.rutgers.edu/
About the SAE Formula Competition:  http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/about.htm
See if your Alma Mater is competing: http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/fsae/teamsites/

Exporting Bugs?

Do crates and pallets need to be certified "Bug Free" before shipping internationally?  Yes, and the most common time shippers first find out about this is just before their shipment is ready to go out.

Here's how it goes.  They have their item crated and ready to go.  A call is made for the carrier to pick-up and they ask, "is the crate ISPM 15 compliant?"  The typical first response is, "huh?"

Over the past 10 years, more and more countries have adopted this standard to ensure that the wood packaging materials entering their county are free of destructive insects.  These insects can cause immense damage to crops and forests when introduced to foreign lands.   Therefore, when shipping to one of these countries (see links below) the crate must be stamped as shown in the photo.

What to do?  A crate must be obtained from vendor registered with an accredited inspection agency.  Craters & Freighters of NY/NJ is registered and our crates are stamped with the proper certification.

http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cf/ispm15.do

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_exports/wpm/wpm_faqs.shtml#1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPM_15

Fire Breathing Dragon

OK, maybe it didn't breath fire, but this wasn't your average stuffed animal.  This dragon from FAO -Schwartz had a 12' wingspan!  She stood proudly over the main entrance for years until a buyer with a good home (and high ceilings) came along. 

When it came time to send her to her new home in Florida, we got the call.  Along with the dragon went the rock formation it was mounted on, a bear, kangaroo, lion, deer and dog.

Without the rock, the dragon just wanted to slump over so we needed to prop her up with some wood framework for the trip.  Laying her down may have distorted the internal framework sacrificing the shape of the dragon.

The rock formation and bear were secured to a custom pallet and heat shrinked.  The other animals were placed around the dragon filling out the pallet.  The pallets were then shipped to one of our offices in Florida to perform the final delivery to the residence. 

Neon Trees for Belvedere Vodka

Neon signs are made with an array of vacuum tubes with designs limited only by the signmakers' imagination.  The physical properties of the glass, along with the intricate twists and turns of the design, make neon signs one of the more challenging items we are contracted to pack.
Belvedere Vodka needed to ship two custom made neon trees to various events it was hosting around the country.  Due to the nature of the item, there were very few places to support the trees in the crate.  The top surface wasn't an option as it was covered in the glass tube.  The only area we could use was the aluminum frame that the tubes were mounted on.  With minimal clearance between the frame and tubes, we had to design a unique brace that included "teeth"made of plywood.  The teeth allowed us to work around tubing, mounts and hardware while making solid contact with the frame. 
Due to the high fragility, proper cushioning was a priority.  Polyethelyne and polystyrene foams are far too rigid to cushion the glass, so a soft, gray polyurethane foam was used to isolate the trees from the crate. Finally, all braces were clearly marked to ensure proper installation and removal. 

Marble sculptures for a traveling exhibit

Sculptures are a common item for us to crate and ship but when it is part of a traveling exhibit, there are some additional things to consider.  We have plenty of experience and equipment to move items like this around, but what about each of the venues that it will be displayed at?  What are their capabilities of repacking it for its next trip? What if they loose the packing materials?  What if they pack it upside down?

These are just some of the factors that must be considered when designing the packaging.  In the case of this sculpture, we worked with the original shipper to come up with a design that would be easy to load and unload, as well as duplicate each time minimizing the chance for improper packing.  In summary, pack so that is only fits one way...The correct way.

First was the foam selection.  Polyethelene foam was used for its high durability and ease of cutting custom shapes.  It also adheres well to the wood with a hot melt adhesive.  The foam was then cut to fit the contours of the sculpture.  Knowing that lifting straps would be used at each stop, we cut channels in the foam to allow the straps to be slid underneath the sculpture without having to move it out of the foam cavity.  Next foam lined braces were located to hold it down and from moving side to side.  Finally,  screws were used to attach the walls so the crate can be disassembled while on display to minimize storage space.

Native American Sculptures

This was certainly unique.  A 14' long, 700 pound Native American sculpture and matching "feasting bowl" needed to be shipped back to the original sculptor in Washington State . 

The first challenge was picking them up.  It was a long day traveling out to the eastern tip of Long Island to pick them up from a residence.  At 700 pounds, it took some muscle, clever use of dollies and our liftgate equipped truck to safely retrieve it from the shipper.  Once it was back in our shop, we were able to utilize our forklift and straps to safely lift it and load them onto the crate bases. 

Due to the large size and high weight, a crate more commonly used for industrial applications was selected.  Polyethylene film was used to protect the surface of the sculpture while foam pads were installed throughout the interior of the crate for cushioning.  We then positioned foam lined braces inside the crate to hold the sculptures in place.

Every shipment has a unique set of requirements.  Although we have never shipped a sculpture quite like this, our experience with handling all sorts of unique items has allowed us to determine the best methods for a safe relocation.