RoofKit® membranes benefit from the cubing advantages and labor/materials savings of UCrate®
StaFast® Building Products™ found the answer to multiple shipping challenges for its roofing membrane product by switching from tubes and wooden crates to UCrate® by Laminations.
Located in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, StaFast, a Kenda Group company, specializes in supplying rolls of thick synthetic rubber roofing membrane for roofing projects. It sells smaller sheets that are marketed under the brand RoofKit® through home centers, lumberyards and hardware stores.
StaFast was using the tube method to ship the RoofKit rolls, which presented problems. “Because of friction, there was some problem with sliding the rolls into the tubes, but the big problem really was keeping the end caps secured to the tubes,” said Bob Matthews, the Breckenridge Paper Sales Representative who services the StaFast account.
“Also, if we put 10 tubes on a pallet and banded the pallet, they still had the tendency to work loose and not hold together very well. With the movement of the truck, the tubes became unstable,” said Chuck Matthews, StaFast Building Products’ Marketing Director. “In addition, you can’t stack very many high.”
Bob Matthews discussed options with Chuck Matthews, when the idea of using a square tube came up as a possible solution. They knew that Laminations had the answer and called Account Manager Suzanne von Valtier.
“This was a situation that was tailor-made for a UCrate solution,” said von Valtier. “We were able to give them a retail pack that not only addressed their shipping and handling issues but also provided the additional advantage of nestability,” she added.
StaFast began using UCrate in July and is very pleased with the results. “The UCrates stack beautifully and maximize the truckload space,” said Chuck Matthews. “It really cubes out the space well.”
UCrate also has delivered benefits in labor and material savings and in presentation. “The really big savings for us is in not having to build a wooden crate around the tubes,” said Matthews.
“There’s been quite a savings in terms of manpower and materials. Plus, the presentation is so much nicer. When the truck backs up to the customer’s dock, you’re not worried about those wooden crates having worked themselves loose during shipping.”
Once the rolls are placed in the UCrates, plugs also made from UCrate are stapled to the ends to form caps with staying power. Then the tops are also stapled in place. “There has not been a report of a single plug coming loose during shipping,” said Bob Matthews.
The customized printing of the RoofKit logo on the white UCrates presents a clean look and a superior in-store presentation. “UCrate has given us a look that retailers prefer,” Matthews said.
The problem-solving approach the team applied to the challenge represents the kind of customer service he has come to expect from Laminations and its distributors, Matthews said.
“Their commitment to help us solve a problem was evident, and they did so in a way that will yield us long-term dividends. We are very grateful for their professionalism and their positive approach.”