game-changing, eco-friendly
shipping crateS
SHIPPING CRATES THAT
set a new standard for cost, durability, and useability.
The multi-billion-dollar shipping crate industry has been using the same disposable wooden crates for centuries.
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Wood crates are incredibly inefficient, both economically and operationally, costing the industry billions in unnecessary opex and insurance claims annually.
melior’s crates offer game-changing economic and operational
BENEFITS FOR THE LCL INDUSTRY
60%
capex reduction + financeable
REDUCED
insurance losses and premiums
REDUCED
repair & maintenance costs
80%
transport and storage cost savings
REDUCED
admin costs & customer service costs
INCREASED
end-customer satisfaction
the
PROBLEM WITH WOOD CRATES
The shipping industry relies almost entirely on wooden crates to move volumes of goods less than 1,200 cubic feet. These crates come in dozens of sizes and need to be replaced annually. The resulting economic, environmental and operational costs are extraordinary.
01. SHORT LIFE-SPAN:
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Recurring opex, not Capex (non-financeable)
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High recurring costs to repair and replace
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High frequency of damage and insurance claims
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3 Moves on average
02. NOT CONNECTED:
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No tracking leads to frequent losses and high administrative costs to locate units
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Customer dissatisfaction / increased customer service costs
03. INFERIOR MATERIAL:
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Wood lacks strength of modern alternatives
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Leads to short lifespan and frequent damage
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Creates workplace safety issues
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Not waterproof; prone to mold growth
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Virgin materials contribute to deforestation and other environmental impacts
04. NO DISASSEMBLY:
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Highly inefficient to ship and store empty
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Difficult to repair
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Wooden crates cannot be disassembled
a revolutionary
SOLUTION
MELIOR shipping crates are a revolutionary container system that solves all the major operational pain points of TSPs (transportation service providers) while also providing massive economic benefits.
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Our crates feature a patent-pending modular design made from 100% recycled polyethylene. The result is a super-strong, flat-packable, trackable, eco-friendly crate system that solves all the problems posed by current wooden crates.
cost-effective
way to meet corporate ESG targets.
62% less cost per use cycle
on M1 Lift Van units versus wooden crates.
83% transport savings
on empty flat packed M1 Lift Van unit.
reduce
insurance premiums and deductibles.
longer life
means crate purchase can be financed. This is not possible with wood crates.
reduce
customer service cost with GPS tracking.
eliminate
storage vault costs.
SUSTAINABILITY
The shipping industry is one of the world’s largest consumers of energy and largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Companies are now under significant pressure from regulators and shareholders to take concrete steps towards sustainability. MELIOR’s 100% recycled polyethylene (PE) products provide a quick, easy, and profitable way to meet corporate sustainability goals.
reduced
ENERGY, WATER AND EMISSIONS
Recycled PE products require 88% less energy and 59% less water to make than virgin PE.(Source: Association of Plastic Recyclers. Based on “cut-off” recycling methodology.)
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71% less greenhouse gas emissions and 47% less acidification emissions are emitted in the production of recycled PE products compared to virgin ones.
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PE can be recycled indefinitely. MELIOR will establish a program to incentivize customers to return their crates for recycling.
avoided
DEFORESTATION & WASTE
The average wood lift van weights 300 lbs. and must be replaced within one year of service. With 300,000 lift vans in circulation in the U.S., that’s 90 million pounds of virgin wood saved annually, and 90 million less pounds being sent to the landfill or incinerator! And lift vans only account for a portion of the total wood crate market.
esg
GOALS
MELIOR crates enable companies to take immediate, verifiable and meaningful action towards meeting sustainability goals.
TITAN m1 LIFT VAN
our flagship product
TITAN M1
Our flagship product is the TITAN M1, a lift van designed to meet the needs of the massive HHG (household goods) transport sector. There are currently 250-300,000 lift vans in circulation in the U.S.
The M1 is designed to replace them all!
LONG LIFE
8X MORE CYCLES
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25+ average expected cycle life*.
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Average cycle cost of $64 vs $167 for wood LVs**.
ECO-FRIENDLY
100% RECYCLED HDPE
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71% reduction in emissions during manufacturing.
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Avoided deforestation caused by wood LVs.
CERTIFIED
ASTM CERTIFICATION
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Meets all domestic and international requirements.
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Polyethylene eliminates need for wood treatment.
TRACKABLE
ON-DEMAND GPS
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Reduced lost crates and insurance claims/premiums.
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Improved customer satisfaction.
STACKABLE
SUBSTITUTE FOR VAULTS
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Avoid cost of purchasing vaults: $600-$750 per unit.
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​Avoid cost of loading vaults: $800 per load/unload cycle
H20 RESISTANT
REDUCED LOSSES
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Reduced damages and insurance claims/premiums.
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Improved customer satisfaction.
FLAT PACKABLE
6X MORE PER TRUCK
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83% less cost to transport empty containers.
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78% less cost to store empty crates.
MODULAR
EASY ASSEMBLY & REPAIR
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Easily assembled.
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Spare parts can be quickly swapped in.
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Readily available hardware.
HIGH CAPACITY
25% MORE WEIGHT
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1,600+ lb. capacity.
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Increase packing density and reduce no. units required.
CORE
CUSTOMERS
Our initial customers are over 800 TSPs serving the US Government (DOD and DOS). These TSPs make over 400k domestic moves per year, of which 30% are in lift vans. An additional 150k overseas moves are made, all using lift vans or other wooden crates. In total, 250-300k lift vans are in circulation for this purpose. The largest TSPs currently control a significant portion of the market and we already work with all of them!
future
CUSTOMERS
After launching the TITAN in the Government sector, MELIOR will expand its product range into other crate form factors. We will then target the remainder of the HHG (household goods) transport market as well as new sectors such as: