For manufacturing companies who operate in a closed-loop system it pays to reuse wooden crates. Companies like Valley Box Company offer refurbishing programs that can help businesses repair, refurbish or recondition used crates into brand new reusable crates for half the cost of replacement. When it comes to wooden crates, the wood the hardware and even the fasteners hold value. This helps manufacturer's recoup their initial investment and also to become an environmental steward.
Valley Box Company can combine a refurbishment program with a recycling program to reuse wooden crates. The used crates are picked up, inspected, unusable materials removed, rebuilt to specification, then reintroduced to inventory. Unusable materials are recycled through a wood and steel recycling program and only the contaminated items go to the landfill such as painted items, foams, and rubbers.
Opting for a refurbishing program will positively effect a manufacturer's bottom line because it will always end up costing less than it would to dispose of, replace, or repair in-house. In fact, Valley Box Company practices The 50% Rule: Decide to repair if the costs are less than 50% of a brand new crate.
Opting for a refurbishing program will also positively effect a manufacturer's environmental stewardship. When they decide to repair or refurbish wooden crates they end up playing a central role in helping decrease the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. Materials sourced to create the initial wood crate avoid the landfill as well as any materials that would have been required to build a new crate, which would have eventually found its way to a landfill.
