Relaxing in a hot tub is becoming increasingly popular with Canadian homeowners. According to a report by Business Wire, the Canadian hot tub market is growing and is expected to reach USD 84 million by 2025.

As a retailer, shipping hot tubs to customers can present a number of challenges, some of which we’ll discuss here and offer some solutions as well.

Hot Tubs are large and heavy

Let’s face it: these are bulky, oversized and overweight items that require specialized handling and transportation. A typical 4-6 person hot tub might weigh 500-1,000 lbs., and larger models can weigh up to 1,500 lbs.

Hot tubs also take up a lot of inventory space in your facility or warehouse, and staff need to be properly trained to avoid injuries.

Pro Tip: consider a reliable transportation partner that specializes in large and bulky items, and that has warehouse space to accommodate your inventory.

Damages and Injuries = loss of revenue & decreased customer satisfaction

Incorrect handling by improperly trained staff may lead to the hot tubs being damaged in the warehouse, when loading on the delivery truck, in transit to the client, or during unloading at the customer site.

Your staff may also be injured in the process and be out of commission for an undefined period of time, affecting both their health and your business operations; and it may also impact both your sales and your bottom line.

Damages also greatly affect customer satisfaction and may introduce unacceptable order delivery delays from the customer’s point of view.

Pro Tip: Find a transportation company with trained staff experienced in handling fragile items for you.

Shipping Costs & Logistics

As mentioned above, hot tubs can weigh up to 1,500 lbs and require a delivery vehicle that is sized appropriately. Maybe your regular local transportation company can’t accommodate your shipments or maybe they can only handle one at a time, increasing your shipping costs and adding delays to deliveries. You can’t afford to waste your time calling around to find a suitable delivery company for different shipments.

Pro Tip: Rely on a transportation partner that can easily accommodate all of your shipments regardless of their size or weight, and that can manage your inventory for you.

Don’t be in Hot Water When Delivering Hot Tubs

It’s clear by now that delivering hot tubs to customers is no easy feat due to their size and weight, the potential for damages and injuries during handling and delivery, and due to logistics and cost challenges.

The key to overcoming these challenges is selecting a reliable transportation company that specializes in oversized or overweight items, that has trained & experienced staff, and that can manage your inventory for you. All of this will make a significant of difference in your business, your profitability and your customer satisfaction levels.

High Energy Transport Inc. Is Your Reliable Transportation Partner

We have a ton of experience handling non-conveyables such as BBQs, wood and lumber, bikes, and delivering them to customers across the country.

We have warehouses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in Cornwall, and are able to handle shipments to and from the Port of Montreal for our clients.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

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In the summer, there’s nothing better than spending time outdoors with friends and family, and of course that means it’s BBQ season! According to Statista, the Canadian BBQ market is projected to grow to $610 million by 2024.

BBQ retailers face a number of challenges when shipping BBQ grills to their customers, considering the overall size and weight of the boxes and the possibility of damage during transit. But there are also solutions to explore…

BBQs are big and bulky

Some of the grills are quite large and heavy, and the boxes can be cumbersome to handle – not to mention expensive to ship. For example,

some large outdoor kitchen islands may need to be stacked on a pallet in order to keep all the pieces together. High shipping costs may deter some customers from buying from you.

Pro Tip: Partner with experienced transportation company that specialize in non-conveyables like BBQ grills.

 Damage During Delivery

Although the BBQ grills are neatly packaged, damage to the boxes and possibly to the BBQ components may occur during handling, transportation and delivery. This leads to customer complaints and costly returns for your business.

Pro Tip: Find a transportation company with experience in handling fragile items.

Delivery and On-Site Assembly

Assembling a BBQ at a customer’s home can be challenging, especially in terms of coordinating the delivery and the arrival of the technician. Sure, the technician could bring the BBQ with him to every home, but that means a lot of running back and forth to the store to get the next unit. This wastes both time and money. One solution is to preassemble the grill in your store, but that lends itself to more damage during shipping as the grill is no longer in its original box and must be packaged differently for transit.

Pro Tip: Rely on a transportation partner that can warehouse your items and drop ship them at the right time at the customer’s location.

Seasonality and Inventory Management

The demand for BBQ grills is quite seasonal, with surges in Spring and Summer and quieter times during Fall and Winter. Retailers must plan and time their inventory purchases in line with customer demand. Order too much too soon and you have inventory and space management issues; order too little too late and you have dissatisfied customers and a revenue shortfall.

Pro Tip: Pick a transportation partner that can manage your inventory for you; freeing up space in your store and reducing inventory management problems.

Avoid Headaches With Delivering BBQs

As we’ve discussed, delivering BBQs grill orders to your customers can be quite challenging due to their large and bulky nature, potential damage during delivery and inventory management issues.

Choosing a reliable transportation company that can hold and manage your inventory; that specializes in oversized or overweight items, and that can drop ship to your customer’s location on time, can make a world of difference in your business, your profitability and your customer satisfaction levels.

High Energy Transport Inc. Is Your Reliable Transportation Partner

We have a ton of experience handling non-conveyables such as gym equipment, bikes, outdoor furniture, mattresses, sheds and large screen TVs and delivering them to customers across the country.

We have warehouses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in Cornwall, and are able to handle shipments to and from the Port of Montreal for our clients.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

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Summer is almost here, and that means homeowners wanting to build a new deck in their backyards. Hardware stores that offer delivery services face many unique challenges when it comes to transporting wood and lumber to their customers.

While offering this service can be a great way to boost sales and increase customer satisfaction, it requires careful planning and execution to ensure that the delivery process runs smoothly. In this blog, we will explore some of the challenges that hardware stores may encounter and offer solutions to overcome them.

Wooden Deck Market Size

The wooden deck industry in Canada is estimated at around $250-$300M for 2022, and is forecasted to grow at 2.8% through 2020-2027, according to the firm Market Research Future.

Challenge #1: Damage

One of the biggest challenges when delivering wood and lumber is ensuring that the products are not damaged during transportation. Lumber and wood are heavy and bulky items that require careful handling to prevent breakage or splitting. Even minor damage to the wood can compromise its structural integrity, either rendering it unsuitable for use in construction or unappealing to look at for the customer.

To mitigate this risk, hardware stores must ensure that the wood is properly secured and protected during transportation. This may involve using specialized equipment, such as straps or clamps, to keep the wood in place and prevent it from shifting during transit.

Hint: using a reliable transportation company like High Energy Transport Inc. is a great way to minimize damage risks.

Challenge #2:  Narrow Streets

The streets in many cities are narrow with a constant rush of traffic; there may be cars parked on both sides of the street, or you may need to deliver through tight alleyways where typical delivery trucks don’t quite fit.

If the trucks can’t fit, you can’t deliver, you have to find alternate methods of delivery, and the customer is now very upset. Do you invest in a fleet of smaller vehicles? Or do you try and rely on local couriers that have no real experience with wood or lumber?

Hint: High Energy Transport Inc. has a fleet of delivery trucks of different sizes to best accommodate your shipments, and has the expertise with large and heavy items like lumber and wood.

Challenge #3: Weather

Weather conditions can pose a significant challenge when delivering wood and lumber. Rain, snow, hail and extreme temperatures can all damage wood and compromise its quality or appearance. Bad weather also makes it difficult for delivery trucks to travel safely, further delaying the delivery process and upsetting customers.

Hint: The drivers at High Energy Transport Inc. all have many years of experience driving and delivering in all sorts of weather conditions, and can safely delivery your orders to your customers for you.

Challenge #4: Multiple Trips

As a hardware store, if you choose to deliver your customers’ wood and lumber orders yourself, you have to make multiple trips between your store and your clients to fill all of their orders. That’s a lot of trips back and forth; it takes more time and effort, decreases customer satisfaction and increases your overall delivery costs.

Hint: High Energy Transport Inc. has a centrally-located warehouse in the GTA and can not only pickup many orders at once, but we can actually manage your inventory for you and deliver the orders to your customers on your behalf. Save time, effort and costs while increasing customer satisfaction: it’s a win-win for your business!

Delivering wood and lumber can be challenging

But choosing a reliable partner that can not only move your products but actually manage your supply chain for you, shouldn’t be: High Energy Transport Inc. can help your business save time and money, and improve your operational efficiency as well.

We have a ton of experience handling non-conveyables such as gym equipment, bikes, outdoor furniture, mattresses, sheds and large screen TVs and delivering them to customers all over Toronto and many parts of Ontario.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

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How a reliable transportation partner can help mitigate the delivery issues

In recent years, bicycles have become an increasingly popular form of transportation and outdoor leisure activity – especially during the pandemic – and as a result, the demand for bicycles has grown significantly, and demand for e-bikes has never been stronger.

The overall bicycle market in Canada is expected to grow from US$1.2B in 2022 to US$1.4B in 2025, according to Statista, and the North American e-bike market is poised for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% between 2021 and 2026, according to ReportLinker.

Bicycle manufacturers, parts suppliers and retailers face significant challenges in delivering bicycles both to stores and directly to consumers due to on-going supply chain difficulties.

Bicycles and e-bikes are bulky and fragile

Even though bicycles are shipped to stores disassembled and in boxes, they are bulky items that cannot easily be handled by typical conveyor systems, and need special handling during transportation, which not every transportation company can do effectively.

Here are some ways a reliable transportation partner can help:

1. Streamline logistics: A transportation partner can help streamline the logistics of shipping and delivery, from warehousing and coordinating multiple deliveries to stores to ensuring that bicycles are properly handled during transportation. This can save time and reduce costs for both manufacturers and retailers.
2. Provide proper handling: Bicycles are non-conveyables that require specialized handling to ensure that they are not damaged during transportation. A transportation partner with experience in handling non-conveyables can provide the necessary expertise and equipment to transport them safely and securely.
3. Provide real-time tracking: Providing real-time tracking of deliveries allows manufacturers and retailers to monitor the progress of shipments and provide updates to customers. This can improve delivery transparency and customer satisfaction, as customers will know when to expect their bicycles.

High Energy Transport is Your Reliable Supply Chain Partner

If you’re a bicycle manufacturer or a retailer, and if you need a reliable partner that can not only move your products but actually manage your supply chain for you, then High Energy Transport Inc. is your ideal partner.

We not only have experience with handling non-conveyables - we have safely delivered approximately 50,000 large screen TVs over the past 5 years, claim free - we can also handle large shipments as they come in by boat from the Port of Montreal and get your products to your retailers quickly and efficiently throughout Ontario and the rest of Canada with our reliable transportation services, and we can even deliver the final assembled products directly to your customers as well.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

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Running a business can be a complex and time-consuming task. Managing the various aspects of the supply chain can be one of the most challenging parts, and one that can impact your bottom line significantly. But with the help of full supply chain fulfillment services, you can streamline your operations and focus on growing your business.

There can be many benefits to using a trusted business partner to manage your supply chain:

• outsource many of the time-consuming and complex tasks
•  reduce operating costs and improve business efficiency
• improve delivery reliability
• accelerate delivery timeframes
• improve overall customer experience
• increase customer satisfaction

High Energy Transport Now Offers Full Supply Chain Fulfillment Services

With the opening of our new Cornwall container facility last month, High Energy Transport can now manage your entire supply chain from soup to nuts:

• Pick up your overseas shipments from the Port of Montreal
• Destuff your containers in our Cornwall facility
• Cross-dock your products slated for other destinations such as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• Warehousing for items that need to be store locally
• Shipping products to your warehouse, plant, office or industrial location with Middle Mile delivery services
• Shipping by rail or by truck as required
• Shipping directly to the customer with Final Mile delivery services

All these services are provided with full visibility and traceability, so you always know where your products are and when they can be expected at their destination.

Shipping Across Canada

Not only can we efficiently serve clients in the all-important Toronto to Montreal corridor, but with our Bolton (Toronto) and Cornwall facilities we can easily serve Southern and Eastern Ontario directly – think Windsor, London, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa.

We can also target major Western hubs like Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, effectively servicing most major Canadian cities across the country.

High Energy Transport is Your Reliable Supply Chain Partner

If you’re a manufacturer, a retailer, an OEM manufacturer or a small or medium-sized business, and if you need a reliable partner that can not only move your products but actually manage your supply chain for you, then High Energy Transport Inc. is your ideal partner.

We treat and value every single customer as if they were our very first client.

We are here and willing to help you and your business in any way we can; please rest assured that your shipments are in good hands with us. Please contact us for a quote.

Contact Us for a Quote