Gaylords for beverage and food distribution around Boston

Where they sit

Taunton's Myles Standish park includes a wine and spirits distributor's regional headquarters; Wilmington has bakery distribution; Franklin has dairy processing. The chart lights Route 24, I-495 and I-93.

Condition is the question

RecyclingWorks says cardboard contaminated with food or liquid should not be recycled, and industry guidance puts the loss of compression strength near half as humidity climbs from 50 to 90 percent. We ask how boxes were stored.

The request

Sell with weekly count, footprint, bottom style and whether the boxes were stored indoors.

Dry goods are the opportunity

Beverage and food distribution is mostly dry packaging until the product reaches the customer: cartons, trays, cases, pallets. That means the boxes at the back of the warehouse are often clean and sound. The question is volume and timing: when does the stack grow, and how long can it sit?

Spills and wet boxes

Beverage docks have spills, and wet board is a different stream. Keep damaged and wet boxes away from the dry stack, count them separately, and describe them honestly. Mixing them is the quickest way to turn a good lot into a doubtful one.

Peak weeks

Distribution runs on seasons: holidays, summer events, the weeks before a big game. Empties follow the same calendar. If your stack swells at predictable times, put those weeks in the request. A schedule that matches your busiest weeks is more useful than one that matches your average.

Pallets and boxes together

Distributors often receive boxes on pallets and ship the pallets on. Say whether the empties come with pallets, whether the pallets are reusable and whether you want them removed with the boxes. It affects the truck, the labor and the reply.

Mention the product type, since heavy canned goods and light snack cartons call for different wall counts.

Mention refrigerated trailers, since temperature changes can sweat board.

Mention shrink film and strapping that arrive with the boxes.

Pallet wrap, corner boards and dividers deserve a mention.