Metals Manufacturer Creates Intermodal Container Rack to Permit Exports Without Wood Pallets

Metalworking manufacturer TAB Industries, LLC, Reading, Pa. (TABIndustries.com), has enabled law enforcement products supplier Police Innovations, LLC, Sinking Spring, Pa., to export its Supplement Prisoner Adjustable Restraint (SPAR) device to Europe. Unable to ship the patented prisoner restraint chairs with wooden pallets or crates due to European Union regulations regarding wooden packaging materials, the TAB Industries engineering team devised and manufactured a custom racking system. The forkliftable, steel rack secures 13 of the fabricated metal units with banding on two levels without using pallets, boxes, or crates. For maximum efficiency, the racking system fits two across in a standard 20′ x 8′ shipping container.

TAB engineers worked directly with the European customer’s engineering team to modify metal parts, and managed the purchase orders, shipping contracts, and logistics as part of its signature turnkey approach. “TAB came up with this very quickly since we were on a tight deadline, otherwise it would’ve taken months to deliver this order,” says Police Innovations President Matthew Planer, a former police officer who developed the restraint chairs. “TAB’s expertise in global logistics has opened Europe as a viable market for us.”

In addition to managing the export operation for Police Innovations, TAB helped design the prisoner restraint chairs and manufactures approximately 25 of the restraint devices per month. Since delivering the initial European order using the custom racking system, the company has noted increased interest from overseas law enforcement agencies, according to Planer.