ReloCrate
green solution hits a MOVING TARGET

When you move office or home, how do you do it? In New Zealand, you have little choice but to have everything packed up in cardboard boxes and put in a hired van or removal truck. ‘Then what happens?’ asks Larry Banks. ‘The chances are, someone will stack them too high in the truck, or put a box of books on top of some valuable china (as happened to me) and you’ll have damage. Cardboard also collects moisture, so during a long period of storage box contents can be damaged by mould.’

As a business consultant and former CEO, Larry Banks is passionate about finding profitable ways to solve common problems. He’s just as passionate about the environment, too. ‘Some of those cardboard removal boxes are recycled, but few are re-used and most end up as landfill that doesn’t break down. In some cases they have dug up the landfills and found layers of cardboard and paper, slightly the worse for wear, dating back fifty years. We’ve really got to do something about it, especially as the solution is so easy and represents a fantastic business opportunity.’ 

So Larry has done something – he’s launched ReloCrate, which replaces the dreaded cardboard with re-useable polypropylene crates. The concept is very simple:  when you move house or office, you place an order with your local ReloCrate franchisee. They deliver the crates which you (or your movers) pack and move. Once you are in your new premises you simply unpack, clean and stack the crates and ReloCrate collect them again. ‘No waste, no miles of tape and no battered cardboard cluttering up your new residence,’ promises Larry. ‘Simple, tidy, very friendly to the environment and extremely cost-effective. A client just hires crates for a few days rather than buying dozens of boxes at $5 a pop.’

Services such as ReloCrate have been tried and tested practice abroad for 30 years. ‘In the USA and UK, people use them because they offer such a superior service,’ Larry explains. ‘They are strong, stackable, secure (and lockable), robust and re-usable hundreds of times. New Zealanders are naturally moving towards recyclable options but re-useable is even better so ReloCrate is at the forefront of the game. For franchisees, this is an opportunity to get in at the ground level and build a solid business ahead of the competition.’

Safe To Store, Easy To Move

The ReloCrate is designed to stack inside other crates when empty, so franchisees don’t need large storage areas, and is strong for durability and light for ease of handling. ‘OSH regulations are getting stricter and you need to be careful how loads are carried – safety is paramount, so we’ve thought of that too,’ says Larry. ‘The ReloCrate is designed to fit its own wheeled dolly which fits into standard lifts and avoids the temptation for anyone to lift more than one crate at a time. You simply stack the crates on the dolly, wheel them to the truck and load one by one.’

And polypropylene is itself recyclable ‘At the end of the crates’ natural life they can be ground down into pellets and re-manufactured into strong, shiny new crates once more. That’s a recycling process that is being used more and more throughout the world for this material. It’s a hell of a lot better than chucking cardboard in the landfill, and the icing on the cake is the crates are ready for another 500 moves!’

Turning Boxes Into Business

So how do you turn boxes into business? Larry is a sales and marketing specialist who has years of experience working with businesses, both here and the UK, developing strategies, untapped opportunities and empowering sales teams. ‘Business is all about people,’ he says, ‘and I love to help inspire people and see them tasting success. But to do that you need a good product or service that really meets a need, and a profitable business model that can deliver real returns, so you need to look at the figures.

‘Even during the worst period of the recession there were around 1500 moves per week in Auckland alone,’ Larry says. ‘That’s domestic moves, excluding the commercial sector which is increasingly adopting green policies and having to address the landfill issue. My aim is to build a network of franchisees as quickly as possible to benefit from the advantages of having national coverage in this industry. An investment of less than $100,000 includes 1000 crates, a supply of dollies, all fees and training and initial marketing. This will cover 15-20 moves a week, which will bring in good money and the opportunity for repeat and referral business. A suitable vehicle will be discussed. The most important thing franchisees need is the personality to get out there, promote the benefits of using ReloCrate and make the contacts that will see their business take off.

‘I’m absolutely behind this opportunity because I have torn every aspect to shreds and still can’t find anything against it. We are looking for just 15-20 franchisees nationwide with the first opportunities opening up now. Contact me and let me explain more about how ReloCrate can change your life and change our environment – for the better.

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 20 Issue 4

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