Pallets in Livonia
Livonia is a supplier suburb with a food distribution anchor. ZF, Roush and Ford sit beside UPS and Mastronardi Produce.
What is here
- Top employers
- Ford, ZF Automotive, Roush Performance, UPS and Mastronardi Produce
- ZIPs
- 48150, 48151, 48152, 48153, 48154
Livonia's employers fall into three families: automotive engineering and supply, parcel logistics, and fresh produce. Each wants something different from a pallet.
- Auto suppliers (ZF, Roush) ship on the 48 x 45 and 48 x 40 and produce steady empties.
- Parcel logistics (UPS) handles huge numbers of mixed pallets that arrive from other shippers and are rarely sorted.
- Produce (Mastronardi) needs dry, clean stock and cannot tolerate a damp or stained pallet.
A schedule suits Livonia
Most of what comes off a Livonia dock comes off weekly. That makes it a good place for a set pickup day, and for a standing order from a buyer who knows the size and grade. See dock programs.
If you handle produce, the question is whether your pallets are dry: the mold guide explains the 20% moisture line.
Questions from Livonia docks
We receive more pallets than we ship. Is that a problem?
It is the usual case for parcel and produce docks. A surplus of good empties is exactly what a buyer wants, as long as the count and size are stated.
Our produce pallets get damp. Should we list them?
List them separately and say they are damp. A buyer who dries and repairs wood can use them; one who needs dry stock on arrival cannot.
Can an auto supplier and a produce dock share a pickup?
They can share a route but not a stack. Keep the two kinds apart so the grade of one does not drag down the other.
The suburb as a route
Livonia sits between the airport area and the northwest suburbs, so a truck serving it often has neighbors on either side. Flexible days make it easier to fit a stop between two others.
The suburb that supplies
ZF and Roush build automotive systems and performance parts, Ford operates facilities, UPS runs a parcel hub, and Mastronardi handles produce. The five names, drawn from the city's top employers, show the shape of the pallet flow: parts, parcels and food.
A buyer who wants volume from Livonia should visit the parcel and food docks, where the counts are largest. A buyer who wants a particular size should visit the auto suppliers. Naming your dock's type in the request helps match it to the right buyer.
Hours
Parcel and produce docks work early and late, while engineering offices keep standard hours. Match the pickup to the dock that has the pallets, not to the office.
Mixed neighbors
Livonia's industrial streets mix food, parts and parcel docks side by side. A route can alternate: a clean produce stack first, then parts, then parcel, so the best stock is not crushed.
Parcel, parts and produce
Livonia's largest employers include Ford, ZF Automotive, Roush Performance, United Parcel Service and Mastronardi Produce, so automotive parts, parcel freight and produce share the same few roads.