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Custom Wholesale Caster Orders: Why Creating a Custom Order of Casters Can Save You Money

trewWhenever you need casters for a new project, the best place to start your search for the perfect caster is the Douglas Equipment website. Under the pull down menu labeled “Casters”, we have listed a dozen or so manufacturers. We are authorized representatives for those companies in addition to others.

Choices, Choices, Choices!

If you select any of those companies listed, and begin to look at all of the available casters, you will quickly find out that just one company may have thousands of products to choose from. Each of those products might have hundreds of options available, such as different wheel diameters and widths, types of wheel treads, hub materials, brakes, load capacities – your choices might seem endless!

Thousands of products, with hundreds of options – and that’s just one manufacturer. When you consider all of the manufacturers we represent, the total number of possible caster choices might number well into the hundreds of thousands!

With all of those choices available, you might think that the exact caster you need already exists. It’s just a matter of finding out where it’s listed in the manufacturers catalog pages, writing down the part number and placing an order.

How to Shift Through the Options

Well, actually – that’s often not the case. The team at Douglas Equipment consults a large number of customers. When they describe their situation, and what they’re trying to accomplish with the casters they need, it typically turns out that the combination of features they require are not available as a standard product.

Fortunately, our manufacturers all have custom engineering departments. We work with each of them frequently to create custom wholesale caster orders for our clients. The process is simple and straightforward; it can result in the best caster for your needs – and can save you money, too!

It may seem that ordering custom casters would end up costing more money, but by creating a custom order, you can obtain cost savings several different ways:

  • Only Pay for What You Need – The standard product that comes closest to your needs may have features that are not necessary for your situation. By creating a custom order, you may be able to eliminate some of those features, and save money in the long run.
  • Save on Maintenance Costs – By ordering custom casters, you may be able to add features that will extend the life of your casters. For example, if you consistently operate your equipment at elevated temperatures, you may want to specify a lubricant that works at higher temperatures. If your equipment must function in a dusty or gritty environment, you may want to request an off-the-shelf caster, but equipped with sealed bearings.
  • Don’t Compromise on Performance – Often, customers will settle for a standard caster that comes close to what they need, but is not quite right in some critical areas. As a result, the performance of the caster never quite meets their expectations. By creating a custom caster order, they can correct the deficiency in that critical area, and wind up with caster performance that exceeds their expectations.
  • Accomplish the Impossible – Sometimes creating a custom caster is the only way to accomplish an otherwise impossible task. One customer, for example, had a need for casters that could support 10,000 lbs., but with a very low clearance. Ordinarily, casters that support such heavy loads have large wheels, resulting in high clearances. In this case, custom casters were created that used multiple smaller diameter wheels; the casters met the needed load capacity, and the reduced clearance requirements as well.
  • Save by Buying in Volume – Some standard casters might have special features that you want, but because they are produced in low volumes, their price may be higher than you want to pay. If you have a high-volume order, it’s possible that by creating custom casters that incorporate the features you desire, you can get the caster you want at a much lower price.

Despite the hundreds of thousands of off-the-shelf casters available, the caster industry is not a one-size-fits-all business. The manufacturers we represent stand ready to create custom casters for your specific needs.

How the Process Works

The first step in creating a custom caster is to contact a customer service expert at Douglas Equipment. Describe your requirements to us; if a standard product fits your needs, we will direct you to that product.

In our discussion together, we may discover that there are no standard products suitable for your application. A custom caster may be the best solution. Each of the manufacturers we represent has an engineering department devoted to creating custom orders. Based on what you’ve told us about your requirements, we’ll identify the manufacturer with the best capabilities to meet your needs.

We will then contact the custom engineering department at that manufacturer. We will communicate your needs, and coordinate the order. The engineering departments we work with use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create custom products. Many have the capability for rapid prototyping, and can supply you with 3-D models for your inspection. They can also provide you with two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) CAD files compatible with your own software systems, should you desire.

Create Your Perfect Caster – Contact Douglas Equipment!

It’s important to remember that when it comes to purchasing casters, you are not limited to what you see in the catalog pages. Think of the casters you see there as a starting point. The caster industry expects, and is set up for, custom orders. The process is simpler than you may think, and we will help you every step of the way. And the best part of all is that you will end up with the perfect caster! So let’s get started today – call our customer service department today at 800-451-0030. If you’re in the Miami area, you may reach us at 305-888-3700, or contact us online. We look forward to helping you create your perfect caster!