Get to know SharkCrates, a ‘Coolest Thing’ nominee

When Nate Collins was working with his engineers to devise a better way to ship the metal parts produced by the German branch of his company to the North American branch, he was looking for a solution that would provide the same cargo protection while saving money.

He and his team succeeded so spectacularly that the solution they created launched a spinout company, SharkCrates, in 2018.

“We solved our own problem, and it turned out it was the same problem a lot of other companies had,” Collins said.

This unique shipping solution is a nominee in Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s (WMC) Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest. The statewide contest features 130 manufacturers from every imaginable sector.

“We have this incredibly unique product and want more people to know about it. This contest allows us to showcase our unique solution,” he said.

SharkCrates are heavy-duty, collapsible wooden shipping crates. Because the crates can be disassembled, they are significantly less expensive to ship to companies that use the crates, and they occupy much less warehouse space than traditional shipping crates.

According to Collins, the crates take less than five minutes to assemble.

The proprietary piece of this deceptively simple product is the bracket. It is manufactured in Germany and shipped to Milwaukee, where SharkCrates are assembled and shipped to customers around the globe.

Collins knew he was on to something when his customers started calling him after they received shipments from his company to discuss the container in which their shipments arrived. His clients wanted to know where the one-of-a-kind shipping containers came from- and how they could purchase them to ship their own merchandise.

With so many requests from his customers about the crates, Collins slowly began to spend more time and resources on his shipping containers. He created a website for the crates and devoted a portion of his existing warehouse to manufacture and store the crates.

Encouraged by the increasing popularity of containers, Collins introduced SharkCrates at a shipping industry trade show to gauge the interest of the marketplace. The shipping containers were met with the same enthusiasm at the trade show as they had been with his own customers.

It was then he decided to spinout SharkCrates as its own company.

The bootstrapped company has 15 employees and is focused on growth- expanding its customer base, as well as its product line.

 “We are working on a thinner, lighter version of our existing product. We are looking at tangential products, rather than looking for new applications of the bracket,” Collins said.

The innovative company is eager to showcase its latest product, a hinged pallet collar. The collar turns any wooden pallet into a storage container and does not require any tools to assemble. “Pallet collars are perfect for part storage and for moving from station to station during the manufacturing process,” Collins said.

With its nomination in the WMC’s Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest, Milwaukee-based SharkCrates is gaining recognition for its practical, cost-saving shipping solutions. Nate Collins and his team have turned a simple idea into a thriving business, proving that effectively solving a problem is a key to success.

To review a list of the nominees and vote in the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest, click here.