Hear how our founder learned about boxing carts and logistics

By technologists

Maker of the PET Mobility Cart since 1994.

Did you know our cart shipping budget is $40,000?

Mobility Worldwide MO-Columbia Update

Mobility Worldwide (PET) has been a wonderful learning experience for me. My two degrees in dairy husbandry and theology held little relevance. Fortunately, I had grown up on a farm, taught Ag shop in high school, and served in the US Marine Corps. I had a strong sense of logic, which I call common sense, and a lot of experience improvising. But the whole process of logistics was new to me. So, I followed common sense.

I knew that we would ship in the 40′ ocean going containers. I knew their size, and that we paid for the whole container, not by weight. That meant that we had to fill it as full as possible.

The Mobility Carts also had to go into large cardboard boxes, and they would often go on a standard 42″ x 48″ pallet. In the meantime, the carts had to go through normal doors of small homes. In the final analysis, the carts in their box are wide enough that the three boxes standing side by side exactly fill the container width. See photo. When moved around in the shop on pallets and by forklift, the boxes fit exactly on standard pallets.

Then I had to learn the logistics of shipping, both locally and overseas. The photo shows an overseas shipment just loaded. It would go from Columbia to St. Louis on the truck. Then it would go “piggy-back” on a train to the coast and a ship. The ship would take it to the nearest port of its destination, and then back on a truck to the mission. A Mobility Worldwide staff person in Texas, Von Driggs, is a major help in the shipping arrangements. Von worked for years with Mercy Ships, and is a skilled logistics person.

Volunteers, many from Veterans United, come upon Gary’s call, to load the container. Earlier this month, they “broke their record” in time by loading almost 200 boxed carts in an hour.
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“A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning.” – Anon

Mel West, Director Emeritus
DBA Mobility Worldwide MO – Columbia