Our FAQ page is here to answer your questions
At Shiloh Plastics, we tend to hear many of the same questions a lot. So we decided to put the answers to these on our website to help you in making your packaging decisions. Your questions about minimum order quantities, samples, and payment terms are covered.
All of our packaging is food grade. Because we sell to quite a few food manufacturers, it is important that this is the case.
The two kinds of plastic that we use are PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and HIPS (high impact polystyrene). All of our clear packaging is made from PVC plus our brown and gold chocolate trays. Any of our white products are made from HIPS.
All of the plastic that we use is recyclable. In fact all of our waste product is recycled. However, not all councils collect all grades of plastic. Therefore, while the plastic is certainly recyclable, not all plastic will be recycled.
Read more about this in our “Responsible to the Environment” article.
Nearly all of our products are manufactured in our factory in Narangba, Qld. However we do sell a few that aren’t. You will find these in our packing and shipping range. Products not manufactured in our factory include pallet wrap, hang tabs, staplers and spot crimpers. We do make the clip strips.
Yes we do. This is because of the time involved in setting up machinery to produce an order and due to the time it takes to pack orders. Because of this we need to have minimum order quantities. Minimum order quantities ensures that we can continue to offer a price competitive product to everyone. Our minimum order quantities are as follows:
For our standard range:
For custom products (where we need to make tooling)
Please note: Tooling costs apply.
Yes you can. We are happy for you to receive a sample. We don’t usually charge for the actual sample. However we will charge for the freight to get it to you. This small cost is well worth it though to make sure that the product you end up with is right for you and may save you time and money in the long run.
We also need to limit the number of sample products sent per customer. Some of the products on our off-shelf range need to be made to order. That relates particularly to our boxes range. In the past we have been asked for long lists of samples, and these could take us hours to produce by the time they are all separately cut and glued. Therefore we ask you to keep your sample requirements to one or two items. If you are just trying to find something that will fit your product, the best option is for you to send us your product. That way we can find you the best fit from our range. We realise though that sometimes that isn’t possible, so have a chat with us about what you need.
For custom products, the process is a little different. You are welcome to ask for a sample of something similar. However, we are unable to give you a sample of your product until the tooling is made.
Instead you will receive a prototype to check the overall design before the final tool is produced. Bear in mind though that this will have a rough finish on it. Unfortunately we can’t offer you a nice clear one like you can expect from your final product until the final mould is produced.
We require payment up front for all new customers. Where tooling is required, you will be sent an invoice for tooling which needs to be paid before we commence producing your tool.
Yes, we offer credit card payment options. While we don’t have a credit card facility in our office to accept payment via email or over the phone, we offer a credit card payment system which uses the MYOB System. This system allows security for both the customer and us. When you receive your emailed invoice from us there will be a ‘Pay Now’ option. This will give you the opportunity to pay by credit card.
For orders picked up from our office, we require either prepaid, cash or cheque. We are happy to email a copy of our invoice to you if you would like to pay via credit card when picking up. Just note that you will need to process the payment on your own mobile device. As with all credit card payments, we will require a copy of the receipt prior to releasing the goods.
Yes we do. We close for approximately three weeks every year from just before Christmas. This is because we find that many manufacturers (our main customers) often close over this period. Therefore it tends to be a quiet time. It is also very hot in our factory (due to the use of heaters to form the plastic). This makes it a good time to give everyone a break. It also gives us a chance to have maintenance done on our machinery.
We try to send all of our customers a reminder that this is happening a month or two before-hand. Our suggestion is that you think about whether you will be needing anything during the break so that you don’t get caught short. We also appreciate forward orders for December and January during October and November so that we can make sure that we get everything out before we shut down.
If it’s possible, we also like to have your stock ready if needed when we return back to work in mid January. It really helps us if you keep us informed about our requirements early at this time of year.
If you find yourself receiving emails every year advising of our shutdown, and no longer require them, please let us know. We are happy to remove you from the list. These emails are intended to help us offer a good service to our customers. Not to be a burden.
Yes we do. We try to keep stock of most of our standard range blister packs. However, keep in mind that items do sell out from time to time. Therefore this is no guarantee that every blister pack will be in stock.
We have a very large range of boxes. Also cylinders once they are made take up a lot of space. For this reason it isn’t possible to keep these products on the shelf, unless we know that they will move quickly. If we have a product that has high demand, we will attempt to keep it in stock.
Because we do keep such a lot of stock, we have the flexibility to better plan our production. If you order something that’s not on the shelf, we can usually produce it fairly quickly.
We recommend that you don’t leave it to the last minute to place your orders but give us some time to guarantee that we can fill your order in time for when you need it. This is particularly helpful at Christmas time before our shutdown, as we get very busy filling orders before we close for our break.
Yes we can. However we don’t make backing cards ourselves though. We use a print broker. That means that he knows which printer is the best person to use for each individual job.
You are welcome to speak with our printer directly. It may help streamline the process. Just remember, if we organise the printing for you, we will add a small charge to the cost of your backing cards to cover our costs.
You are welcome to use whatever printer you would prefer. If you currently have a printer that you are happy with, you are more than welcome to use them.
We are primarily vacuum formers. This means that we work with flat sheet only. From time to time we are asked if we can mold plastic for purposes other than packaging. This definitely can be done. However remember that tooling for this will be necessary.
Injection molding is a completely different process to vacuum forming. Therefore the answer is no.
Sorry but no. That is because the process is very different to what we do.
Although we have on-sold plastic bags in the past, these days we tend to just suggest that you go straight to our supplier Argus Australia.
As you can imagine, the range of different size and material plastic bags is incredibly large. We recommend to talk to Rod or Karen at Argus Australia for plastic bags. They are going to be far more efficient than us in finding something that suits your requirements.
You can contact them on 0732931920.