Importing Ai Domes into your Country

To date Ai has sold dome kits into 47 U.S.A states and thirteen foreign areas. American Ingenuity has exported domes into Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands-St. Kitts and St. Croix, the British Virgin Islands-Tortola, West Indies-Nieves, Canada, Israel, Jamaica, Bahrain, the Faroe Islands (between Iceland/Scotland/Norway) and Tasmania.

The following is a list of our most commonly asked importing questions with their answers. 

Q: Do you export the concrete dome kits?

A: Yes. Ai. domes have been exported outside the continental USA. Requests for shipment into your area are best handled by freight forwarders located at your local ports.  Ai is unable to provide the time required acquiring shipping quotes or arranging for the shipping. Someone at the receiving port would best know which ship lines and which freight trucking companies service your port and would be in a better position to acquire the best pricing. By contacting a freight forwarder at your importing port, they would know the USA port which receives the best service, the most economical ship to use, and they can arrange for an inland trucking company to bring the containers to our factory to be loaded, etc.  Although, below we do list the names of a few freight forwarders.

To work with your shipping company and assist them with the international paperwork, there is a fee of $200.

Q: Isn't shipping expensive to export your kit into my country?
A: Yes, but if you look at the low cost of the Ai building kits....usually the kits are one third to one half less in cost than the cost for materials to build the exterior walls and roof of a conventional house in your area....that savings can typically cover your shipping costs and more...hoisting mechanism,etc.  Plus you receive more from the Ai Dome, greater strength (225 mph & F4 tornado guarantee) and greater energy efficiency (insulation comparable to 11" of fiberglass batting) than a conventional house can offer.

American Ingenuity's manufacturing costs in Florida are well below the national average, which offsets any long distance shipping expenses. Ai can actually manufacture a kit in Florida and ship it to most countries cheaper than we could manufacture it there.

PRICING COMPARISONS: When you research other building kit pricing, generally you will find that Ai's kit pricing is about one third to one half less than conventional building kits. The reason Ai's kits have a better price is not magic.

·      The primary reason is the design concept. It is far more practical to build a dome with concrete than wood and applying the concrete to rigid foam insulation produces a component panel that provides structure, exterior finish, the insulation and the shell wall board.

·      Our philosophy of each person paying for only what they need; results in a lower kit price as our literature prices are based on their printing costs and only our clients who need an engineering seal, energy report, engineering calcuations, etc. pay for those items. 

·    Ai's staff is not on commission.

·    Due to lower labor costs in Florida, Ai can manufacture in Florida and ship to almost any other location cheaper than it would cost to manufacture there.

Remember to compare apples to apples when pricing each company's building kit. Ai's panels include all the R-28 insulation, most of the exterior finish and all the interior 1/2" shell wall board. In conventional houses you will likely have to purchase the roof trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and ceiling wall board and pay for the installation of the trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and wall board. With Ai's kit the assembly mainly consists of cementing entryways, dormers and the seams between the panels and filling the shell interior wall board seams with joint compound and tape.

Q: What size flat racks and containers are needed for your building kits?
A: Until we see the floor plan that you select for your dome(s) we cannot quote how many flat racks and 40' high cube containers that will be needed.   Your floor plan determines the type and number of building options (entryways, dormers, link, cupola, etc.) that will be included with your Building Kit.  The following number of racks will increase if all the building options for that size dome are purchased. 

To save space Ai usually ships most of the same size items together. So until we can add up each size panel for your floor plan, we do not know the number of containers that will be needed for your order.  Due to the large size triangles of a 40', 45' and 48' domes, the triangle shaped H panels will not fit in the container.  American Ingenuity cuts the EPS/wallboard tips off the H panels so that the remaining H panel will fit in the container.  On site during assembly, the tips are reattached with expanding foam supplied with the kit at no cost.

Possible Containers needed (in the following description 40' high cube container can be interchanged with 40' flat rack).  Depending on the shipping distance, shipping lines do not allow flat racks; therefore only containers can be utilitized.  Because flat racks do not have sides, they can be loaded and unloaded at your site using a fork lift.  However because a container has sides, Ai has to rent a telescopying forklift to load the container.  Call for current rental costs.

• Two 22' kits or two 27' kits can possibly fit on one 40' flat rack and one 20' container.
• One 22' kit and one 27' kit can posdibly fit on one 40' flat rack and one 20' container.
  
• A 30' kit requires one 40' flat rack or one 20 container. 
• A 34' kit requires one 40' flat rack and one 20' container.
• A 36' kit requires one 40' flat rack and one 20' container.
• A 40' kit requires  two 40' flat racks and one 20' container.
  
• A 45’ kit takes two to three 40' flat racks and one 20' container.
  
• A 48' kit takes three to four 40' flat racks and one 20' container.

Q: Do you have some names of freight forwarders who can estimate the shipping cost on the containers?
A: Yes, we know of some companies that expedite/export out of the USA:

 Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Hawaii?
A: Yes, shipping to Hawaii involves: containers being delivered to our factory to be loaded; once loaded the containers are transported by truck to a port in California. Then the containers are loaded onto a ship. The company that delivered the containers to our factory was Falcon Transport, Inc. at POBox 411 , Bird-In-Hand, Penna 17505-0411; their phone number is 717-687-0471.

A past rate to have a 40 foot container spotted at our factory here in Rockledge, Fl 32955 and shipped through to Port Hilo, Hi was $6,500. Matson Navigation This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 415-957-4000 handled the boat shipping to Hawaii.

A 45’ kit will require two containers and cost about $13,000, a 34’ kit requires one container or a shipping of about $6,500.

For example a 45' kit and a 27' kit needed three 40' containers.

Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Nieves in the West Indies?
A: Yes, a past rate to have a 40 foot container spotted at our factory here in Rockledge, Fl 32955 and shipped through to Nieves was $8,812.

Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Puerto Rico?
A: Yes, one of our clients in Puerto Rico purchased two domes, a 34' and a 45'. Our client used two flat racks and one container that were shipped on Sea Star from the Jacksonville port to San Juan. The shipping was $2,612 for each 40' flat rack or $5,224. The shipping on the 40' Standard Container was $2,412, plus the following fees: delivery fee to Aguas Buenas $585, paperwork $140 for a total shipping cost of $8,361 for a 34' and a 45' dome.

The Sea Star contact was Jim Stoshak at 904-751-2110.

A Trucking Company that deliveries containers and flat racks to factories to be loaded for export to Puerto Rico: is Magic Transport Miami Fl 305-887-2424 or 888-693-7312, fax 305-887-0320.

Q: Have you exported into Europe?
A: No but we can. We have exported into the Middle East but not into any European countries.

Q: Do you export to the Middle East? A: Yes. In 2004 we got an approximate shipping quote from Transgroup Worldwide Logistics on two 40’ containers being trucked from Miami to our factory, then delivered back to Miami and then shipped to Dubai, UAE for about $5,225. 42 days transit time. This pricing included two hours no charge for each container to be loaded and an additional loading time of two hours per container at $45 per hour ($180). Two drivers at $725 each to bring the container to our factory and take it back to Miami after loading ($1,450). Ocean freight of $1,750 per container from Miami to Dubai UAE ($3,500). And $95 for Documents and forwarding. This does not include any duties or documents for the Dubai port. This quote was from Transgroup Worldwide Logistics/Stephen Brown in Ocean Quoting at 321-868-2230. Q: Do you export to Mexico? A: We can.  You should contact a Mexican importing person who can answer your border questions, such as "What are the duties? What paperwork is involved." The kit is shipped on a semi truck from our Rockledge Florida factory. Your border person may know of Mexican trucking companies that carry loads into Florida. Once that truck’s Florida merchandise is unloaded, it would drive to our factory and be loaded with your kit. Brownsville Texas is about 1,200 miles from our factory. Shipping to that point would be about $2,650 US Dollars at $2.20 per mile estimated shipping costs. Q: Do you export to the Virgin Islands? A: Yes. We have shipped two 40' domes to St. Kitts. MVC Transportation Corporation brought the two 40' Standard Containers and 40' flat rack to our factory to be loaded. MVC's mailing address is POBox 653808, Miami Fl 33265 phone 305-888-4MVC, fax 305-888-8011. The Consignor was Crowley Port Everglades Ft Lauderdale Fl. The Freight Forwarder was Caribbean Freight Systems, Inc. The Port of Loading was the Port Everglades. Port of unloading was St Kitts. Each container cost $5,200 to ship at that time.

Q: Do you export to Canada?
A: Yes. We have shipped domes into Canada.  But none of our clients allow us to give out their name and numbers for referrals.  

The Canadian broker for L.M. Clark Broker is Steve Martonino, (905-673-8650 ext 224) who did the customs work for Donkers Harris LTD for one of our clients.

In Canada the building department will probably require the building plans to be engineer sealed prior to giving you a building permit. Ai knows of an engineer licensed to seal our building plans for most areas of Canada. A Canadian seal could cost from $900 to $1,500 to $3,000....depends on the size dome and the foundation type.