DNS Industries is a Canada-based manufacturer of store fixtures and commercial millwork, 25 minutes from Toronto Pearson International Airport and a day’s drive from the US Northeast and Midwest. We build fixture and millwork programs for US retail brands from our 40,000 sq ft facility in Vaughan, Ontario, and ship them to stores across the United States. We quote US work as a delivered price by store, with freight, brokerage and any duties included. This page sets out how we work with US buyers.
Why US retailers build with us
- Program experience in the US. We have supplied fixtures and millwork for more than 60 stores of one beauty brand across the United States and Canada, in inline, outlet and kiosk formats, and for more than 350 cannabis retail locations across North America. See retail rollout programs.
- Production in one facility. Drafting, CNC machining, solid surface, acrylic, finishing, assembly and staging are in one building. Metal, glass, stone and graphics are made to our drawings by specialist suppliers we manage. Your program is not split across subcontractors you have never met.
- Imperial shop drawings. We work from US architects’ and designers’ construction documents and produce shop drawings in imperial units for approval before production.
- Freight distance. Vaughan to New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia is one to two days by truck. Fixtures are crated or skidded by store and released to each store’s delivery window.
- Currency. We quote in US or Canadian dollars.
- Standards you specify. AWI/AWMAC grades, NAAWS, low-VOC finishes and FSC material on request. See specifying DNS and qualifications.
How a US program runs
- Drawings. We draw from your design intent and return shop drawings in imperial units for approval. Our customs broker classifies each fixture type at the same time, so the delivered price is complete before you approve it.
- Delivered price by store. Fixture price, crating, freight to each store, brokerage and any duties, in your currency, set out by store so you can compare it directly with other sources.
- First article. One unit of each key fixture is built for approval, in Vaughan or shipped to your prototype store.
- Batch production and staging. Units are built in batches, packed and labelled by store, and held until each delivery window.
- Customs and delivery. We prepare commercial invoices, USMCA certificates where they still apply and the documents the broker needs, and ship DAP or DDP as agreed.
- Installation. By your general contractor or installation partners, from our install documents.
Customs and brokerage
We have shipped fixture programs into the United States for years and handle the paperwork as part of the job: commercial invoices, USMCA certificates where they apply, and the documents your broker needs, and we work with a US customs broker. Duties vary by fixture type, so we review classification with the broker during quoting and include any duties in the delivered price. If you want the detail, our guide to US duties on Canadian-made fixtures explains how the current measures work.
Lit fixtures for US stores
We build the provisions for LED lighting into the fixture, with LED integration coordinated to the project’s requirements and jurisdiction. Supply, installation and connection of lighting are by the client or their electrician unless agreed otherwise, which lets you use US-listed components specified by your electrical consultant.
What to send
- Design intent or construction documents
- Finish schedule
- Store list with cities and target dates
- Who installs
- Delivery conditions: loading dock or liftgate, site access and receiving hours
- Your broker’s contact, if you have one; otherwise we work through ours
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle customs and duties?
Yes. We prepare the customs documents, work with our US broker or yours, and include brokerage and any duties in the delivered price by store. The duty position depends on the fixture type and is confirmed at quote stage.
Do you quote in US dollars?
Yes. We quote in USD or CAD, as a landed cost by store that includes crating, freight, brokerage and duty.
Who is the importer of record?
Usually the US retailer or brand, with its broker; we can also ship DDP through our broker where that suits the program. Confirmed at quote stage.
Can you work from our US architect’s drawings?
Yes. We produce shop drawings in imperial units from US construction documents and return them for approval before production.
How far do you ship into the US?
Across the US by truck. Most of our US work is in the Northeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, one to two days from Vaughan; we also ship to the South and West and to Puerto Rico.
Do you install in the US?
Installation is by your general contractor or installation partners working from our install documents. We coordinate the install package and attend first-store installs where the program needs it.
Send your drawings and store list for a quote.
Related: Store Fixtures for California Retailers, Store Fixtures for New York and New Jersey Retailers