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There's a lot at stake when you're tasked with buying plastic pallets. And, let's be real. The bean counters are always on you to find the best price, amirite? We can do you one better. We'll match you with the best value pallet. What's that? That's experience talking. I'll explain.  With 100+ years of material handling experience under our belt, Nelson Company knows a thing or two about saving money. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-experience-matters-when-you-buy-plastic-pallets.cfm Does this sound like you? Every day you're packaging product and moving it on pallets. Nothing has changed in your system for years, decades even. It works, but as the cycle repeats (and repeats, and repeats) you keep wondering if you're leaking profits. We have all heard the definition of insanity, "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." This is Bill Murray's character, Phil in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. It takes Phil most of the movie to understand this.  Break out of the endless Groundhog Day loop. Ask the right questions to get a better pallet and better results. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-is-your-packaging-routine-feeling-like-groundhog-day.cfm When it comes to plastic pallets, you could be leaking profits in sneaky places and not even know it. Nobody likes that. Chances are pretty high that our experts have been in your shoes before. That means we're in a good spot to optimize your system in ways you haven't considered.  Profit from these 5 advantages and more when you partner with Nelson Company for plastic pallets. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-5-advantages-of-using-the-plastic-pallet-experts-at-nelson-company.cfm What's the first thing you look at when shopping for pallets? If you're like most folks, you answered price. If you give me just a few minutes of your time, I'll show four different ways to save money when you buy plastic pallets. This post is part 8 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 7 is all about the benefits of plastic pallets.)  Expert advice from a pallet pro can help you avoid costly mistakes. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-4-ways-plastic-pallets-help-you-save.cfm Nearly every consumer and industrial item you interacted with today took a ride on a pallet. Let that sink in for a minute. Your morning coffee. That phone in your pocket. Those new tires on your car. Even the pulleys and electronics that took you safely up to the seventh floor in the office elevator. All of it. There's a chance I'm not telling you anything new. But, have you ever asked why one company chooses wooden pallets and why another chooses plastic pallets? This post is part 7 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 6 examines plastic pallet destinations and handling.)  31% of companies choose plastic pallets (as published in the 12th Annual Pallet Report by Modern Materials Handling.) This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-top-6-benefits-of-plastic-pallets.cfm So you've been asked to buy plastic pallets. And, after looking at 200+ options, you're lost. How are you ever going to narrow down your choices? Well, any good pallet pro will ask this important question, “where’s the pallet going and how?” It's a great question for eliminating plastic pallets that won't work. Just know there will probably be more to answer. This post is part 6 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 5 explains common plastic pallet sizes.)  Before shopping for a plastic pallet, know where it's going and how it will get there. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-answer-this-question-before-buying-plastic-pallets.cfm The standard pallet size in North America is 48x40 and has been for decades. I detailed uses for the 48x40 along with nearly 40 other pallet dimensions in my previous post, Industry Standard Pallet Sizes: A Complete List. As a follow-up, I am specifically shining a light on plastic pallets and six (6) sizes commonly sold in the US. This post is part 5 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 4 explains capacity ratings.)  ISO (International Organization for Standardization) approves specific plastic pallet sizes for making global trade easier. These sizes include the North American 48x40 and the Asian 43x43. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-common-plastic-pallet-sizes.cfm Look at any plastic pallet spec sheet and you’ll see capacity ratings detailing how much weight the pallet can handle. These numbers are important to safety so let’s examine them now.  Ratings are determined using evenly distributed loads meaning your product should be spread uniformly across the pallet. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-capacity-ratings-for-plastic-pallets-explained.cfm Wondering about the material used for manufacturing plastic pallets? You may want to flip that question around and ask, what plastic material does my pallet application need? That's because plastic pallets can be made from a variety (and blends) of different materials to support specific environments.  These popular plastic pallet materials (and others) provide unique properties for specific job requirements. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-what-material-is-used-for-plastic-pallets.cfm Plastic pallets are built to support a wide variety of functions and environments. Each function typically relies on a specific design style to safely and efficiently get the job done. Use the guide below to dive into an overview of styles and the duties they carry out.  The scope of plastic pallet design includes runner configurations, weights, molding styles and materials. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-plastic-pallet-functions-and-designs.cfm The basic anatomy of a plastic pallet can be boiled down to three main parts: a top deck, the bottom support and the sides. Easy, right? Not so fast. Plastic pallets are available in a dizzying array of styles and options designed to work with specific loads, environments and equipment. How do you choose? The guide below will help you get started.  Hundreds of plastic pallet designs are available in a mixed variety of top, bottom and side styles. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-plastic-pallet-anatomy.cfm A stunning 95% of the companies that use pallets choose wood. That's according to the 12th Annual Pallet Report released last month by Modern Materials Handling. Now, that's not to say companies exclusively use wood. 31% of survey respondents use plastic and another 17% reported using wood composite, for example. But, clearly, pallets made from wood still hold a commanding lead for transporting goods.  Many companies take a hybrid approach when selecting a pallet material based on various factors including destination. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-survey-says-wooden-pallets-dominate.cfm Want to learn about plastic pallets fast? This quick video will get you up-to-speed on everything from styles and materials to the safety and money-saving benefits of using plastic pallets. Below the video is a brief summary of the topics we cover with timestamps for skipping to a specific section. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-video-plastic-pallets-101.cfm Raw material pricing has everyone cringing. How can you save money on your shipping materials while still ensuring your product arrives safely? In today’s marketplace, businesses are hampered by inflation while still trying to offer products that are advantageous for customers to purchase. How do you accomplish this when material costs are going up from the time you place the order to delivery? Two words... smart packaging.  Smart design starts with understanding your product attributes and shipping environment. In the US alone, it's estimated that 1.9 billion pallets are hard at work on the daily. Essential to supply chains, these unassuming platforms are busy transporting everything from your morning coffee to the high-tech components helping to lift rockets into space. Roughly 90% of US pallets are made from wood. That's according to the latest Annual Pallet Report published by Modern Materials Handling. With so many wooden pallets in circulation, you may be asking if wooden pallets are really a sustainable choice. Yes, yes they are.  The industry-average wooden pallet is the only product in distribution packaging to achieve a UL certified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-yes-wooden-pallets-are-environmentally-friendly.cfm The question I get most often from customers wanting to buy plastic pallets is, "how many fit on a truck?" Seems like a straightforward question, right? Well, if we're talking about standard 48x40 plastic pallets, I can tell you that we've got 26 to 30 skid spots to work with on a typical 53' dry van tractor trailer. Next comes some basic math (and maybe a tape measure). Most times we can come up with a solid count. Every once in a while we run up against an exception - usually because of a change in the truck scheduled to pick up the load.  Everything from pallet size to loading patterns to the interior dimensions of the trailer (and more) factor into calculating pallets per truck. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-how-many-plastic-pallets-fit-on-a-53-foot-truck.cfm Yes, you read that right. Plastic CP9 chemical pallets are available for quick delivery. Just recently, ten (10) truckloads of these brand new CP9 plastic pallets were successfully placed in the polymers and additives sector. A great choice for any industry, these 45x45 pallets are now stocked in our Columbus, Ohio and Memphis, Tennessee warehouses.  The broad 6-runner base on the NPP-4545-FP-CP9 evenly disperses weight for secure block stacking. Choosing a pallet fastener can be a delicate balancing act. Ideally, you want to land somewhere between a lower price-per-pallet and a fit secure enough to safely do the job. Let's first look at nails. They're commonplace and often the fastener of choice. Why? Well, nails tend to flex with the wood and help maintain strength. Nails are usually cheaper. But, nails can also fail - especially if a lot of vertical force is expected on the load. We're talking product loss or handler injury. Yikes. So... are screws better? Sometimes, yes.  A case can be made for faster or cheaper pallet fasteners. When precision matters, screws provide the best drive accuracy. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-when-should-i-choose-screws-to-fasten-pallets.cfm When it comes to moving product, manufacturers are in a pickle. Pallets are in short supply. Prices are up. Packaging of every kind is being impacted by current market conditions. Reverse distribution can help by keeping you in a consistent supply of all packaging assets. Find out if it will work for you.  Save 10-50% with reverse distribution by reusing your packaging assets. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-reduce-packaging-costs-with-reverse-distribution.cfm Every so often a speciality pallet is the right choice for the job. Sure, we can say most plastic designs are strong. They're resistant to moisture and less likely to harbor smells or mold. Those are generally fine specs for nearly all applications. But in stricter circumstances, we sometimes need to consider how the pallet is engineered. Let's find out why and when that matters.  A one-piece plastic pallet is completely closed significantly limiting opportunities for pest infestations, water intrusion and structural failures. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-when-should-you-consider-one-piece-plastic-pallets.cfm Everything from raw materials to finished goods are sitting on pallets in warehouses around the world just waiting for their next move. How they're sitting and where they're going are both important details for choosing the right plastic warehouse pallet. Let's take a look at some questions that will help point you in the right direction.  Choosing a plastic warehouse pallet depends on your storage environment and handling equipment as well as where it is going and the type of load it is carrying. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-how-to-choose-a-plastic-warehouse-pallet.cfm To understand nestable pallets better, think about coffee cups. When you're not using these cups at home, you probably store them in a way that saves space in the cupboard, right? The shape of most coffee cups lets one cup to rest inside another to take advantage of vertical storage space. It's the same with plastic nestable pallets. They're just a lot more stable.  Similar to a stack of empty coffee cups, nestable pallets save space when not in use. Many in the pallet industry would reflexively answer four. That's because 48x48 drum pallets can easily hold four 55 gallon drums without hanging over. Everything from caustic chemicals to the raw ingredients used in the food we eat moves in 55 gallon drums. So, it should come as no surprise that the 48x48 drum pallet is the second most popular pallet size in the US. Popular? Yes. The only solution? Far from it.  Drum pallets like this plastic CP9 can transport diesel for the petroleum industry, glycerin for pharmaceutical manufacturers, chicken soup for food processors and so much more. This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-how-many-drums-fit-on-a-plastic-pallet.cfm Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong. Not yet, at least. I know, I know. You're in a hurry and don't really want to talk about hygiene and plastic pallets, but hear me out. Choosing the wrong pallet could wind up costing you - in time, money, or something worse.  What makes a plastic pallet hygienic? That depends on your environment and goals. Supply and demand for used plastic pallets is already, by nature, organized chaos. Add in the recent global pandemic and the market is being thrown one curve ball after another. First, inventory was scooped up by early panic buying. Then, trade restrictions forced import and export activity to plunge. As world economies responded to change, some industries came to a screeching halt while others ramped up to around-the-clock manufacturing. These unprecedented disruptions strained certain segments of the used pallet market.  Secure stretch wrap on built-in corner hooks or add up to 12 optional grommets on the new NPP-4545-FP-CP9. |
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