We love wood crates. There are many benefits for using wood crates. Here are my top reasons to choose wooden crates for your next shipment. 

Wood crates:

• Offer enhanced protection
  Wood crates can reduce product damage. The crate will act as a barrier from the environment, protecting what’s inside from moisture, dirt and other debris floating around the exterior environment.
    
• Are great for stacking
  Crates allow you to utilize more space in shipping and in your facilities. Placing one crate on top of another allows you to stack them, utilizing the height of your facility and saving precious floor space.

A plastic pallet is a great tool during an emergency situation!

As the Siberian Express moves across the country, we are facing record low temperatures. In Baltimore, our team experienced one of the worst side effects of these frigid temperatures…frozen pipes! On Monday, a pipe froze at Nelson HQ and burst into the office.

Freezing cold water fell from the ceiling. As the water saturated the carpets, we used some of our plastic pallet samples to create a walkway so we could access the back of the office.

The plastic pallets proved to be a great tool during this emergency flooding situation. They are light weight, so we could quickly and easily move them into place. They are strong. The pallets were able to support us as we walked across. Perhaps the best part, plastic pallets do not absorb water. While the carpet and walls were absorbing water like a sponge, the pallets did not. 

Working with pallets every day we love to see the different ways people use them. We are always looking for unique applications outside the norm of plastic pallet use. While we used plastic pallets during an emergency, in Annapolis they are using a pallet to prevent an emergency. 

The historic Maryland state capital of Annapolis is quiet infamous for flooding. A combination of melting snow or excessive rain mixed with high tide can be a disaster for the downtown stores and restaurants. One landmark is the Annapolis Marine Art Gallery. 

Located right in the downtown Annapolis area, the gallery is right in the flood zone. To help protect their artwork the gallery owner, Jeff Schaub, uses a plastic pallet to raise stored artwork off the floor. If any flood water would ever come into the gallery, the valuable artwork is above any carpet soaking emergency.

Since the frigid temperatures are here to stay for a while, make sure to stay warm. Grab a nice cup of hot cocoa and share with us how you would use a plastic pallet during an emergency or how would you use a plastic pallet to prevent an emergency? Let us know by commenting below. 

Post by: Kaitlin Manning, Creative Director

As anyone who purchases or uses wooden pallets knows, pallet pricing is on the rise.

In the eastern United States, raw material costs for pallets have increased by 15% - 20% in the past year. This equates to pallet price increases of 10% - 15%.  So what can users of wooden pallets do to offset these increases?

Plywood and OSB (Oriented Strand Board) panels are the most common sheathing materials used for wooden crates. If you need a sheathed crate, which one is best for your application? 

Here are the options: