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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. Is your brewery storing and aging beer in barrel racks? What if we told you pallets can increase your warehouse efficiencies - both in space and time. If you're stacking casks and barrels of brew, swapping out barrel racks for pallets can introduce a 15% product density increase. That's because pallets let you move 4 barrels at a time. As an added bonus, more beer on a pallet saves time by reducing the number of handlings or trips needed to the barrel house.  Use pallets instead of barrel racks for barrel-aged beer to save space and money. 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. 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. As I was planning my blog posts for the coming year, nothing seemed more important to my point of view than how to save my customers money. Focusing on pallet cost per use rolled out my first blog, soon to be followed by hidden costs of "cheap" pallets.  Easy-to-clean plastic pallets should be kept in good repair for both the safety of workers and the items we buy. 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. Early in my career, I was introduced to the CEO of the company that had just hired me to help make plastic pallets. "Mr. Leo" as he was affectionately called, shook my hand and welcomed me to the team. To help me get my head around what I had just gotten myself into, Mr. Leo said, "Our pallets cost a lot of money. But remember. They are the cheapest product out there!"  Have you done the math? A heavy-duty pallet may actually save you money. If you've been shopping around for used pallet containers for sale, you probably know by now that these plastic containers come in two flavors: used and refurbished. Is there a difference? Yes. Which one should you choose? That depends... Choosing between used or refurbished often comes down to 1) your application's tolerance for condition and function; 2) how many and how soon you need them; and 3) how much you want to spend.  Refurbished bulk containers have been inspected, repaired and cleaned for 100% functionality. When your company wins an award, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement. I mean, who doesn't like to win? It is especially satisfying when you didn't even know you were competing for the trophy. But, it's also a time to take stock of how you got here and where you're going.  Nelson Company Named Top Five Pallet Company Website Trying to decide which type or grade of plastic your pallet should be made of? With a variety to choose from, choices can be overwhelming. I hope this post helps you to make the best decision.  Plastic resins like these are used in making plastic pallets. CP pallets are available in nine standard designs manufactured in metric dimensions. You can easily identify these chemical pallets by one of the CP designations (CP1 thru CP9) stamped on the pallet. In this post, we'll take a closer look at three CP pallets popular in the US and examine why these block style pallets originally designed for the chemical industry are becoming more common when shipping products into our global economy.  Stacks of CP3 chemical pallets ready for handling drums and bulk bags. Wood is our most common material for building pallets because it is strong and durable. To make sure your pallets avoid rot and stay this way, proper storage is essential. First, consider how long you will be storing pallets made from wood. For short-term storage of a few months or less (most pallets out there), the effects of outdoor storage such as moisture, sun, snow, etc. will usually not have an adverse effect on wooden pallet performance. But, long-term storage under poor conditions can lead to pallets that "look" bad, grow mold and can even become rotten and unsuitable for use.  Avoid rot damage to wooden pallets by keeping them stored properly. Are you looking for plastic pallets for sale but don't know where to start? You're not alone. There are hundreds of plastic pallet designs available. Overwhelming, right? Well, we're just getting started. To add to the confusion, many plastic pallets look nearly identical. Costs can vary considerably too. But, don't give up just yet. Answer a few questions and you'll quickly narrow down your choices. Ready? Get started below.
These two plastic pallets may look similar, but they perform differently.
Pallet containers play a pretty important role in the processing of citrus. Florida citrus is bigger than most of us think. Did you know that the sunshine state provides 80% of America's orange juice? Drive down a Florida highway and there's a good chance you'll see a truck stacked with crates of hand-picked oranges. Filled with juicing favorites like the Valencia, these plastic harvest bins are likely on their way to the processing facility.  Plastic ventilated citrus bins are lighter and easier to lift than traditional wooden bins. It has been a tough but successful year and you have decided to take the wife and kids to Disneyland. Yes, the original one in California. You're packing the kids into the hotel and you see this big sign next to the door that says something about the premises containing chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects. WHAT???? Gloria! Grab the kids! We are outta here!  According to a recent announcement by Governor Andrew Cuomo, Looking to California, New York will consider its Own Prop 65. With Earth Day right around the corner, let's take a closer look at how pallets made from post-consumer material fit into the EPA's guidelines for making environmentally-conscious purchasing decisions. And, how things aren't always as they first appear. If you're old enough to remember the 80s, you may recall that's when recycling became the next big thing. Here we are almost 40 years later, and although recycling continues to be an important part of the environmentally preferable hierarchy, we have learned a lot about what recycling can and cannot do.  The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970 in the US and is now celebrated every April 22 worldwide. If you read my last post, 6 Benefits of Using Plastic Pallets in Colors, you already know that black is the most popular color for plastic pallets. In this post, we'll take a look at the top five popular plastic pallet colors, examples of how each color is used and why color costs more than black.  Used plastic pallets offer big savings on yellow plastic pallets and other popular colors. You've probably noticed most plastic pallets are black. Why? That's easy. They cost less to manufacture. And, yes, that means blue plastic pallets cost more. So do plastic pallets made in red, green, yellow or any other color in the rainbow. (Find out why in my next post on the five most popular colors for plastic pallets.) For now, let's look at the many benefits of buying plastic pallets in a specific color and why it's sometimes worth it to spend more.  Buying plastic pallets in standard or custom colors can deliver savings in unexpected ways. The market for used plastic pallets is strong and for good reason. Reusability. Plastic pallets are generally engineered for durability. Even the ones manufactured for one-way shipping can often survive multiple trips. The staying power of plastic has increased circulation numbers and introduced an interesting opportunity.  Minor cosmetic damage is OK as long as it does not impact the functionality or integrity of a used plastic pallet. Can we just say that 2018 will go down as a year that tested the patience of everyone and anyone shipping and receiving freight? As the year winds down, we're finally starting to see the pressure ease. Lower freight rates and improved capacities top the list of improvements. But, before we get our hopes up in a volatile freight industry, let’s look back to when things started to unravel.  Dispatchers are the hub of communication. They play a vital role in relaying freight delivery information quickly and accurately. When I wrote my original post, 6 Freight Terms Everyone Should Know, I had no idea it would become so popular. Since that time, a lot of interesting freight questions from all over the world have come my way. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. Shipping stuff seems easy enough, but sometimes it feels like you have to learn a secret new language just to get a freight bill paid. That's why I've decided to expand on my first freight terms post.  A driver that transports product to any location at any time without a schedule or route is known in the industry as an over-the-road (OTR) carrier. The most popular standard pallet size in US inches is 48L x 40W. How popular? The 48x40 accounts for approximately 30% of all wooden pallets produced each year. The 48x40 standard was set by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) more than forty years ago. For this reason, you may hear it called a GMA pallet. But, not all 48x40 pallets are designed to GMA specs nor are they all used in the grocery industry. Interestingly, that's true of most any "industry standard" pallet. Even though a pallet may have originally been standardized for a specific trade, its use is often not exclusive to that industry alone.  Wooden pallet sizes are expressed in order of stringer length x deckboard length. For example, GMA pallets are 48x40 (not 40x48). Sizes for non-wood pallets are usually listed by the longest length first. Think custom-design means expensive? Allow me to change your mind. In this post, I'll show you how expert crate design and a return program can add up to big savings. I'll even back it up with a real-life example of a returnable crate design that resulted in immediate payback for one manufacturer.  Customized clip crates are used to ship toilet prototypes between testing facilities. If you're shopping for plastic pallet containers, you may be wondering if you really need a lid. I get asked that question all the time. Especially if we're talking about stacking the containers. The answer is (as you probably guessed) that it depends.  Lids are molded with an inset to allow stacking. Optional hinges and locks aid in loss prevention. OK, so you run a cold storage operation and the FDA has been in a time or two talking about the FSMA and other interesting subjects. So far you are in full compliance, but you thought it might not be a bad idea to look into switching to plastic pallets for your sub-freezing storage.  Any operation with consistent temperatures below 0°F should consider using true freezer grade pallets. |
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