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Don't ignore pallets in your FSMA documentation

6/16/2016

 
“We did what you asked, now you actually want us to write it down too?”

Yes. And, keep it in a file. And, have it available when the FDA inspector comes a calling.

“What does the documentation aspect of the FSMA have to do with pallets anyway? Haven’t we got enough to worry about keeping track of our hand washing?”

Well, let me explain more about the FSMA…
Picture
The FDA needs written verification you're actually implementing your day-to-day pallet management plan.

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Are your pallets ready for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

3/24/2016

 
FSMA enforcement begins summer 2016. Are you ready?

The Food Safety Modernization Act is a group of regulations signed into law in 2011. The act is meant to apply the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems in food production, storage and transportation that can make people sick.
FDA Inspector visits food distributor
If your business has revenues over $500,000.00 a year, expect a visit from the FDA.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-are-your-pallets-ready-for-the-food-safety-modernization-act-fsma.cfm

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FDA plastic pallets don't always have to be expensive (or blue)

2/4/2016

 
Has searching for an FDA approved plastic pallet left you with confusion and sticker shock? Save money (and avoid buying the wrong pallet) with these tips for understanding what the FDA really wants in your pallet application.
FDA approved plastic pallets need to be easy to clean
Pallets used in FDA regulated facilities need to be easy to clean.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-fda-plastic-pallets-dont-always-have-to-be-expensive-or-blue.cfm

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Will your wood pallets survive winter storm Jonas?

1/21/2016

 
What happens to wood pallets in icy snow and rain?

A major snowstorm named Jonas has its sights set on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast this weekend. Could be snow. Could be rain. Maybe you're thinking about dusting off your snow shovel for the first time this winter. But... have you thought about how severe winter weather impacts your pallets?
Snow covered wooden pallets
Snow coverage on wooden pallets may lead to mold.

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New Pallet Makes Super Sack® Stacking Super Easy

11/18/2015

 
Transporting bulk bags just got a lot more interesting. Introducing the brand new Bulk Bag Pallet. It stacks. It stores. It nests. It saves. Available in 43x43, this uniquely-designed sack stacker is both a unit base and a divider for block stacking. 
Bulk Bag Pallet for Super Sack Handling
Double the TL quantity means your inbound freight costs are cut in half.

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Are you creating an environment for mold growth?

8/6/2015

 
Are you creating a perfect environment for mold growth? If you are using stretch wrap this summer, the answer might be yes!

Mold is one of the major issues that all pallet users face. This is especially true during the hot humid summer months. Stretch wrap can make a mold problem worse and even cause the mold to transfer onto your product. There are some things to consider if you are running into issues with mold.
Stretch Wrap Caused Mold On this container
Container that was wrapped with stretch wrap
Mold Caused by Stretch Wrap
Pallets covered in mold

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Secret to Selling your Used Pallets for the Best Price

7/2/2015

 
Looking to get cash for your old plastic pallets? Learn the easy way for getting top dollar when selling your used pallets (while also avoiding the landfill).
stacks used plastic pallets
Used plastic pallets should be consistent in size and quality. Colors can vary but the more consistency, the better.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-secret-to-selling-your-used-pallets-for-the-best-price.cfm

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Understanding the Different Types of Wood Grades

5/21/2015

 
All lumber can be graded based on its quality characteristics.  When grading lumber, graders are looking for defects, such as knots. Lumber graders check the size and the frequency of defects within a certain linear length. Since there is a correlation between lumber grade and defects, higher grade lumber can have better performance characteristics than lower grade material, but sometimes the higher grade is more of an aesthetic.
Knots & Lumber Defects
Knots & Lumber Defects
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-understanding-the-different-types-of-wood-grades.cfm

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Stringer Pallet vs. Block Pallet - Which is Best for your Application?

5/14/2015

 
While both stringer and block pallets can be made to work with most supply chains, determining which pallet to buy usually comes down to the following three questions:
​  
  1. How will the pallets be stored?
  2. How will the pallet be handled?
  3. What is the cost of the pallet?
Picture
Picture

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Why are lead boards so important?

4/9/2015

 
Why are the lead boards on a pallet so important?  

The lead boards on a pallet are the deck boards that are located at the leading edges of the top and/or bottom of wooden pallets. The lead deck board performs critical functions in product protection and in material handling. 
PalletLeadBoard

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Case Study: Pallets and Conveyor Interactions

4/1/2015

 
The Nelson Tech Center was recently called into a warehouse to review pallets and solve pallet problems in a flow rack system. 

Problem
The pallets were not flowing as intended within the rack system. Even worse, the pallets were actually damaging the rack system components. The system was rated to support much heavier weights, but something was causing higher than expected stress between the loaded pallets and the flow rack.
Flow rack system
Flow rack system. Loaded Pallets from manufacturing are placed at the back and flow towards the front as unloaded. This is a common type of high density pallet storage system. In this system, the pallets are supported by the 3 rows of skate wheels.
Skate Wheels
Skate wheels were being damaged by the pallets.
Damaged Bolts
Bolts that held some of the wheels were being bent by the loaded pallets.
On paper everything added up. We had a flow rack system that was strong enough to support the loads, and we had a heavy duty wood pallet that was strong enough to support the loads. But something was not working well together. 

Tech Center Evaluation
During our evaluation, we keyed in on one main area where these two components did not “match” - the middle of the rack.

The outside skate wheel rails were directly under the rigid pallet stringers (2x4’s). The outer skate wheels were not over stressed, and these rows were not damaged. The middle rail, however, was under deckboards only and between the rigid stringers. These deckboards were bending under load around the middle skate wheels. This resulted in the rack component damage and a system that did not flow as intended.
Pallet Rack Damage
Tech Center Recommendations 
We suggested two recommendations to fix this issue:
  • Use two center skate wheel rails, rather than one, so that the pallet is supported by wheels under each of the four stringers.
  • Convert to a three stringer pallet with a middle stringer directly over the middle rail.

Since the rack system was already in place, the more economical solution was to change the pallet design to a three stringer design. We used wider stringers to maintain the previous durability levels, and the rack damage issues and flow issues went away.

Do you have damage to your rack system? Let us know the issue by commenting below. We can find you a solution! 

Post by: John Clarke, Technical Director 

Plywood vs OSB for Crating - Which is Best?

2/5/2015

 
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:
Plywood
Plywood
OSB Panel
OSB Panel
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-plywood-vs-osb-for-crating-which-is-best.cfm

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3 Reasons to Standardize Your Pallets

1/22/2015

 
Why should I standardize my pallets?

Pallet standardization can streamline packing operations, warehousing and distribution. With a packaging opportunity assessment, these standardized processes can lead to better throughput and lower costs.
Standardizing Your Pallets

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3 Misconceptions about Wooden Pallet Costs

11/20/2014

 
Here are the top three misconceptions about wood pallet prices we hear all the time:
Wood Pallet Costs

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What does Cubing Out Mean?

11/13/2014

 
What does cubing out mean?

Cube out refers to efficiently optimizing the amount of space to ship or store products. The products are properly organized to reduce the costs of freight per piece: Lower Freight Expenses = Higher Profits
Cubing Out
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-what-does-cubing-out-mean.cfm

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3 Ways to Avoid ISPM-15 Issues

11/6/2014

 
If your pallets do not comply with ISPM-15, it could be a nightmare! We have created a list of 3 ways to avoid ISPM-15 export issues. 
ISPM 15 Stamp
The heating process must achieve a minimum wood core temperature of 56° Celsius (greater than 130°F) for a minimum of 30 minutes.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-3-ways-to-avoid-ispm-15-issues.cfm

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2 Most Common Wood Species for Pallets and Why

10/30/2014

 
The two most common wood types used for making pallets are southern yellow pine (SYP) and oak. 
 
A former study done by the USDA and Virginia tech determined that SYP made up 18.9% of all woods used while oak made up 17.1% (by volume).  Both oak and SYP actually contain several species that make up the woods classification which is based on the density of the wood.  
Southern Yellow Pine Pallet
Pallet made of Southern Yellow Pine
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-2-most-common-wood-species-for-pallets-and-why.cfm

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3 Most Important Types of Pallet Tests and Why

9/4/2014

 
How do you know if a pallet design is going to be successful? You test it of course!

The goal of a pallet test is to compare different pallet designs, materials and their performance. There are numerous laboratory tests for evaluating all aspects of the pallet. However, the most important pallet tests fall within three parameters for pallet design:
  • Strength 
  • Durability 
  • Functionality
Pallet Tests
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-3-most-important-pallet-tests.cfm

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Why the VT Pallet Lab is so Important to the Pallet Industry

8/28/2014

 
Most people probably don’t consider pallets as complicated structures. But believe it or not, there is actually a Research Lab at Virginia Tech that has been dedicated to the testing and research of pallets for over 40 years! 
Virginia Tech Pallet Lab
Launched in 1976, the Lab was funded by a true partnership of pallet companies and the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA). Its mission over the years was to conduct research, most of it very applied to the industry and pallet users

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(Video) Watch this Wood Crate Clip Together in Just Minutes!

8/7/2014

 
Remember when we told you that you could build custom crates fast? We showed you our reusable clip crates.

Well now we can show you how with this instructional video of a clip crate assembly.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-video-watch-this-wood-crate-clip-together-in-just-minutes.cfm

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What will the pallet of the future look like?

6/12/2014

 
What will pallets look like in the future?  

Our industry is currently dealing with an unprecedented lumber shortage. As a result, wood pallet prices are quickly rising. We are faced with a big unknown.

The sales team at The Nelson Company recently discussed the future of pallets including this important question:

As wooden pallets become more expensive, will other options emerge as serious contenders in the global pallet markets?

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Oh No! I have a stain on my wood pallet.

5/29/2014

 
There is a stain on my wood pallet, now what?

Don’t panic. Stains on pallets are usually not a concern. Find out why and how stains happen.
Wood Pallet Stains
Stain where nails are in contact with an oak deckboard after the HT process. Note that stain runs down the non-oak stringer.
Wood Pallet Stains
Pallets made of yellow poplar with the same nails and the same HT process. No stain.

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5 Reasons PDS is Essential to Designing Custom Wood Pallets

4/17/2014

 
The Pallet Design System (PDS) is essential when designing custom wood pallets.

Certain wood pallet manufacturers who lease the PDS software can use this powerful tool to help their customers reduce both costs and product damage. PDS also helps increase handling safety throughout the entire unit load system. 

Often overlooked, the pallet is a very important part of the global economy. PDS is the tool used to design and evaluate this key component of the economy. 
PDS is Essential to Designing Wood Pallets
Board placement is critical when supporting the corners of the boxes.

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3 Ways Wood Pallets May Be Affected by a Lumber Shortage 

3/6/2014

 
Most pallets used in North America today are produced from solid lumber. But what happens when there is a lumber shortage? A lumber shortage can affect wood pallet supply in a number of ways.

Wood pallets can be affected by:
•    reductions in availability
•    increased prices
•    require full or partial redesigns

Each of these changes can present a challenge. However, they can potentially be turned into an opportunity for both the supplier and the customer.
Pallet Lumber

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Choosing the wrong shipping pallet could lead to your biggest export nightmare

2/13/2014

 
If your pallets do not comply with ISPM-15, it could lead to your biggest export nightmare. 

Most shippers export some, if not all, of their products on pallets. There are international regulations that govern the shipment of wood packaging materials (WPM) which are implemented to reduce the transfer of unwanted pests between countries. The regulation that governs WPM is ISPM-15, International Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade.
wooden pallets for export
If your pallets do not comply with ISPM-15, it could lead to your biggest export nightmare.
This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-choosing-the-wrong-shipping-pallet-could-lead-to-your-biggest-export-nightmare.cfm

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Tech Center

The Nelson Technical Center finds savings. Solutions for the design, supply and recovery of transport packaging.
(443) 649-1049

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Custom wooden pallets and crates are our specialty. Ask us about wood manufacturing, repair and recycling.
(410) 477-3000

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Let our experts match you with the best plastic pallets or containers. Available in new and gently used condition.
(443) 649-5294
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