“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…

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.

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

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.

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

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?

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. 

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.

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).

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

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.

This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-understanding-the-different-types-of-wood-grades.cfm

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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 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:

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

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.

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

This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-what-does-cubing-out-mean.cfm

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. 

This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-3-ways-to-avoid-ispm-15-issues.cfm

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.  

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

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

This page has been updated and permanently moved to:
​https://www.nelsoncompany.com/blog-post-3-most-important-pallet-tests.cfm

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! 

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

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.

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. 

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.

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