What will the pallet of the future look like?

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?

Here is our list of predictions for the pallet of the future:

• Pallets will become more standardized as more companies take advantage of pallet pooling and recycling.
• Wood will still be the predominant pallet material, but we might see some type of engineered wood or wood composite emerge.
• Pallets will be lighter and shorter, but still maintain their strength and durability characteristics.
• Block pallets will represent a higher percentage of the pallet types used.
• You may not even buy the pallet of the future. Companies that use pallets will be looking for third parties that can lease, track and retrieve pallets. Product manufacturers and distributors will no longer be in the business of buying and specifying pallets.

Nelson believes the future of the pallet is less about the pallet itself and more about managing the entire system. Technologies will continue to emerge allowing manufacturers and distributors to gather more information about unit loads - location, goods on board, stresses, damage and more.

Will any of our predictions become reality? We want to know what you think. What do you think the pallet of the future will look like? Let us know by commenting below.

Post by: Rich Reiher, Vice President