Get a load of these trends in pallets
While they have been the standard tool for unit load handling for decades, pallets are still evolving with use of plastic growing rapidly and the concept of modular pallets just emerging.
By David Maloney -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/1999
What's up with pallets these days? To begin, their three basic functions-to protect, move, and store unit loads-haven't changed. Furthermore, wood is still the most popular material, offering low cost, strength, and lasting durability.Plastic is coming on fast with nearly triple the number of plastic pallets in use today compared to 1995.
While size standardization internationally remains elusive, the recent shift by the U.S. military to more widely accepted industry standards is seen as a positive development. Nevertheless, there are still more than 400 different sizes of pallets used in the U.S. alone, says John Healy of the National Wood Pallet and Container Association.
When it comes to pallet design and performance, researchers at Virginia Tech are experimenting with a modular pallet concept.
And of course, there's the continuing issue of pallet retrieval and recovery. According to Healy, we're getting better but there's still room for improvement.
Today, 96% of the pallets purchased in the U.S. come from trees.
"Wood will dominate the market for a long, long time," says Dr. Marshall White of the Pallet and Container Research Lab at Virginia Tech. White notes wide availability and cost as reasons why wood will remain on top.
However, plastic pallets are making inroads. White says that plastic use has gone up from 3-4 million units in 1995 to 10-13 million today. That number is expected to top 20 million by 2001.
At the same time, plastic pallet manufacturers are announcing advances. One new design is rated for a 3,000 lb capacity.
Another plastic manufacturer has recently introduced a UL-listed pallet. This fire-rated pallet may save users on the cost of rack sprinklers.
Other plastic pallets are designed for hazardous materials. Spills can be contained within the pallet itself, making them economical and environmentally friendly.
Steel, aluminum, wire mesh, and cardboard pallets are also suitable for a wide variety of applications.
Choosing a type of pallet often depends on how you want to use it, according to Dr. Mike Ogle of the Material Handling Institute. "If you only want one trip carrying fairly light materials," says Ogle, "then you would not want to spend $100 on a plastic pallet or $40 for steel."
Talking about standardization
Will we ever see standardization of pallet sizes and designs?
"The United States and the rest of the world will clearly move toward a standard," says White.
While White is hopeful, he admits we may not see it for many years to come.
Looking at just the U.S., there is no shortage of pallet sizes with the NWPCA counting 426 in all. Even the most common footprint, 48 x 40 in., comprises only about 32% of pallets produced.
"It goes back to the basic function of a pallet," offers Healy, meaning that pallets are designed to move and protect a load. The footprint is usually defined by the size of the load it holds. And there is a vast variety of loads being moved on pallets these days.
White believes that if a standard does come, it will probably be a metric measurement because of its more prevalent use worldwide. He would prefer 1200 x 1000 mm, which is roughly equivalent to 48 x 40 in., the most common U.S. footprint. The most widely used European pallet is a slightly smaller 800 x 1200 mm.
But standardization is more than a dimensional issue. It is also a pallet design issue. In the U.S., stringers are most commonly used. The Europallet, however, does not have stringers but uses nine blocks in key positions instead.
European-size pallets have been produced for decades here in the U.S., primarily for firms desiring to ship goods to markets in Europe.
The U.S. EuroPallet Council has now been formed as the official licensing and inspection authority for Europallet production and repair in America.
The idea behind the inspection is to ensure the structural integrity of pallets made in the standard 800 x 1200 mm footprint. Europallets also must meet tighter environmental reuse and recycling laws found in Europe.
Performance and design
Engineers at Virginia Tech's Pallet and Container and Research Lab have been studying how pallets and material handling systems interact. One area they are investigating is how vibrations created as pallets move on conveyors, forklifts, and other handling systems affect the unit load. Vibrations cause surface friction as containers and the contents within rub against each other and the pallet beneath them. Pallet designs that can better absorb vibration could offer increased protection of products being transported.
Another development Virginia Tech is exploring is a modular pallet. Such a pallet could be adjusted to create a half or quarter-size footprint. White says they are looking at a standard 48 x 40 in. footprint which could be adapted to a 24 x 40 in. or a 24 x 20 in. pallet.
"This will allow companies to send down smaller volumes to the retail level," says White.
Virginia Tech is also preparing for the release of a Windows version of the popular pallet design software (PDS). The software helps pallet designers determine pallet strength, load capacities and deflection, and the ability to stack or rack pallets. PDS was developed cooperatively by Virginia Tech, NWPCA, and the U.S. Forest Service. The new release will also be Y2K compatible.
Specifications for pallets used with automated materials handling systems are also being updated. Two years ago White worked with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to develop the original performance specifications to deal with areas such as strength, size, and durability.
The MH-1 committee met once again this year to update these specifications and approve a draft for a domestic standard for pallets and slipsheets used in automated systems. White expects the approved American standard will be published by the end of the year.
Retrieval, recovery, recycling
One in five pallet users are now involved in some type of retrieval and recovery system, according to Healy. That compares to only one in fourteen just two years ago.
"Leasing is one of the ways to do retrieval and recovery," he says.
Leasing takes the burden of recovery out of the hands of the user, as it is normally up to leasors to retrieve their pallets. Leasing usually lowers cost and resolves eventual disposal concerns. "At the end of the day, lowest cost wins," notes Healy.
Of course many closed-loop systems prefer to maintain and reuse their own pallets. Healy recently visited a warehouse in the St. Louis area that has used the same wooden pallets since 1968.
"They did not want them out of their warehouse," he recalls. "They wanted to make sure no one else got their hands on them."
Pallet life varies, of course, depending on how pallets are used and the types of materials they transport. While 96% of all pallets are reused, only 46% are used 2-6 times, while just 22% are used more than 20 times.
But eventually all pallets wear beyond repair. Fortunately, pallets are among the most recycled products in America. Some 71% do not see a landfill, but are recycled for other uses. This compares to only 66% for aluminum cans and 48% for paper, says Healy.
Plastic pallets can also be recycled at the end of their lives. Most recycling is voluntary, according to Ogle, who knows of no industry-wide programs now in use. But many plastic pallets are produced from recycled pallets and other plastic products.
"Plastic pallets are an environmentally green choice," adds Ogle.
What should you look for when buying a pallet?
Function. Safety. Cost. Those are the three keywords when it comes to evaluating your pallet options and selecting the one best suited to your particular needs.
Function. What is the intended use for the pallet? That's the best starting question. Choose the pallet that best protects the product it is carrying. Be sure to size the pallet so that the load does not extend beyond the edge of the pallet. This ensures that the pallet, not the load, takes a beating. Selection of wood, plastic, steel, or other material depends on the protection desired, loads carried, and the number of times it is to be reused.
Safety. With today's rising liability concerns, ensuring that a pallet can safely hold its load is a major consideration. NWPCA's John Healy suggests that all end users require manufacturers to provide pallet design software (PDS) analysis to determine safe load capacities.
In this context, Healy notes that pallet safety has a new performance bar to clear as pallets are now used differently than has traditionally been the case. For instance, many pallets are now out in the open in retail aisles, especially at wholesale clubs and home improvement chains.
"Grandmothers and toddlers are now coming into direct contact with pallets," says Healy. "Cheaper may not be better if a pallet fails in those settings in particular," he notes.
Cost. Instead of initial cost, it is more important to analyze the per-use cost in many applications, says Healy.
The more times a pallet can be retrieved, repaired, or reused, the lower the cost per use becomes. Likewise recycling can also bring back a small return to offset initial costs.
Healy adds that designers of pallet systems are constantly striving to bring down costs. "The global marketplace is demanding it," he says.
Top reasons for buying wood or plastic pallets
Wood
1) Durability and strength
2) Cost
3) Repair/recycle
4) Availability
5) Customer requirements
Plastic
1) Durability
2) Cleanliness
3) Low weight
4) Recyclability
5) Cost effectiveness
Source: NWPCA
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