Pallets keep distribution cooking

Plastic pallets provide Meyer both durability and low cost along with an expected life span of 5 to 7 years.

By -- Modern Materials Handling, 10/1/2000

Whenever possible, a low cost/high performance solution to a materials handling challenge is the way to go. And when it came to finding a pallet to improve handling while reducing costs and damage at its Fairfield, Calif., distribution center, Meyer Corp. not only achieved that balance but more.

Meyer, maker of Farberware and Kitchenaid cookware, also needed a pallet that provided better stacking and was constructed of materials that wouldn't snag in the facility's wire racking. The answer came in a lightweight, low-cost plastic pallet with surprising strength. The pallets don't break apart, can be slid on the floor without damage, and are much cleaner than the wood slipsheets the company had used before. Plus there are no protruding nails to catch on the racking.

Each pallet is designed with an area for a bar code label, which is scanned during putaway and picking to update the warehouse management system of the product's location while in the bulk storage area. Everything from stainless steel and aluminum cookware to cookbooks and kitchen accessories are stored there.

An extended reach lift truck easily deposits loads from 1,200 to 1,800 lbs. onto the double deep racks. The pallet has a 3,000 lb. rating and about 80% more surface area than comparable wood pallets, but requires two-thirds less stretch wrap to unify the load.

"We have 10-20% less product damage now that can be attributed to the new pallets and our wire deck shelving compared to the wood slipsheets we used before," says Mike Rummelhoff, director of distribution.

The pallets themselves are also rugged. Rummelhoff says the only damage he has seen to them is the pallet bottoms, where they are scratched from sliding on the floor.

"I've only had to throw about two or three of them away in two years, and that's only because they have been crushed by fork trucks," he says.

Ergonomics and safety have also benefited. At less than half the weight of conventional wood products, the pallets can be manually handled more easily.

Meyer has three primary functions for the 25,000 pallets it now has in circulation. Besides use in bulk storage, the pallets are placed on the floor in a mezzanine area where workers pick orders onto them, and they also transport finished goods from a nearby manufacturing facility to the Fairfield DC.

At a price comparable to wood, about $10-12 each, depending on quantity, Rummelhoff expects to get 5-7 years of use from the pallets, as opposed to the 2-3 yr life span he had from wood products.

"We expect a return on investment in only about 3 years. The pallets are very durable and easy to use," he says.

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