"In the world of pallets, there are two primary functions - to facilitate movement and to protect the product."

That's according to Dr. Marshall White, director, pallet and container lab at Virginia Tech (www.vt.edu). White spoke at a meeting of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association's (www.nwpca.com).

The consequence of using the wrong pallet, according to White, can result in a reduction of materials handling efficiencies while increasing product damage and personal injury.

Many companies currently don't practice the necessary steps required to select the right pallet because of a lack of education, says White. Companies tend to focus more on getting the lowest cost. As a result, they don't follow the design.

The variation in products, packaging, transportation, and storage systems results in hundreds of different pallet designs being used.

To select the right pallet for use, companies should first collect information on what requirements they need. Then they should set performance criteria for testing the models. Lastly, they should use a testing procedure.

A detailed product specification for the pallet needs to be drafted next. To ensure that the pallet specified is indeed the one manufactured, delivered, and used, a quality assurance program must be put in place. Finally, this specification must be re-evaluated periodically since the unit load and the environment through which it moves are subject to change.

White says a good design process is a good investment because a properly designed pallet will lower product damage rates, lower repackaging costs, lower insurance costs, and improve the handling rates and efficiency of your customers.