Attachment extends wooden pallet life five times longer

Debuting at ProMat, the pointGUARD pallet protector extends the useful lifespan of 40 x 48-inch wooden block and stringer pallets five-fold, said Callen Cochran, business development manager for United Pallet Services (Booth 1784). The attachment is made of either recycled polypropylene sourced from bottle caps or virgin plastic.

In a press conference Tuesday, Cochran demonstrated how the one-piece plastic shield easily attaches to the 40-inch side of a wood pallet to deflect forklift impacts and reduce pallet and product damage.

Tested by Virginia Tech’s Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design, the protector both increased lead board durability and resisted strapping damage by 100%, while block durability increased by 400%. In life cycle testing, unprotected pallets lasted 11.3 cycles before failure, while pallets with the protector lasted 58.9 cycles, he said.

“The pointGUARD is best suited for closed loop or captive pallet environments, and can be custom molded to accommodate any size opening, from 30 to 56 inches,” Cochran said.

ProMat 2013 is scheduled to be held January 21-24, 2013 in Chicago’s McCormick Place South. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete ProMat 2013 coverage.