PALLETS LOAD UP INNOVATION
“We also see the overall length of a supply chain transaction shortening,” Pepperworth says. “There was a time when a company might place an order for pallets and expect a one-week turnaround, but now it’s a few days or less. Our focus is on making as many pallets available as possible.” The largest component of any company’s carbon footprint is its supply chain, so a company that strives to improve its environmental sustainability metrics should have pallets as part of their focus. That sustainability has been baked into iGPS Logistics’ mission since its inception, Pepperworth notes. The company’s pallets are light so they consume less fuel during shipping and put less wear and tear on trucks and automated equipment. In addition, the ability to recycle pallets, rather than send them to landfills “is a huge part of the sustainability equation,” he says. “Our plastic pallets are recyclable, and we are using recycled resins in the manufacture of our pallets,” Pepperworth says. “With each new generation of the iGPS pallet, we have been able to make the pallet lighter while still maintaining the necessary standards for durability and load capacity, so I expect that we’ll be able to continue this trend in future generations of our pallet.” ORBIS: Boosting ROI With Reusable Plastic Pallets Companies that use pallets are paying more attention than ever to their return on investment, and that is leading some to weigh the return on plastic pallets versus wood ones. There are keys to companies boosting their ROI when adopting a reusable asset, such as plastic pallets, which can be more expensive upfront than an expendable option, notes Alison Zitzke, market manager, plastic reusable pallets, ORBIS Corporation. Fortunately, ORBIS has services in place to help clients who are converting from wood to plastic, she says. For instance, it is crucial that users properly care for plastic pallets to take advantage of their benefits.
ORBIS makes it affordable for shippers to convert from wood to plastic reusable pallets through its scalable asset-management services and financing solutions. The company also stands out for its customizable pallets featuring various heights, colors, and styles.
“Training employees on proper use of the product is an important part of change management when switching from wood,” Zitzke says. “ORBIS has a dedicated team to help with education and training on the features and benefits of pallets as well as proper use in the supply chain.” Many customers view the conversion to plastic pallets to be a significant capital investment that could compete with alternative capital growth. They also worry about the loss or damage to a more expensive asset. For that reason, ORBIS provides scalable asset-management services and financing solutions that can solve both concerns. In fact, ORBIS Commercial Services provides financial solutions that allow customers to achieve optimal financial statement, balance sheet, and cash flow results, while achieving customer return on investment objectives through the conversion process. “This approach allows us to efficiently deliver the cost savings related to system uptime,” Zitzke says. “Lowering product damage and equipment downtime, and focusing on the longevity/turns that come out of a plastic reusable asset are key to recognizing cost savings to their fullest.” ORBIS provides pallet solutions for every need. For example, ORBIS offers customizable features such as open or solid decks, various heights, options with or without lips, multiple colors, and
patented molded-in frictional elements that reduce slippage—on products, fork tines, and stacked empty pallets— compared to traditional wood designs. “What sets ORBIS apart is our ability to recommend and implement the best pallet for the application, at the most competitive price, rather than limiting users to a finite pallet selection that covers broad applications,” Zitzke says. “ORBIS caters to both the retail supply and automotive markets.” Longer Lifespan Zitzke emphasizes that plastic pallets such as those offered by ORBIS come with a significantly longer lifespan than their wood counterparts. “ORBIS’ Odyssey ® family of pallets lasts over 400 turns in a third-party lifecycle analysis vs. a standard wood pallet at 11 turns,” Zitzke says. “The value of the asset over time is what helps create value with reusables vs. expendable packaging.” It also makes them more sustainable. “Reusable plastic pallets, which are fully recyclable at the end of their service life and often are made of recycled material, can help boost sustainability metrics and support a long-term environmental focus,” Zitzke says. “Using packaging lifecycle assessments to compare reusable and single-use packaging, we help companies calculate the impact reusable packaging can have on the environment.
54 Inbound Logistics • May 2025
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