Pleasing to the Pallet
A PALETTE OF PALLETS A look at the most commonly used pallets in today’s warehouses. Grocery Industry Four-Way Pallet
embedded RFID tag gives them confidence that the tag will not be accidentally or intentionally removed or altered.” Companies such as CHEP and JECO play an equal role in helping facilitate RFID integration across the industry at large, enabling companies to test the technology in their supply chains rather than engage in costly and timely pilot projects on their own. Wood Still Popular While plastic conveyances are gain- ing traction in some materials handling applications, wooden pallets are still omnipresent. The per-unit cost of plas- tic pallets is difficult for some shippers to swallow, especially when there is no guarantee that pallets will return to their owners. “Because most shippers use ‘storage’ pallets also as ‘shipping’ pallets, the plastic pallets never seem to come back–and they are pricey,” says Michael Leranbaum, president of Beaver Materials Handling, a North York, Ontario, company that specializes in turnkey warehouse logistics solutions. The primary advantage of using wood pallets versus plastic or steel is cost, adds Chuck Burke, general man- ager of SMIco, a Cresco, Iowa-based company that manufactures wood pallets and recycles and reconditions used ones. The cost differential between wood and plastic is a primary concern espe- cially for small and medium-sized businesses that do not have the lux- ury or leverage to invest significant upfront capital in floor-level handling equipment. Many shippers inevitably use pallets for storage. Even if wooden pallets are used during shipping, the cost risk is less than moving product on a $100
A pallet with openings at both pallet ends and along pallet sides suffi- cient to admit hand-pallet jacks. Full four-way entry pallets are used in the grocery industry only. Heavy-Duty Stringer Pallet (Notched for Four-Way Entry) A stringer pallet with openings at both pallet ends and along pallet sides sufficient to admit hand-pallet jacks; a full four-way entry pallet. Heavy-Duty Two-Way Stringer Pallet A stringer pallet with un-notched solid stringers allowing entry only from the ends. Limited-Use Stringer Pallet A pallet intended for a series of handlings during a single trip from shipper to receiver; it is then disposed. Perimeter Base Block Pallet A type of pallet with blocks between the pallet decks or beneath the top deck based around the perimeter. Premium Panel Deck (Plywood Stringer Pallet) Pallet constructed with composite or structural panel top deck. Presswood Pallets Commonly known as Inca Presswood pallets, made of wood fiber un- der high heat and pressure with a resin bonding agent. Also consid- ered manufactured wood. Single Faced Skid Pallet having no bottom deck. Single Wing Pallet (with Optional Chamfer on Bottom Boards)
A pallet with the top deck boards ex- tending beyond the edges of the string- ers or stringer-boards with the bottom deck boards flush (if present). Standard Reversible Pallet A pallet with identical top and bottom decks. Stevedore Type Double Wing Pallet A pallet designed for use on seaport shipping docks, normally of heavy-duty, double-wing construction.
SOURCE: Pallet-mall.com
130 Inbound Logistics • July 2007
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