Plastic Pallet Manufacturer

Plastic Pallets are Cleaner than Wooden Pallets

Molded Plastic pallets are generally molded from smooth plastic and can be a cleaner alternative to wooden shipping pallets. Wooden shipping pallets are manufactured from a porous, natural material that can easily splinter, cause dust and even give dust and microbes a secure home.

Wood fibers can easily can easily breakdown from simple friction. This abrasion is easily caused when the pallet is slid across the floor or when corrugated boxes are stacked on top of the pallet. The natural fibers of a wood, especially that of rough cut or saw cut planks, often used in the wooden pallet industry tends to form perfect holding areas for dust, dirt and microbes of many kinds.

The smooth finish of a typical plastic manufactured pallet eliminates much of the friction and minimizes the loss of material which ultimately becomes airborne dust. The elimination of porous fibers and splinters minimizes the places for dust to collect.

Plastic pallets generally have no extruding fasteners such as nails or staples. Fasteners can cause damage to cartons and injury to people simply during the handling process and when broken away from the pallet they become potentially hazardous to non-pallet handling employees and equipment.

If soiled or dirtied plastic pallets can be quickly cleaned using a high pressure spray wash and a mild cleaning agent. Wooden pallets can also be spray washed, however it takes more effort, a longer spraying cycle, and an extended drying time and in the end you cannot be certain odors and stains that have penetrated the wood surface will be completely removed.

Instant Plastic Pallet Manufacturer

It is now possible to purchase individual injection molding machines designed to manufacture your own plastic pallets in house. The question remains is it a sound addition to your manufacturing floor?

One dilemma that has confronted manufacturing since the beginning is; what can we source effectively and what can produce in house more profitably? Packaging in general has been in this discussion from the start and in the early manufacturing environment, especially where much of what was transported was done so in wooden boxes, it may have made sense to keep the process in house.

Today’s manufacturing environment is very different.  It is virtually impossible for manufacturers of parts and goods to compete with companies that are specifically in the packaging business. packaging is still more than not a better value when outsourced.

Find out how one company proposes that you  can easily and cost effectively produce your own plastic pallets in house.  Become an instant plastic pallet manufacturer.

Burning Debate; Fire Safety Plastic Manufactured Pallets Versus Wooden Manufactured Pallets 

Since the introduction of plastic pallets the controversy over whether wood pallets or plastic manufactured pallets pose a greater fire threat has burned brightly. Unfortunately this debate has become increasingly political with each of the pallet manufacturing industries touting their own benefits while disparaging the competing side.

With all of the muckraking it is fairly impossible to get a totally unbiased and scientific view point from either the wood pallet manufacturing industry or the plastic pallet manufacturer’s side- There are of course hundreds of reports and white papers floating around the internet, with certified testing, that will claim to give an unbiased  conclusion; Who do we believe?

The reality is that both plastic pallet manufacturer’s and wooden pallet manufacturer’s can only do so much to mitigate the fire risk associated with their products. Due to pressures from insurance companies, environmental, and labor organizations the plastic pallet manufacturer’s have done at least a fair job in developing products that will not ignite as quickly or burn as hot as some of the original designs may have, and wooden pallet manufactures have worked toward educating their customer base to use safer methods of storage.

You can discuss the matter with many in the pallet industry and dependent on their beliefs (generally associated with the product they are peddling) you will get varied opinions. Both plastic pallets and wooden pallets have a place in the supply chain and regardless of  which you choose to use the discussion of which is a greater fire risk may not be that distinguishable. Each have the potential of causing great damage to facilities and personnel if not handled properly.

Use common sense material handling guidelines (quite another topic) and you will greatly reduce the risks associated with the storage of both wooden manufactured pallets and plastic manufactured pallets, regardless of which style of shipping pallet you opt to utilize.  - Author: Win Lindner

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Plastic Collapsible Bulk Containers

Collapsible plastic bulk containers can offer sturdy environmentally friendly returnable packaging solutions. Coming in various sizes the collapsible sides allow for more efficient storage and can easily put into place to form the completed plastic crate.

Once received at the final destination, the crates can once again be broken down to take up only a fraction of the space they did when they erected. This saves warehouse storage space while waiting for return as well as giving the ability to cube more units onto the return trip trailer.

Just as in the plastic pallet industry the plastic bulk container sometimes known as plastic pallet boxes are often available for purchase as recycled goods.

Used Plastic Pallet

There are countless scenarios where a used plastic pallet will do as well as a new plastic pallet and likewise will substitute for a wooden pallet.  If your’e shipping department has the latitude to substitute plastic for wood or used plastic pallets for new ones on smaller or emergency orders you can save bottom line dollars as they relate to your packaging costs.

If your sales force or your drivers can ask a few simple questions you will likely be able to find free discarded pallets from your vendors and your customers. Make an agreement with them to promptly remove these from their waste stream and you may have an opportunity to acquire good used plastic pallets for the cost of transporting them and if they are a back haul you will save even more.

Of course not all of your shipments can be shipped on a used plastic pallet. For those that can it’s a simple matter of mathematics let’s say you can substitute as few as four or five used pallets daily for your shipments and your running five shipping days weekly that’s 20 to 30 pallets savings each week. Allowing that your gross cost savings is approximately $10.00 per unit you can show a weekly savings of $200-$300 each week. What could you do with those extra dollars in your department?

Plastic Pallet Footprint

The foot print of a plastic pallet varies widely and is predicated on either a custom manufactured specification to accommodate a specific shipping, product, or racking need,- or the footprint is dependent upon an industry standard. In most cases we’ll find the pallet footprint is decided based on an industry standard. Common sized pallets are already in production, thus more affordable than custom plastic pallet specification which will take additional tooling and production time.

Wooden shipping pallets have been around much longer than the plastic counterpart and are becoming an affordable shipping pallet alternative. see:  http://plasticpalletmanufacturer.com/plastic-pallet-manufacturer-overview .

Each Industry will invariably have a at least a few standard sizes to call on.* They can be 48″x48″, 48″x40″, 40″x40″ or even 36″x36″. Standard sizes were generally established during the evolution of the wooden pallet or shipping platform and have followed suit in the manufacture of plastic pallets.

*The sizes cited are common US pallet foot prints. The European market has established sizes based on the metric system of measurement.

A sampling of some common pallet footprints by industry:

Automotive pallet foot print: 45″ x 45″, 42″ x 42″

Chemical Industry: 48″ x 48″, 44″ x44″ (Drum Pallets)

Milk and Dairy: 48″ x 40″ , 40″ x 40″

Plastics: 48″ x 48″,  48 x 45″ x 45″

Grocery: 48″ x 40″ (GMA Pallet)

Retail: 48″ x 40″, 24 x 40″

Metal parts manufacture: 40″ x 40″, 36  ”x36″

Beverage Industry: 48″ x 36″, 36″ x 36″

Shingles Industry: 48″ x 36″

Paint Industry: 42″ x 42″