Wooden Pallet Management
Wood pallets remain the industry standard for shift most industrial and commercial materials both within the warehouse and for shipping.
In the past, companies were most concerned about having enough wooden pallets available or finding the smallest amount of expensive mean for removing them. Prices were low and availability was plentiful.
With ever-rising prices, current market shortages, combined with faster production speeds, companies must now carefully consider the way to best manage their wooden pallet inventories to avoid unnecessary waste within the supply chain.
They must not only pay more attention to timely inventory levels they need to also learn to require advantage of the various new choices of the various pallet grades created for various sorts of usage. Not all same size pallets are equivalent quality pallets. For instance, if a pallet is meant for internal use a far better, more long-lasting grade of the wooden pallet should be used as compared to the necessity for a 1 way only pallet which will be of a lesser quality and thus cost less.
Today’s modern production lines use specialized stackers or roller systems that need tighter pallet specs so as to function properly on the road. Low cost, lesser grade pallets can jam up a line and make costly downtime when the stacker jams or fails.
Steps to raised and less expensive wooden pallet management
The key step to improving your pallet management system is to spot your current costs.
Many warehousing professionals mistakenly track only the particular pallet cost; however, this is often only a neighborhood of the value management chain.
Here are all the prices to think about.
• Wooden Pallet type—grades and recycled vs remanufactured vs new.
• Quality—not all pallets are made an equivalent. What does one really need?
• Quantity –-saving time with bulk orders and
• On-time delivery and returns—good planning. Know your lead times.
• Storage—cost per sq ft of valuable warehouse space.
• Pallet returns—maximize their value.
• Onsite services— internal sorting and loading vs using vendor on-site services.
Wooden Pallet type and quality
Look for alternatives. The foremost expensive pallet is usually one made entirely of latest lumber. As how to scale back that cost think about using combo pallets. Combo pallets are manufactured using new wood stringers with recycled wood for top and bottom boards. Switching can save to twenty and you continue to get a top-quality, top-grade manufactured pallet built to your exact spec.
Taking that a step further has your custom wooden pallet made entirely from recycled wood. It too remains a manufactured pallet made to your exact spec but the savings overall new wood increases significantly.
Always keep quality in mind, no matter pallet type not every supplier builds their pallets an equivalent way and a poorly made custom pallet can cause a breakdown on your assembly line or fail during shipment. This will be far more expensive than the couple of pennies you'll save by accepting a lesser quality built pallet no matter the materials used. Know your supplier!
If you employ standard recycled pallets always consider the various grades available. For instance, the 48 x 40 industry-standard pallet is out there in several different grades of A’s & B’s. An A grade will be better condition than a B grade. An A has no repairs to any of the stringers, has fewer markings and therefore the wood overall is in better condition than a B grade. But, if you simply need a one-way pallet to urge the products out the door using the structurally sound B grade won’t let your loads down and can prevent between 10% up to 30% over the upper grades of A pallets.
Sometime less is more…. but other times… it’s not!
What the heck does that mean? For the foremost part, it's better to standardize your pallet needs by reducing the amount of various sizes and kinds of pallets utilized in your operation. This lower inventory counts frees up aisle space, can reduce delivery lead times and possibly gain better discounts.
On the opposite hand, if only a couple of of your customers require all new wood pallets or grade A recycled pallets over grade B pallets, then it pays to take care of a mixed inventory as you are doing not got to be buying only the higher pallets when most of your customers aren't posing for them.
On-time delivery and returns
By working with a reliable supplier who will assure on-time delivery, you'll keep lower levels of on-hand inventory which reduces holding costs and frees up valuable warehouse space. As for returns, there's nothing more aggravating than having a full trailer load of broken pallets still docking your dock days after you asked for it to be pulled. If you’re storing your returns inside then this is often taking over valuable warehouse space. Consider the dollars per sq ft wasted and accompany a reliable supplier who will meet your scheduling needs.
Large-volume users should consider supplying their supplier with blanket orders which may be drawn against as this may also help to regulate cost and, more so, make sure that you get what you would like once you need it. This is often very true for custom made wooden pallets that need lead times.
Returns may have value. Certain sizes and categories of wooden pallets have return value to them. Make certain to figure together with your supplier to mix the simplest purchase costs in conjunction with what you'll be purchased pallets that are returned. Always attempt to send the trailer going back as fully as possible. Small return loads are often a drag for suppliers and thus not have enough value to hide the return freight cost. Ask the supplier if they take back recyclable corrugate and film that you simply may rather be paying to possess hauled to a landfill.