The Pallet
When it comes to the storage of most products and the maximization of space utilization, it's hard to come up with a better concept than the box. It is generally accepted that the lowly, easily disregarded pallet is one of the most effective means of handling quantities of materials. The variety of products that can be stored is limitless.
Pallets are produced from a variety of materials, starting with the cheap, single use throw away (recyclable) variety, to washable, abusable and reusable pallets. Industry demand has resulted in the development of new materials that are infinitely more flexible and durable than the commonly used wooden variety. These new materials are lighter than conventional wood pallets, reducing back injuries caused by the manual handling of pallets. They are maintenance free and available in a variety of colors, helping to distinguish products, material flow streams or assisting with quality control.
Advances in materials from which pallets are made allow the pallet to be shaped to suit the dimensional specifications of the item(s) that they are to carry, This is typically used for the transportation and storage of odd shaped and valuable items. The pallet can be produced to conventional design criteria or alternatively take the form od an enclosed container with the interior shaped to application specifications. It's value is the maximization of utilization and the security of the product. It is particularly practical for odd shaped or round pieces that have a tendency to roll around. They can be steel reinforced for higher capacities.
This system is most frequently applied to interplant shipment of in process parts or assemblies. The cost is surprisingly justifiable in consideration of the alternatives. It's been our experience that the reduction of in-transit damage alone can easily compensate for the costs. In addition to diminished damage claims, the ease of identification and ergonomic features can be applied to ROI calculations.
For the products that must be boxed or individually stored the pallet is a unique category of handling apparatus. It is a certainty that progressive technology will eliminate it's application, however, the efficiencies created by the pallets inherent simplicity will insure the everyday pallets popularity well into the future.
copyright Joe Harnest
Modulus Material Handling Systems www.rivallift.com
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