LOGISTICS FEATURE HEADER
PALLETS : THE HIDDEN
LINCHPIN OF THE
SUPPLY CHAIN
Shortages of lumber , transport , and tracking measures have made pallets incredibly difficult to procure . What ’ s going on ?
WRITTEN BY : ELISE LEISE
Demand for pallets is as high as it ’ s ever been in the 15 years that I ’ ve been in the business ’, says Chris Lasseter , Summerford Pallet Company , in PalletEnterprise . ‘ Lumber prices are astronomical if you can even get wood . Core prices are going through the roof . Nail prices are up . Fuel prices are up ’.
Ask most supply chain leaders how their pallet strategy is going , and you ’ ll find their responses startlingly similar . Pallets transport fresh produce , chemicals , pharmaceuticals , machinery , and construction materials all over the world . And they ’ re rapidly gaining attention as supply chain teams find it more and more difficult to procure them on schedule .
Why Do Pallets Matter ? Imagine shipping in bulk . You shift your packages onto a pallet and secure them with straps or shrink wrap . Following that , workers drag or drive the pallets across the factory floor to load them on trucks , where they stack up nicely . Pallets reduce loading time , improve worker safety , make logistics more efficient , and protect your products . In addition , they ’ re ideal for SMEs and e-commerce since they allow 3PL companies to ship more products for less .
As the UK ’ s Association of Pallet Networks ( APN ) puts it , pallets help you achieve faster turnarounds and higher customer satisfaction . In 2020 , its members delivered
94 September 2021