The unassuming shipping cargo pallet is an essential component of the economic machine. The worldwide pallet market reached $3 billion in 2017; by 2023, it is expected to reach $4 billion. Why are pallets such a crucial component of so many diverse industries? And what alterations may they make to your company?
Describe a Pallet.
A pallet is a foundation for loading merchandise or other items for shipment. A “unit load” is created by stacking individual objects on a pallet, a frequently constructed wooden platform. Each unit has a robust and weight-bearing bottom thanks to the pallet, making it simple to move and load using a pallet jack, forklift, crane, or other handling equipment. When shipping containers abroad, you can fit a specific number of pallets (also known as load units) in a typical container with a length of 20 or 40 feet. Pallets, however, exist in various sizes and shapes, affecting how many may fit in a container.
Most pallet types can support loads of more than 1,000 kg, making them ideal for shipping heavy items. Your shipment may be moved and loaded more quickly and easily if combined into unit-loads of pallets. With their rectangular shape and clean, level surfaces, transport containers allow for rapid pallet transfer using forklifts of various sizes or numerous other loading vehicles. Pallet use is affordable daily since it is simple to store them in commercial or industrial buildings and handle them on level surfaces with little effort. At a distribution centre or its destination, a single worker may swiftly and easily disassemble a loaded pallet into its component pieces.
The quick answer is that they greatly simplify a lot of the routine logistics and storage operations. The shipping and packing professionals have explanations for this. Continue reading to discover the four benefits of palletising your products and how they may enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of your warehouse.
1. Without pallets, certain carriers won’t transport your freight, and air circulation is essential for some commodities.
Almost all industries that move freight use pallets as a primary shipping method. They speed up the tracking and organizing processes and the rapid and straightforward unloading of trucks and containers. Floor-loaded cargo, or cargo packed on a container’s floor without using pallets, is more prone to shift during transport and frequently needs additional security in cargo straps or bars. For these reasons, many carriers don’t think the extra labor required to deliver floor-loaded freight securely is worthwhile. Contact your logistics provider in advance if you need to send items that must be floor loaded. However, not all carriers demand or even permit the shipment of palletized products. To save weight and space, certain air freight companies, in particular, prefer to ship without pallets. But you’re at a disadvantage in most sectors if you don’t palletize your freight.
Fresh food, for example, needs room to breathe. Because they offer the required space for air currents to enter and exit, the gaps on the bottom of a typical pallet are crucial for safely keeping these objects. Pallets provide this benefit in a manner that most other cargo organizing techniques cannot, mainly if you deliver products or other commodities requiring air circulation.
2. Pallets make moving and handling things considerably simpler.
The pallet and the forklift work together seamlessly. Together, the two technologies offer the most straightforward and quick method of moving goods inside a warehouse or loading dock. A forklift is often used to lift and move most shipping pallet types.
Moving floor-loaded freight without specialist equipment is substantially more challenging and time-consuming. With standard pallet handling tools like forklifts and pallet jacks, any warehouse can easily handle most palletized items. You are taking away some of the most crucial tools many warehouses rely on to manage freight if your items aren’t housed on pallets.
3. Pallets provide a variety of storage options.
Pallets have made it feasible for several storage improvements. Operators of forklifts may stack pallets on tall shelves, creating various vertical organizing options. With simply a quick slotting-in procedure, products may be stored in warehouses two, three, or more shelves high. If you can employ a vertical approach, you’ll need to use numerous labor hours without pallets to place and remove your merchandise from high shelves.
It’s crucial to keep in mind to buy pallets that are compatible with your warehouse organizing methods. Before implementing any vertically oriented storage strategies, ensure that the pallet specifications and dimensions match the storage capacity of your warehouse and that your shelving is suitably rated for them.
4. When goods are palletised, they can be traced and tallied more efficiently, and most pallet types may be recycled.
Pallets divide products into simple units to count and trace, a requirement for any warehouse concerning effective inventory management. Warehouse employees can effectively track stock and incoming and outgoing shipments via the pallets’ barcode IDs, utilizing inventory systems like pallet barcode scanners.
After delivery, many pallets will still be helpful for various additional purposes. In actuality, 326 million used pallets were sold again as pallets in 2011, and another 148 million were recycled, totaling 474 million recovered pallets. Despite the sad fact that many pallets still wind up in landfills, there are numerous methods to change this with some work on your side. Cargo pallet manufacturers deciding to recycle or reuse your pallets is a beautiful place to start if you want to make your shipping operations more environmentally friendly.
Conclusion
Of course, certain firms will benefit from palletized shipping more than others. Small B2C companies may frequently get by with just parcel delivery. However, there are several reasons why palletized shipping remains the industry norm, particularly for B2B firms. Which deals fit you best will ultimately be up to you.
