Pallets are an interesting type of storage container that makes every transporting job easy. But that can’t be all to it, right? Correct! There’s a lot more to pallet manufacturing than we think. It involves more than just planks stapled together for businesses across all industries to use.
You may not know about the wood pallet–making process. Wood pallet manufacturing starts with ordering lumber from sawmills. After the lumber is trimmed to a specific length, cut into boards, and sawed down to a specific pallet type, it’s then placed into piles on a forklift or pallet jack.
Before assembling pallets, sawmills may treat the planks of wood with heat or fumigation. Both processes meet International Plant Protection Committee (IPPE) because they’re capable of preventing insects, plants, and other invasive species from inhabiting the pallets.
After the wood is heat-treated or fumigated, the building begins. Sawmills may have machinery that nails and hammers pallets together. These machines produce crates at impressive speeds, helping sawmills keep up with the demand and cost of labor. Wood pallet manufacturing differs from plastic manufacturing in several ways. Read on to learn about the production of plastic pallets.
Plastic pallet manufacturing is a science. This process creates high-quality plastic that’s designed to meet specific requirements to work for the desired purpose and end-user.
There are three stages to pallet production:
These stages are essential to creating the best crates possible. Before production starts, production teams work together to decide what material to use, if it’s going to be stackable or nestable, and if it needs to be a specific color.
These things are essential for the creation team because each pallet is individually designed to meet the needs of a specific industry. Once the details are decided, the design and molding processes can commence.
When making plastic crates, different processes are used, such as sanitization and open and closed decks. These processes help configure the final appearance of the mold. The mold is injected with high pressure. The high-pressure injection process quickens the production time.
Beyond just learning about how these production processes work, the other thing to be aware of is production costs. Today, costs have gone up exponentially. From materials to transportation, sawmills have had difficulty keeping up.
We understand that prices are exorbitantly high for production and pallet prices. The first thing we are doing is recognizing that costs are high across the board. Years before, prices were stagnant, but they have recently grown.
To help sort through high costs, we’re here to strategize your pallet roadmap. Whether you need a few hundred pallets or more, we will ensure you’re aware of rising or slowing pallet manufacturing costs.
FALM is here to help you every step of the way. We keep a close eye on pallet manufacturing trends and inform you of the latest updates. Contact us today by phone at (866) 621-6592 or email at info@falm.com for more information on mapping your pallet strategy.