Two efficient methods for moving product have evolved from extensive research conducted by pallet committees: pallet-less slipsheeting for shipping/ storage and specially designed plastic pallets for work-in-process and preferred customer Return Loop Shipping.

In addition to committee members, converters, too, are beginning to recognize the economies afforded by using industry-specific, specially-designed plastic pallets in every area from manufacturing and finishing to shipping and storage.

However, in using plastic pallets, converters should ensure that they are properly styled to suit the industry's particular processes and demands. For example, plastic resin type, molding process, conveyorization and the physical characteristics of plastic pallets are all important considerations.

At Tenneco Packaging, Buffalo, New York, Dave delaRosa, production manager, wrote to one pallet manufacturer, "At our Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, plant we had tried for years to find an alternative material pallet... As a corrugated plant we have a manufacturing environment that is relatively harsh."

Accounting for these demands, delaRosa began using Stratis' solid wall molded style plastic pallets, which he discovered withstood forklift and handling abuse.

Vince Peluso, production manager at the same Tenneco plant, indicated that the switch to solid-wall single-piece molded pallets is netting a bottom line savings of $20,000 per year by reducing plastic pallet replacement costs alone. He has also found damage reduction and productivity increases.

For sheet-fed folding carton plants, slotted top feed and delivery pallets may be an option as well as pallets equipped with safety features to protect against empty stacks sliding and falling.

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