Litco News
How the Core Crisis Presents New Opportunities for Pallet Manufacturers
Chaille Brindley’s recent article in Pallet Enterprise suggests the core shortage witnessed over the last two years is becoming the new norm, prompting recyclers to find new ways to meet customer demand. Although one might think the core crisis is strictly the domain of recyclers and their customers, the scarcity of cores is having a ripple effect on the entire pallet manufacturing landscape.
The collapse of the U.S. economy in the fall of 2008 actually led to a short term abundance of cores that continued well into 2010.Continue Reading…
2012 Pallet Usage and Trending Survey
Each year, Modern Materials Handling conducts a Pallet Usage and Trending Survey. The results of the 2012 study are summarized in Bob Trebilcock’s recent Modern Materials Handling article, “The Pulse on Pallets.” In addition, MMH offers an hour long webcast that features comments from Trebilcock and Dr. Mark White, Professor Emeritus of Virginia Tech’s Center for Unit Load Design. This post highlights some the survey’s key findings and discusses the state of the pallet industry in 2012.Continue Reading…
2012 Alternative Material Pallet Guide Now Available
Each year the editors of Pallet Enterprise combine results of surveys completed by participating companies and publicly available information to create a comprehensive list of specialty pallet manufacturers. In addition to creating a directory which is available for download in PDF format, the editors at Pallet Enterprise share thoughts on Alternative Material Pallets in a recent article. Key takeaways from their report include:Continue Reading…
Online Retailing and the Future of Pallets
With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, economic forecasters are already trying to make sense of the numbers. How will retailers fare this year? Will consumer spending rise or fall when compared with last year’s numbers? When will 2012 retailer profit levels move from red to black? Chaille Brindley’s recent article in Pallet Enterprise takes this discussion one step further, using the upcoming holiday shopping season to explore connections between the growth of online retailing and the future of pallet demand.Continue Reading…
Five Keys to Optimal Pallet Design
Pallet Enterprise’s archived article titled “Balance Your Pallet Design” explains how optimal pallet performance is achieved by striking a balance between five interacting design considerations: strength, stiffness, durability, functionality, and cost. By focusing on the interaction between these variables and taking the time to consider specific product and distribution environments, logistics professionals and suppliers have the best chance of specifying the proper pallet for a given application. What follows is a brief summary of each consideration. Continue Reading…
New 48” x 45” Presswood Automotive Pallet Is Cost-Effective Alternative to Plastic
Litco International Inc., North America’s leading source of Inca presswood pallets, today announced the launch of a nestable 48” x 45”. The pallet is specifically designed to meet the needs of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to the automotive industry that can use a low cost nestable, non-plastic pallet.
The automotive industry has traditionally favored the use of plastic returnable pallets and totes with this size footprint. Space saving nestability, long life span and exemption from IPPC-ISPM 15 regulations has made plastic the pallet material of choice for many Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers shipping components both domestically, and to assembly plants in Canada and Mexico. Although these supply channels tend to be of the closed loop variety, higher acquisition costs and loss rates have some logistics professionals searching for alternatives.Continue Reading…
Celebrate Manufacturing Day – October 5, 2012
Litco International is a leading provider of ISPM-15 compliant presswood export pallets that are accepted at destinations around the world. Although we play an important part in the export economy, the process starts with manufacturing….yours and ours.
To this end, we invite our customers and friends to join us in celebrating Manufacturing Day on October 5th. Manufacturing Day is a celebration of US manufacturing capabilities, designed to promote awareness of this vital sector of the nation’s economy.Continue Reading…
Presswood versus Plastic Pallets
One popular misconception in the logistics world is that plastic pallets are inherently superior to wooden alternatives thanks to their (optional) nestable design and resistance to edge impact and infestation. Their manufacture does not result in deforestation, and at the end of their useful life, plastic pallets can be converted to re-grind and used to manufacture new items. For these reasons, some logistics managers view their plastic pallet use as the ultimate nod to environmental sustainability. Many of these claims seem valid when comparing plastic pallets to conventional, slatted wooden pallets. But, the picture becomes murkier when presswood pallets enter the equation.Continue Reading…
Clarifying IPPC- ISPM 15 Standards for Recycled Pallets
The ISPM-15 standard is designed to prevent the spread of insects and disease via overseas wood packaging materials such as crates, dunnage, and pallets. The ISPM 15 logo stamp certifies that a wooden pallet has been manufactured using debarked lumber and heat treated or fumigated, making it free of insects and safe for export use. Although the ISPM 15 standard for new pallets is quite unambiguous, the same cannot be said of recycled pallets. Because recycled pallets constitute a significant component of the available pool, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) recently sought clarification from American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) to eliminate discrepancies in how various ISPM-15 certification agencies view recycled pallets.Continue Reading…
How Pallet Selection Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Logistics Costs
We have arrived at the dawn of a new age of pallet marketing where “less” is becoming a popular area of consideration for decision makers in the logistics and materials handling fields. Although much of today’s promotional pallet literature still touts more – more size and material choices, greater strength, or increased resistance to mold and insect infestations – the notion of less is taking off in marketing circles. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the carbon footprint discussion, as Rick LeBlanc suggests in a recent article appearing in Pallet Enterprise.Continue Reading…