News - Tagged: 9BLOC pallets
CHEP v. 9BLOC and the Case for Molded Presswood Pallets
Attempts by Wal-Mart, Costco, and other mass retailers to minimize product damage and create greater handling efficiencies have helped the block pallet supplant the stringer pallet in recent years. Initially, the big box block pallet preference prompted many manufacturers to consider solutions from CHEP, a global leader in the pallet rental market, servicing over 300,000 customers worldwide. Although CHEP offered a universally accepted big box pallet solution, the ubiquitous sea of blue came with a price. Some manufacturers disliked the notion of a forced partnership with a distant, corporate entity capable of exercising such control over the supply and demand of the pallet pool. With fewer suppliers contributing to the pool, manufacturers found themselves facing a pallet market fraught with uncertainty. Other manufacturers were reluctant to end longstanding relationships with local pallet suppliers. Despite these concerns, the tide had shifted, and at least in the mass retailer world, traditional stringers lost favor to newer, more expensive block pallets.Continue Reading…