News - Tagged: ISPM 15

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…

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…

INCOTERMS®: Staying on Top of Exporting Terminology

Export-loaded container shipThe International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) annually publishes a revised version to its International Commercial Terms, also known as INCOTERMS®, that take effect on January 1 of a given year. INCOTERMS are a set of three-letter standard trade terms most commonly used in international contracts for the sale of goods. First published in 1936, INCOTERMS provide internationally accepted definitions and rules of interpretation for most common commercial terms. In the US, INCOTERMS are increasingly used in domestic sales contracts rather than UCC shipment and delivery terms. Perhaps the most frequently cited – FOB – FREE ON BOARD (… named port of shipment) defines that: The Seller delivers the goods on board the ship and clears the goods for export. From that point, the Buyer bears all costs and risks of loss or damage.

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APHIS Proposes New Restrictions on Wood Packaging Materials Shipping Between Canada and US

New restrictions on wood packaging materials shipping between Canada and the US is proposed per ISPM 15 requirements by APHIS

If adopted, shipments containing bug infested wood packaging materials could be refused as soon as summer 2011.

Vienna, Ohio – A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would remove the exemption from ISPM 15 on wood packaging material moving between Canada and the United States in both directions beginning in 2011. “If adopted, the proposal will have a significant impact on shipments on pallets, says Gary Sharon, vice president, Litco International (www.litco.com/), North America’s leading source for presswood pallets.Continue Reading…