Supplier

How to choose a pallet supplier.

With over 4,000 wooden pallet manufacturers in the United States alone, the process of qualifying and choosing a good supplier can be overwhelming. The following list of questions should help you narrow your search.

NWPCA Is the supplier a member of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA)? NWPCA members are armed with the latest information about the pallet industry and pallet related issues. An NWPCA member will work with you to develop the optimal shipping platform and help educate you about proper pallet handling and safety. Palcon, LLC is an active member of the NWPCA.

Service Is the supplier able to provide JIT delivery? Can the supplier offer waste pallet and lumber removal? Can the supplier eliminate your pallet worries by maintaining your inventories and letting you focus on other important issues? Palcon will do all of the above.

Delivery Does the supplier own its own truck fleet? Often it is difficult to arrange trucking, especially in emergencies. Palcon owns its own truck fleet. With Palcon, you will have your pallets when you need them, not when an outside trucking firm can deliver them.

Technology/Communication Does the supplier have EDI capabilities? Does the supplier offer pallet engineering? Can the supplier offer a customer specific web based database? Palcon can.

Broker or Manufacturer Is the supplier a pallet broker or a pallet manufacturer? Pallet brokers use several manufacturers to build pallets for their customers, which allows them to service larger accounts. Most reputable brokers are noted for their excellent service. Manufacturers build their own pallets and sell them directly to the customer or to a pallet broker. Pallet manufacturers have direct control of quality and service. Palcon manufacturers 90% of their pallets and brokers 10%. Brokering allows Palcon to service national accounts, which would be virtually impossible for a single manufacture.

Quality Will the supplier provide a 100% guarantee on quality? What type of quality program does the pallet supplier utilize? Palcon guarantees all products and utilizes Quality Standard Plus (QSP) to ensure that are products exceed our customer’s expectations. If you have a question about quality, please request a customer list and give them a call.

Price How does the supplier determine price? Pallet prices fluctuate from region to region and are generally based on current lumber market conditions. The pallet purchaser can eliminate some of the guess work by knowing how to calculate the amount of lumber that goes into a pallet and by knowing current lumber prices. The following information should help you.

Lumber :

Lumber makes up a majority of a pallet’s price. Therefore, if lumber board footage is reduced, the price of the pallet can be reduced significantly. The formula for determining board footage:

To calculate how much lumber is in a pallet you need to determine the board footage of the deckboards and the stringers and then add them together.

When requesting quotes on pallets, make sure the quoted pallets are based on your exact specifications. A deviation by as little as 1/16 of an inch will affect the price of the pallet.

In addition, make sure your supplier has PDSŽ to help you determine the optimal shipping platform. This software will show you the weight capacity of your pallets, the expected life of the pallets, and the pallets average cost per trip. PDSŽ can be used to redesign your pallets and possibly save you money.

I hope this information helps you in your supplier search. Please call Palcon anytime at 800-838-2023 or drop us an email. We would be glad to help you in any way

PALCON HOME PAGE