Three Things to Consider When Choosing Between Pallet Manufacturers

If you’re searching for pallet manufacturers, you’ve surely noticed that there are a lot to choose from. In every state across the country, you’ll likely find multiple options for pallet manufacturers in your local area. With a surplus of choices and quite a bit of variation on products and services provided, it can be difficult to land on just one.

Fortunately for you, we’ve identified three different factors that will make your search for pallet manufacturers a breeze. When looking at your options, it’s important to consider what each of the pallet manufacturers specialize in, the company’s competitiveness, and the manufacturer’s location or locations.

If this is your first foray into the wood packaging industry, you’ll probably be surprised to hear that there are many differences between pallet manufacturers who offer new pallets and pallet manufacturers who offer recycled pallets. When attempting to distinguish between the two, it’s important to know what job you’re wanting your pallets to do. Both new and recycled pallets offer different pros and cons that you should be aware of before you get your company’s wallet involved.

Recycled Pallets

Over the last few decades, the number of pallet manufacturers who offer recycled pallets has been climbing quickly. In this era of environmentalism and carbon-consciousness, recycled pallets have been seen by some to be a favorable alternative to building new pallets.

Pallet manufacturers who provide businesses with recycled pallets require less lumber for the reclamation of old pallets, prevent damaged pallets from being thrown out, and repurpose materials from unsalvageable pallets to be used as spare parts for other pallets. All in all, recycled pallets are a sustainable option if that’s what you’re looking for.

Unfortunately, recycled pallets come with a laundry list of possible defects that you should know before spending company resources on them. Pallet manufacturers can’t know where each pallet has been, the loads that it’s carried, or its age throughout the entire pallet reclamation process. If problems can’t be identified by eye, there’s a chance your product will be shipped on a pallet that may break down in transit. It’s this trust factor that prevents some businesses from investing in recycled pallets.

New Pallets

They smell like fresh-cut wood, they’re clean, and they don’t look too bad either – it’s easy to see why new pallets are one of the most popular investments many businesses make. That being said, there’s more to a new pallet than aesthetics alone.

When ordering new pallets, some manufacturers will have pallets in stock, but most pallet manufacturers build them on a per-order basis. That means that your pallets aren’t built until you order them. It’s for that reason that you can trust that new pallets are of the same quality and consistency each time you receive a new shipment – although that still largely depends on the quality controls of the manufacturer. On top of this, the wood used for new pallets hasn’t seen any damage from pallet loads,

age, weather, or mold… New pallets are strong and sturdy. New pallets can also be ordered in many different shapes and sizes. When you choose recycled pallets, you only get to choose between the sizes that the manufacturer happens to have available. Most of the time, that means using a standard-sized pallet.

Regardless of dimensions, new pallets are made with lumber that hasn’t been used for anything else. This makes the structure of the pallet extremely strong and durable. Along with this, the wood fasteners in new pallets haven’t been exposed to the elements (something that can’t be guaranteed with recycled pallets), guaranteeing that they will create a strong connection at the joints of your pallets.

New pallets are reliable, efficient, and decrease the chances of your products being damaged. It’s because of these benefits that pallet manufacturers charge more per pallet when compared to pallet manufacturers who offer recycled pallets.

With many different options for pallet manufacturers, it’s important to understand which one will offer competitive prices, useful programs, and a wide array of products to choose from. When it comes to pallet manufacturers, not all are on an even playing field.

One easy way to separate the wheat from the chaff is to simply visit each pallet manufacturers’ website before making a phone call or submitting a request. In this day in age, browsing a vendor’s website is common sense, but there are a few tricks you can use to gauge the legitimacy of pallet manufacturers.

When browsing a pallet manufacturer’s website, one of the first steps you should take is to browse the business’ home page. Does it look organized? Does the business have easily identifiable contact information? If you can easily answer these questions, you’re well on your way to narrowing down your search. After this, it’s time to look at products.

On the pallet manufacturer’s product pages, you should find options for the materials you want your pallets made of (softwood, hardwood, export compliance), the different industries this pallet manufacturer serves, and what services they offer can benefit your company. Your pallet manufacturer will ultimately be giving you more than pallets. Their transportation details, lead times, JIT services, and other capabilities will shape the way you do business.

Lastly, you should find the business’s “About” page. On this web page, there should be identifying information about the company. The leadership team, values, and other information should all be present or easily found from this spot.

Although this process might feel superficial or unneeded, it will pay dividends down the line as we all operate in an increasingly digital world. If your pallet manufacturer can’t keep up with the times, how are they supposed to keep up with industry news, price changes, new requirements, and other important information? The answer is, “They won’t.”

The importance of location doesn’t stop at real estate! As you continue to narrow your search for pallet manufacturers, location should be one of your top priorities. When looking at the location, it’s important to consider two different criteria.

1. How far away is this pallet manufacturer from the location you need products delivered?
2. How many locations does this pallet manufacturer have?

By answering these questions, you’ll be well on your way to finding pallet manufacturers that can meet your needs in every way.

Distance is an important factor to consider when choosing a pallet manufacturer. As transportation costs continue to increase, freight rates ceaselessly climb across the country. This means that the price you pay for shipping your pallets 50 miles or 250 miles is now larger than ever before – A pallet manufacturer near you doesn’t just make sense anymore, it’s becoming fiscally responsible. Aside from increasing freight rates, pallet manufacturer location is still crucial to the success of your business.

If something goes wrong at your manufacturing facility and you need pallets ASAP, the pallet manufacturer 200 miles away can’t do much about it. On the other hand, the pallet manufacturer 20 miles away can start taking steps to fix your problem within hours. Efficiency in manufacturing is key to everything we do, looking at pallet manufacturers close by can only help your business!

If your company has multiple locations across the United States, obviously pallet manufacturers that operate out of a single location won’t do. On top of that, having a pallet manufacturer with multiple locations offers peace of mind. In the world that we live in, anything can happen – the last two years have proved as much! Natural disasters, COVID outbreaks, inclement weather, and other events can cause a location to close on short notice. When a pallet manufacturer has multiple locations, however, your order can be sent to another location so that you won’t miss out on your order.

To start narrowing down your search even further, you’ll need to find a few pallet manufacturers with multiple locations. Depending on your areas of operation, you might have to go through several different companies before you find a handful of pallet manufacturers that operate in all the areas you need them to. This can seem like a tedious process, but it will be worthwhile once you start receiving consistent shipments of pallets at all of your manufacturing facilities.

Hopefully, our list of considerations has been helpful, informative, and encouraging as you continue your search for a pallet manufacturer. If you’ve made it this far, you now have the tools you need to choose between a few pallet manufacturers that match your needs, company values, level of operation, and location. As your search winds down, we hope you think of us!