In logistic operations, the rule of the thumb is to spend more if you want to save more money. Going cheap on packaging materials and logistic equipment will end up costing an organization more – and not just in terms of money. Today, we will explain why it makes sense to purchase more expensive plastic pallets instead of very affordable wooden pallets.
We understand that everyone is looking at ways of saving money at the present. But cheap pallets do not represent a smart way of saving. They will compromise:
- Your products
- Your profits
- Your relationship with clients.
And we don’t say it just because it sounds persuasive. As professional packaging producers, we have witnessed such situations happening. And we want to prevent them from happening to your company.
So read on, and find out why choosing top tier plastic pallets makes business sense in these uncertain economic conditions.
Premium Plastic Pallets Are Built to Last
The first thing that makes plastic pallets a great choice for the goal of long term savings is their durability. Cheap wooden pallets have a very short lifespan. By the time a plastic pallet has reached the end of life, you would have to replace a wooden pallet several times.
In the end, the company that chose cheap pallets will spend significantly more money than the organization that invested in top tier plastic pallets.
The Cost per Journey Is Less Expensive
One of our clients calculated that each of their wooden pallets generated a cost per journey of EUR1.55. By comparison, the cost per journey for each plastic pallet is only EUR0.25.
That is six times less. Why the difference? While plastic pallets maintain their features, properties and quality in time, wooden pallets:
- Get heavier as they absorb liquids
- Are difficult to clean and sanitize
- Require repairs every once in a while.
All these elements add up to make a high total cost of ownership as well as other overhead costs.
Low Own Weight Means More Product per Trailer
Let us consider another type of cost associated with wooden pallet. As explained above, they tend to get heavier over time, because they absorb liquids. But even when they are brand new, they are quite heavy – heavier than plastic pallets of the same dimensions.
So what happens when you hire a full trailer to ship your products? The trailer has a maximum weight limit. Using heavy wooden pallets, you actually ship less products compared to a company which uses plastic pallets. These have a low own weight compared tot their loading capacity.
Plastic Pallets Maintain a Clean and Professional Look over Time
Let us look at another aspect relating to savings and plastic pallets. Many businesses that started cutting corners by shipping their goods on wooden pallets lost clients. Why?
Imagine a supermarket manager overseeing the delivery of goods. The pallets look dirty, despite the best efforts to clean them. One of them is chipped and causes an injury to one of the store employees handling it. Another cracked under the load and some of the products are damaged, as well. That supermarket manager is not happy and will think twice before ordering from the same supplier.
Plastic pallets do not cause any of these problems. Instead, these pallets:
- maintain their professional look
- are easy to clean
- do not break down
- do not splinter.
After many years of intense use and repeated use cycles, top tier plastic pallets look relatively the same and maintain the same load bearing capacity.
Logistic Packaging experts know everything about plastic pallets. Our mission is to help companies improve their logistic operations and increase their profitability by reducing operational costs. Send us an email detailing your packaging and shipping operations and we will recommend the best plastic pallets for your business!