How conflict seeded the growth of the wood-pallet industry
Believe it or not we can thank the Second World War for the meteoric growth of the wood-pallet manufacturing industry.
In
the early 30's it was a couple of days work for several men to unload a
boxcar of canned goods. But the same task took only a few hours
following the advent of wooden platforms (pallets) for stacking goods,
and the associated machinery (forklifts) with which to move them. This
combination of speed and reduced manpower was vital to the war effort,
so it was during the war years and immediately after that plenty of
R&D time and money was invested in the wood-packaging material 
(WPM)
industry.
Fast forward to today, and you can see how the industry has expanded.
It's
estimated there are about two billion pallets in use every day in the
United States alone, with well over 500 million more made or repaired
each year. Wooden pallets account for over 90 per cent of all pallets in
circulation, and total growth in the industry averages around one per
cent each year.
Many companies don't realize that there
are many different types of pallet dimensions in use today around the
world. For example, the most commonly used pallet in North America is
the Grocery Manufacturers' Association (GMA) pallet. This pallet
accounts for almost one third of new pallets produced in the United
States each year. For the safe and on-time delivery of your company's
products from manufacturing plant to client, it's vital that you take
the time to select the right pallet for the task at hand. To do this
there are many questions you need to answer. You can either
undertake this time-consuming task yourself, or you can contact an
accredited wooden-pallet manufacturer who will be able to address all of
your packaging questions, and give you the best advice for your needs.
LCN
are industry leaders in the manufacture of wood pallets and crates. The
company has an annual production capacity of over two million pallets.
LCN was the first company in North America to offer heat treatment for assembled pallets—part of the HT ISPM 15 certification program that is a legal requirement for all export markets.
To benefit from LCN's expertise and competitive rates, contact them today.