Lightweight steel pallets
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
The Worthington Steelpac distribution pallet is being touted as the first lightweight, flame-resistant steel pallet designed to meet Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) capacity and compatibility standards. Stronger and more durable, it helps reduce damage and repair costs compared to wood or plastic pallets.
The Steelpac pallets, made of galvanized steel, are precision engineered with a fully-welded assembly for strength and less deflection under load. There are no fasteners or sharp edges to damage or contaminate products.
Rust-resistant and non-porous, they are washable with no absorption. They also can be recycled.
What's more, these new steel pallets reduce the downtime associated with traditional pallet damage, such as splintering, which helps improve the pallet's compatibility with palletizers and automated handling systems.
The Steelpac pallet measures 48-by-4-by-5.5 inches and weighs 63 pounds — 10 pounds lighter than comparable wood pallets. Other sizes are available due to modular manufacturing. All pallets have four-way forklift and pallet jack access.
“In the final 12 months of testing, our steel distribution pallet had less than a five percent damage rate, which is five times less than the average damage rate of a traditional wood block style pallet,” says Jon Holthaus of Worthington Steelpac, a company that designs and manufactures reusable steel platforms, racks, and pallets.
“Additional testing reinforced the product's durability claim, producing a zero percent damage rate after two years and 52 turns.”
He says the value proposition of the Steelpac distribution pallet is “its durability, allowing the number of replacement pallets introduced a year to be reduced, saving the environment, and saving organizations thousands of dollars.”
