A newly formed Australian company claims it is set to revolutionise supply chain logistics and costs with what it says is the the world’s first stackable, nestable and rackable pallet.
Cheltenham, Victoria-based company 1-PAL says its fully locally-designed and manufactured pallet system, also called 1-PAL, was launched late last year and is able to provide companies with significant warehousing, freight, environmental, safety and cost benefits.
1?PAL recently won the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia’s (Victoria Division) Environmental Award, and was a runner-up for BASF Australia’s Plastics’ Award for Design and Innovation.
The plastic 1-PAL pallet incorporates features from a number of different pallet designs into a single versatile unit, company director Ryan Groom says.
It features a series of carefully designed slots in its top surface, allowing the solid legs of the nesting pallet to stack inside when it’s rotated 90 degrees.
Groom says this gives the 1-PAL pallet a 3:1 height ratio when stacked compared to standard pallets, while it can also be stacked similar to traditional pallets, permitting easy forklift access.
The solid leg design gives it the ability to safely rack 1000 kilograms in temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius and as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Notches in the 1-PAL’s four legs also allows it to safely locate in standard beam-racking.
“The logistics industry is tied to the use of pallets and we’ve seen very little innovation in pallets in the past century,” Groom says.
“1?PAL is a true total cost solution and we estimate that its warehousing and freight benefits will enable businesses to save up to 65 per cent in operational costs.
“Warehousing is a significant operating cost for many companies and the 1-PAL system reduces the amount of warehousing and freight required due to its innovative and space-saving design.”
He says being able to withstand a variety of temperatures in the FMCG supply chain was identified as a key feature desired by such industries as food production and retailing.
“We’ve received feedback from industry that the ability of pallets to withstand large loads in high temperatures is becoming an increasing concern, especially for companies storing large amounts of inventory in changeable climates,” he says.
Groom says the 1-PAL pallet is made from a newly developed long-grain glass fibre polymer that gives the pallet superior strength to weight ratio, high-impact strength designed to absorb re-occurring forklift tyne collision and it also ensures it maintains integrity under extreme environmental conditions.
The 1-PAL pallet weighs less than 13kg, about one third the weight of a traditional hardwood pallet. This is a weight saving of 3200kg per 100 pallets transported when compared with hardwood pallets.
It is also occupational, health and safety approved to be lifted by a single person.
Groom says it also has significant environmental benefits.
“1?PAL can be fully recycled at the end of its life, cleaned at high temperatures and has drainage holes that prevent water collection, making it an ideal solution for food and beverage industries,” Groom says.
1-PAL says its new pallet is the world's first stackable, nstable and rackable pallet.
