Pallets offer an efficient way to store and ship products from one place to another. For major shipping companies, pallets play a vital role in ensuring the safe delivery of industrial commodities. Pallets are strong and durable. With the use of pallets, products are kept safe and secure.
According to research, 30 percent of industries end up having to manage the damages caused to products even with their pallet packaging. The damages are usually due to mistakes workers make while packing products, loading the pallets, and/or stacking them.
What are common pallet packing mistakes you should avoid? Here are some of them…
#1 You Select The Wrong Pallet For Packaging
Often the first mistake people make in the pallet packing process is to choose the wrong pallet. Every product demands a different type of pallet packing. For instance, delicate and heavy products require wooden pallet packaging, whereas for lightweight commodities you can use plastic packaging. If you choose a plastic pallet for heavy objects, it will suffer from damage while stacking and loading. Besides, you should use high-quality pallets. High-quality and new pallets have great strength to hold the weight of various products. Most often, it is tempting to use old pallets until they break, but avoid making such mistakes. While reusing old pallets, you increase the probability of damage to the products and it’s easier to experience accidents. Old pallets can break anytime and lead to severe damage to the products! Be careful about the type of pallet(s) you use.
#2 You Are Making Mistakes While Packing Individual Boxes
If you want to ship products safely using pallets, focus on individual packaging. The individual packing of products is essential before you stack them up– individual packing will not let the products inside the cartons shift.
You can prevent damage to products with individual packing. While individually packing the products, you should use the right size boxes or cartons. This will provide proper loading in the pallets and will ensure double protection of the products. Moreover, you can distribute the load uniformly in the pallet stack.
#3 Improper Stacking Of Products In/On The Pallets
People think stacking products in/on pallets is simple, but it really does need to be done strategically. If you neglect proper stacking, expect damage to the products. The individual boxes or cartons you place in the pallets must fit perfectly. Improper placement will cause uneven spacing in the pallets. Due to this, the load distribution will not be uniform and can cause accidents and damage to pallets/products.
#4 Not Following Proper Pallet Packing Guidelines
Manufacturing units have published specific standards and guidelines for pallet packing. If you do not adhere to the standard packing procedure(s), there’s a high chance of pallet packing mistakes. Due to your mistakes, pallets can break. Moreover, you can damage the products inside the pallets. Before you start pallet packing, refer to all the standard rules and guidelines.
#5 Do Not Skimp While Using Stretch Wrap
What method do you use while packing products with the stretch wrap? Do you use a stretch wrap machine or a manual wrap technique? With both techniques, ensure that you do not skimp while using the stretch wrap. When you want to wrap the pallets, use a proper wrap. It should cover up all the individual boxes to ensure safety. There should be at least 5 wraps for safe packing. Along with this, you should twist the wrap. This will help ensure the durability of the pallets.
#6 You Are Not Using Proper Labels
Proper labels are essential for pallet packaging. With proper packing, you can separate harmful products from regular products and workers can clearly understand the proper placement of pallets when they have proper labels on them.
Summary
There are several common mistakes people make while pallet packaging. Understanding these mistakes is the first step toward preventing them. For pallet packaging, always use high-quality pallets. You can get the best wooden pallets from Pallet Resource Corp. of Blaine, Minnesota. Call 763-792-2882 for more info.
