There are literally millions of pallets in use around the world today in many different types of industries that manufacture, store, ship or receive significant amounts of products. Pallets are vital to these companies because they are a highly cost-effective means of arranging products so that they can be transported with maximum efficiency. For many years, virtually all of the world’s pallets were made of wood, mainly because wood worked, was available in abundance, and was a superior-performing substance to construct pallets from. However, it was not cost-effective for that use. These days, however, the plastic pallet is beginning to take over for wooden pallet because they are more efficient and, in the long run, more cost-effective. Please take a brief moment to read the following succinct article concerning the plastic pallet, their key attributes, and why many business owners have gained significant benefits by switching to them and away from the older wooden models.

Many companies have switched from the wooden pallet to the plastic pallet for two key reasons: the plastic pallets perform much better, and the wooden pallet has some drawbacks that can contribute to needless dollar losses. The plastic pallets, also known as rackable pallets, are material handling equipment constructed of rugged polyethylene. This polyethylene enables each plastic pallet to have a longer lifespan and be easier to clean that its wooden counterpart. In addition, plastic skids are more structurally sound than wooden ones. Made from a mold, the rackable pallet is a single unit from its beginning, as opposed to being constructed of different elements nailed together as are wooden models. The bulk plastic pallet thus will never break down into component parts, as wooden pallets often eventually will when their nails loosen and some of their boards begin to come apart from the unit’s frame.

A key advantage of plastic pallets is that, unlike wooden models, they are non-porous. There are two key reasons why this makes the plastic skid a superior piece of equipment. Firstly, the fact that water cannot penetrate it enables it to stand up better to inclement weather. Exposure over time to rain and snow will affect plastic pallets significantly less than wooden ones. Mold and mildew thus are much less of a factor. In addition, when used with fresh foods such as fruits or vegetables, the plastic pallet, unlike the wooden pallet, will not absorb these foods’ moisture and develop an odor. The fact that they are non-porous gives plastic pallets a sanitation advantage over wooden ones.

Most top plastic pallet models have serrated decks with holes. This allows for excellent drainage and helps to further make water exposure a virtual non-issue. Complete non-issues with these models are the splinters and loose-nail punctures that occur with the wooden pallet. In addition, the plastic pallet has an environmental advantage. When they ultimately wear out (after lasting longer than wooden models), they do not wind up in landfills like their wooden counterparts. They instead are recycled, doing their part to cut down on industrial waste. The plastic pallets thus are ecologically sound as well as being high-efficiency industrial business equipment. It is the customer’s responsibility to verify correctness of fit for applications.

Beacon Industries is a world-class provider of Material Handling Equipment. Since 1949, the Beacon Brand has been serving dealers, architects, specifiers, designers, builders and buyers for commercial, industrial and government material handling equipment projects. Beacon’s Plastic Pallets come in a wide array of configurations, and are perfect for any application.