The 7 Costly MISTAKES People Make When Buying and Using Pallets! www.palletsgoldcoast.com Page1
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The Seven Costly Mistakes People Make When Buying and Using Pallets And How to Avoid Them When it comes to buying Pallets, whether it is for new, used, custom, export, hardwood, timber or even plastic pallets for YOUR Factory, Business, Food Storage, Export, Clients or other needs, you want to make absolutely certain that you can deal with the right people. You want-fully trained professionals who know their industry like the back of their hands. The very last thing you want is to deal with a 'Backyard Operator' who could waste your hard-earned dollars with frustrating and costly delays or worse - sub-standard pallets that you'll regret buying every time you even think about them. In Short you want: "Top Quality Pallets at Affordable Prices Supplied and Delivered with the Least Amount of Stress and Interruption!" And that is exactly why we created this report. Our hope is that this report will do three simple things for you: 1. You can use it as a handy Checklist to help make certain that you end up getting the best possible pallets for your specific situation. 2. It should de-mystify the process of choosing the right Pallets by giving you several points of reference to consider. 3. It provides you with industry insights that can help you avoid getting ripped off or wasting money on the wrong pallets. Page3
Mistake # 1: Failing to Confirm the Quality of Your Pallet Requirements Before the Purchase Takes Place... Have you ever bought something that you thought was great quality only to discover that it failed to live up to the advertising blurbs? We re sure that you have. It is a horrible feeling when that kind of thing happens to you, isn t it? Sadly, this is something that happens all too often in the Timber Industry. FACT: Anyone can tell you that they can supply and deliver a quality product but let s face it nobody in their right mind is likely to tell you: Our product range is MUCH cheaper but it sure as heck won t stand the test of time But hey don t worry about THAT! just think of the money that you ll save in the short term! No doubt the # 1 thought in your mind now is That last thing I want is a shonky product! How can I tell if I m buying quality new, used, custom or export pallets? Glad you asked. One of the surest signs is the length of the guarantee you are offered. FACT: Cheap pallets can have weak guarantees. More often than not, the better the guarantee the company is prepared to offer you, the higher the quality will be. Does the company Offer a Generous Guarantee? YES / NO Page4
Mistake # 2: Failing to Choose the Right Sized Pallets for Your Specific Situation... Imagine preparing an important meal for friends and under-estimating the amount of food that you required to feed your guests... Now imagine that same event but this time you had overestimated the amount of food needed. If someone gave you a choice, I ll bet you would much rather have a little left over than not enough to go around. Correct? Well the exact same thing is true when it comes to choosing your quality new, used, custom or export Pallets. A VERY common mistake is choosing the incorrect length, width, and height of your required pallets (Followed by failing to know what you will be using it for and if the pallet will fit your items correctly!) Have I Chosen the Right Sized Pallet for My Specific Situation and Will They Fit Plus Hold the Weight Correctly? YES / NO Page5
Mistake # 3: Thinking That Pine (Softwood) Has the Same Sturdiness of Hardwood Timber...? Ever tried putting a square peg in a round hole? I have. I bought a new sofa years ago. I fell in love with it the moment I saw if in the furniture shop. It was huge the kind two people could easily lay down on with room to spare! Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon watching movies together or just listening to music. Anyway, I paid for it on the spot and arranged with the salesperson to organise delivery for the following day... only to discover that it was too big to fit through my front doors, let alone be manuvoured up the stairway! If ONLY I had taken the time to measure first! If ONLY the salesperson had of thought to ask me Are you sure that you have access for us to deliver this? NOTE: A professional Pallet Company will always ask you about soft or hardwoods. Does the company understand different timbers? YES / NO Page6
Mistake # 4: Custom, New, Used, Export or Non-Returnable Pallets... What is your Business supply and demand? Are you a local, interstate or exporter? This will make a difference in the type of pallet that you could require. Deciding ahead of time whether you are going to be using your pallets continually or if they will be returned and reused or even if they will be non-returnable one-way pallets can help you save time, money and ordering confusion. A pallet being the structural foundation of a unit load that allows handling and storage efficiencies is a very labour saving item, and whilst most pallets are wooden, pallets also are made of plastic, metal, and paper in some cases. Each material has advantages and disadvantages relative to the others. Whilst we specialise in wooden and re-cycled pallets we are also able to customise, treat pallets for export and supply companies with whatever they require. Planning ahead of time and having an agenda in place for your companies pallet supply will be a godsend for time management. FACT: A Sure-fire way to get this decision process under control is to speak directly with your pallet manufacturer and ask for a sample pallet to be made to your exact specifications which you can test out with the goods it will be storing. Have you planned your requirements into the future? Y / N Page7
Mistake # 5: Yikes! What Type of Product Will Be Put on the Pallets - Cartons, Bags, Machinery or Other...? The correct use of pallets is to support goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. Being the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies is a very efficient way of saving time, money, and energy and labour costs. So it s of vital importance that you choose the right pallet for your purpose. Spreading the weight over the boards of a pallet evenly is crucial. For example Bags spread the weight yet can be restrictive due to the height and weight of them, so not over-loading a pallet with stock feed bags or other is vital. As for Cartons and boxes, bricks or blocks seem to be the easiest to load onto pallets as they distribute the weight evenly overall. Now steel items or machinery is a little trickier to handle as a large heavy item may put a certain amount of weight in one area of the pallet or boards, for example it could have 2-5 tonnes of weight in a piece of machinery that may poke out over a board and hold 70% of the weight. Therefore it s essential to understand and know your requirements and be specific to a pallet manufacturer as best you can. This way the company can customise a pallet exclusively for your needs. Do I know what uses the pallets are for exclusively? Y / N Page8
Mistake # 6: Not Choosing the Bearers Correctly... The type of bearers you use on your specific pallet will relate to the way the pallet will be loaded and also spreading of the load accordingly on the pallet. Pallets inner relate for both Storage and Transport practices obviously, so decide ahead of time and confide your exact uses to the pallet manufacturer beforehand. Bearers are specifics every factory should know before getting pallets made. Have I sought professional advice in relation to the preparation of my pallet bearer requirements? YES / NO Page9
Mistake # 7: Incorrect, Lazy & Bad Practices by Forklift Drivers and Jack Operators... This is a lot more important than you think... One of the biggest issues in the pallet industry that will cause you all kinds of problems, is Human Error. The correct way of using, storage and loading pallets is determined by your operators. Incorrect use on behalf of operators no matter if it s accidental or not will cost you time, money, stress and pallets! The fact is this Costs you more than you realise as you will either have to repair or replace your pallets when they are crushed, broken, disrespected or mis-used in anyway. The dangers of a broken pallet holding goods can negate your professionalism. Make sure you train your staff, drivers and jack operator s accordingly. Teach them the technique do s and don ts of loading and unloading pallets. Common sense needs to be used to validate the appropriate dimensions when working with pallets and stacking them in warehouses. Review all sizes no matter what. Being ruff with pallets and bumping them to harshly against other items destroys them, that s a FACT! Don t let your pallets end up in a mess you will have to clean up or pay for later. Have I taught my workers the correct way of loading and unloading pallets? YES / NO Bottom line: Using a Professional Pallet Manufacturer to supply, design and understand your needs always makes sense! Call Us today for Your FREE Quotation (02) 6689 1556 Page10