Pallet Stabilisation

Pallet Stabilisation – UK Pet Food Manufacturer

This UK Pet Food Manufacturer was experiencing a high volume of damages in transit not only in distribution but also with palletised goods being moved throughout their internal warehouses. They had a high cost for the use of plastic shrink wrap and interlayer pads, which were also struggling with supply due to a shortage of raw materials.

By introducing pallet stabilisation, they were able to half their requirement for shrink wrap and layer pads which rapidly reduced their costs while improving their efficiency. This innovative method of palletising meant that their goods could be stacked, taken apart and restacked again. Pallet stabilisation reinforces the load integrity of the pallet, making it easy to transport without the requirement for wrap or interlayers, reducing the damages caused by tipping pallets and providing an ROI of 27 weeks based on the below case study.   

Initial Situation

Application: Palletising goods
Problem: Palletised cartons of premium pet food products experiencing damage in transit
Initial Cost: Layer pads were added to pallets to avoid movement at £2.25 per pallet (£1 million site spend)

Goals Defined:

• Reduce use of plastic shrink wrap & layer pads
• Reduce costs
• Reduce the number of damaged pallets via transit

Solution – Pallet Stabilisation

Using Technomelt Supra PS 7220, our latest pressure-sensitive adhesive and Nordson’s PB Flex equipment. This company were able to apply small amounts of adhesive to each carton when palletising, offering a non-slip application to prevent movement in transit. Still allowing individual boxes to be removed if required and restacked.

• Whole equipment and system set up initial cost £10,000 plus £10,000 services/bracketry costs

Results:

• Reduced plastic wrap consumption by 50%
• £1.50 per pallet cost saving per pallet on layer pads
• Adhesive consumption = 3p per pallet. Based on 6g used per pallet (80mm x 2mm bead on 48 boxes /pallet).

Return on Investment = 27 weeks. Based on £1.47 cost savings per pallet. Calculated from 13,605 pallets total based on 500 pallets transported.