Modern distribution ships hundreds of thousands of items on pallets every day. It’s a safe, efficient, and practical option for all kinds of items, whether fragile or robust. It’s the delivery option of choice for a wide range of different businesses and its ongoing popularity is for a number of reasons.
Let’s take a look at pallets in more detail and some of the factors that ensure they’re a popular and versatile choice.
What are pallets?
As the unsung hero of international shipping, there are more pallets across Europe than there are people. A pallet is a base structure that’s used for loading products or goods for transportation. Individual items are stacked onto the pallet, a platform usually made out of wood, to create what’s called a unit-load. They are used in warehousing and shipping goods both nationally and internationally and have proven themselves to be incredibly versatile over many years. They make the storage and movement of goods easier and safer.
Pallets are strong
Pallets may look flimsy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. They are in fact incredibly strong and can carry huge weights. They’re also designed to be used again and again, and whatever the wood used, the emphasis is always on the overall strength and integrity of the pallet. They are required to take a great deal of weight, and this strength means they can be used to ship almost anything.
Pallets can be made slip-resistant
Moving goods around always brings with it the risk of unwanted movement that can result in damage to the goods, vehicles, or handlers. Pallets can easily be made almost entirely slip-resistant with the addition of anti-slip paper sheets. These are cost-effective and can be used to stabilise your products and reduce movement between the stacked layers during shipping and handling.
Pallets are inexpensive
One of the great advantages of pallets is their affordability. Despite their strength and durability, they are also inexpensive. This makes them an optimal choice when you’re trying to reduce costs without endangering the integrity of the goods you’re shipping. It’s one reason why they’ve never been entirely superseded by other storage and delivery solutions.
Pallets are easy to pack whatever the size and shape of the goods
When it comes to packing your goods for shipping, pallets make life easy. They can be used to pack any number of different shaped and sized goods and allow for easy adaptation.
Pallets are relatively durable
Pallets are strong and durable and can be reused time and time again. Of course, being made of wood they are not going to last forever, but when maintained properly their lifespan is considerable. It’s another factor that helps to keep the cost of pallets relatively low. They’re as strong and durable as you can get without becoming prohibitively heavy in themselves. Their durability can be attested by the wide variety of uses they often have when they’re no longer being used for transporting goods, from compost bins to bookcases.
Pallets are reusable
Their durability means they can be reused time and time again, making them an environmentally friendly option. Being overwhelmingly made of wood, when their life does come to an end they will eventually decompose. As mentioned above, however, they often find a new life in a variety of DIY and other construction projects.
Pallets are one of those simple, yet brilliant inventions that have stood the test of time as technology and customer expectations have moved on and developed. Due to their advantages, it’s very hard to see anything replacing them anytime soon. They’re a decades old technology that is perfectly fitted for the challenges of the modern era.
SSO Logistics are your palletised distribution partner
Are you looking for a new pallet network and warehouse and distribution provider? SSO logistics are a member of the United Pallet Network, this gives us the ability to offer overnight palletised distribution anywhere in the UK for the smaller consignments and options for economies of scale deliveries for those deliveries of a non-urgent nature. We act quickly too. As long as your transport request is entered into our system by 11.30 on the day of collection, we’ll guarantee same day collection by 16.30, with delivery guaranteed to most parts of the UK by the following day.
Why not contact us to find out more about our services today?
