Do you realize how many people put up with broken pallets every single day? I have been in countless facilities. I have seen endless examples of people dealing with pallets that are lacking in quality. But why? What makes us put up with problems over and over again? There are two main reasons: 1) We don’t even realize it doesn’t have to be this way. 2) We think making it better will be too hard or cost too much. Well, today is your lucky day. You can read this article and realize the ways you are settling for bad quality. And, you can resolve the issues without drowning in extra work or extra cost.
To begin, let’s step back to survey the landscape. You can’t avoid something you don’t see. How is your pallet quality these days? Do you ever have to scrap pallets you paid for? Does anyone on your team consistently talk about problems that the pallets cause? Do you run into issues with people or robotic palletizers when trying to stack on the pallets? Do pallets ever get jammed in the line or break in storage? Internal problems are costly but it’s not the worst situation. Does your customer ever reject pallets or have issues because of your pallets? You can’t be a great company if you cause problems for your customers.
So the FIRST WAY to avoid pallets breaking is to see and document the real problems. Ask the tough questions. Don’t just expect people to work around issues. Make it unacceptable to have pallets breaking for you or your customer. It’s time to raise the bar on pallet quality. You have enough to worry about. Pallets should not be one of them! So look around and write down what you see. You will need that list for the rest of the quality journey we are about to set sail on.
Now let’s move on. Take your list and sort the problems into two buckets:
- Process failure
- Pallet failure
Distinguishing between a process failure and a pallet failure is key. What is the difference? A process failure is a breakage caused by non-pallet forces. Here are some examples:
- The forklift driver rams into the pallet like a linebacker tackling a running back.
- The robot arm decides to use its force to Hulk Smash the pallet.
- John & Doe decide to stand and jump on a single board on the pallet.
Process failure involves stress-testing the pallet under conditions it should not be required to handle. If you have a process failure, it’s time to update the process and train the people. Pallets are wonderful friends but they must be cared for well or they can warp, break, or cry.
Pallet failures are the money-makers. These are the failures that can be solved once and for all. Here are a few examples:
- The gap between the boards is too wide so your product falls into the gap sometimes.
- The front lead boards on the bottom are only 4” wide (as opposed to 6”) and when you put it in racking it can slide off and cause spills.
- Access to the pallet is only possible on two sides so your forklift driver has to push and spin it to be able to pick it up.
- Any kind of mold, dirt, nails sticking out, etc., that you cannot have in your warehouse.
- Your pallet is neatly stacked and handled well, and yet, it is still breaking.
All of these issues are pallet failures. Who is responsible for pallet failures? Pallet companies. Did you hear that? You should not have to deal with pallet failure because you pay your pallet company to provide pallets that don’t fail. This is a simple business principle: what I buy should work. If it doesn’t work, the seller is at fault.
So the SECOND WAY to avoid pallets breaking is to sort your problems into a pallet or process failure. One more piece before paradise. You need to require your pallet company to fix the pallet failures. Whoa! We are in Minnesota. We want to be nice to people. But before you get anxious about me saying you need to “require” your pallet company to fix the problems, hear me out. You gave them your money. You trusted them with your company. You like them and you are kind to them. You might even say you are friends. In this case, this friendship needs to be a place where you can be honest when it’s needed. It’s actually a nice thing to give a vendor an opportunity to improve. The other option is to be quiet and slowly grow so frustrated that you end up leaving for a different supplier. That’s not cool.
So, you need to require them to fix the pallet problems. How do you do this? First, you hold your pallet failure list nice and close. Then, you contact your pallet company and tell them you want to talk about improving your partnership together. Invite them to your production facility if possible. Then, take them directly to the pallets and show them where and how the pallets are failing. Invite them to offer solutions and brainstorm together. At the end of this meeting, tell them three things:
- You like working with them and want to for a long time. I.e., you value the relationship. (Unless you don’t like working with them and never want to work with them. Then, find a different company.)
- You need them to come up with solutions for each problem on your list and come back and tell you what the concrete plan is.
- You do not want to pay more money. They agreed to sell you a pallet at your price to perform in your warehouse. That hasn’t been happening. They need to fix the problem and keep the price initially agreed upon.
You will never guess what will happen next. They will leave feeling happy that you value the partnership enough to invite them into this AND they will work hard to put together a game plan for solving these issues without raising your price.
Honestly, the price will likely change some. The pallet industry is a small margin business and adding more wood or work will be hard for them to swallow. However, if it solves your problems then it may be very worth it to you. If they drop the ball and don’t put together a plan or explain it to you clearly, you may need to find a better pallet company. Pallets are simple. We take two pieces of wood and nail them together. They should be able to correct your concerns. They should be able to write it up in a report and give you the plan. You should have these expectations.
The end of this journey will resolve itself in a better pallet life for you and your team. You will see fewer good pallets in the scrap pile. You will get fewer rejections or complaints from your customers. Today is the day to stop putting up pallet problems.