Glenn Meeks is the new executive vice president of the Western Pallet Association. He is focused on member engagement and using technology to improve communications and learning opportunities for pallet companies.
Pallet Enterprise: What are your focuses as you take over the helm at the WPA?
Meeks: Externally, my focus is on the members of this wonderful association and elevating their experience in the WPA. That means getting them engaged and interacting with each other through online learning platforms like Master Learning Groups or creating new and interesting in-person events where they can really get into networking and generating new business opportunities. Internally, as an executive, it is to make sure that the association is healthy from a financial and operating perspective and to be ready for the next level of growth that will come in the next few years.
Pallet Enterprise: What are the three trends that you think will most transform the pallet industry over the next 3-5 years?
Meeks: First, online learning will transform the pallet industry. The way that data and content is consumed by the younger generation of our industry will take over and collapse the learning curves that normally took months or years. Our ability to share knowledge via technology is unbounded.
Second, automation is another trend that is creating exponential efficiencies in our industry. This includes robotics which is now really starting to take off and will gain even more momentum in the next few years. Companies that make the investment now will be ahead by leaps and bounds within 5 years.
Finally, artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize the pallet industry. AI will enhance many functional areas of a pallet business. The impact will be most visible when AI technologies integrate data and metrics across platforms. This integration will enable pallet companies to operate with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness, it will alter how they manage logistics, inventory, and their interaction with customers.
Pallet Enterprise: How is the WPA working to connect members and provide greater use of technology?
Meeks: Simply put, the WPA utilizes technology to connect our members through Master Learning Groups which are discussion groups that meet online and talk about topics that are pertinent to our industry. WPA webinars are more lecture oriented and have ranged in topics from the pallet market and economy to cybersecurity. Our goal is to cover issues and topics that are affecting our members and the industry as a whole.
We also have Pallet University that is unlike any other tool in our industry. Pallet University is an online learning platform dedicated to teaching and training people in our industry, new to our industry, or those that are connected to the pallet industry by virtue of their jobs (warehouse, production, logistics, etc.)
Pallet Enterprise: Your webinar series has been popular, what topics are coming up this summer?
Meeks: Well, we have an outstanding speaker named Chaille Brindley who is well known and well-respected in the industry doing a webinar with us in July. He’ll be continuing his discussion on the pallet market and economy that he presented to the attendees at our Annual Meeting in January. It is a can’t miss event. You can register at https://www.westernpallet.org/webinars/.
Pallet Enterprise: If someone is looking to get into the pallet business, what do they need to know that might surprise them?
Meeks: The pallet industry is not just about pallets. Of course, that is the core product of the industry, but a pallet business is built on service and how that translates to value for the customer.
