Over his 44 years in the pallet sector, Greg Wine has developed a strong reputation and become one of the most respected suppliers in the industry. But Pallet Machinery Group (PMG) isn’t looking back to the past; the company is looking to the future as it launches the Titan nailing machine, which will be its platform for nailing innovation. The company has also grown with new top leadership to ensure continuity and long-term viability.
Greg Wine started G. Wine Sales in 1995, later rebranding to Pallet Machinery Group, with a focus on supplying equipment that meets customers’ needs. As he gets older, Wine believes his company is well-positioned for the long haul with some of the key people on his team. He explained, “Having the new leadership here at Pallet Machinery Group to take over for me, they offer continuity for our customers, ensuring the same focus on innovation and customer service.”
Wine added, I think the thing that makes us a great team is that Doug, Zach and Wayland have all grown up with my children, and I’ve known their parents. Doug married my oldest daughter. Wayland went to school with my twin daughters. They are good quality people, and they have the same enthusiasm that I have for the pallet industry. The new leadership has done a tremendous job, and we have been reinvesting heavily in the business and new technology over the last three years.”
Wayland Carter, the vice president of sales and marketing for PMG, commented, “Doug and I have dealt with a lot of customers’ sons, where Greg worked with the fathers for 25 years, and then the fathers are selling their businesses or they’re handing it down to their sons. They are all the same age as Doug or I, and we’re now dealing with those guys. It’s almost a seamless handoff.”
New Titan Nailer Offers Flexibility for the Future
Earlier this year, PMG launched the new Titan tandem nailer. More than just an upgrade to the LZ2000 nailing system it has been offering for several years, this is a platform for all the technology that PMG hopes to offer in the future.
The Titan is a tandem, high-speed nailer that can be equipped with a wide variety of options from a laser brander to visual inspection systems, pallet ejection system, advanced data collection and much more. The user interface on the control screen is very simple, intuitive and designed to be easy to learn.
The laser brander saves the cost of ink for ink jet, paint for stenciling or expenses associated with standard branders.
Matt McGowan of Timber Products Inspection, Inc. said, “The mark it creates is very legible. TP has approved it for use by our clients in the WPM IPPC program.”
The laser quickly marks pallets providing a very legible image that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. This laser can be added to other nailing machines and has been designed to work seamlessly with the Titan nailer.
Howe Wallace, president of PalletOne, discussed innovations that have been developed or are close. He said, “We are going to be using the laser brander. That’s a really cool innovation. We’re a partner for their branders for our existing machines. The promise of some of their other innovations means that you have to have a machine to start with to be able to take advantage of that innovation. We’re excited. I think that the Titan machine gives you a hub for more innovations to come as they continue to develop it.”
Wallace compared the technology to a cell phone; sometimes older models are not easy to upgrade beyond a certain point. That’s why he believes the new nailer is important as a platform for innovation.
Jeff Lewis, president of Atlanta Pallets, is so happy with his LZ2000 and looking forward to the innovations in the Titan nailer that he just put in an order for the Titan nailing machine. He explained why his team likes the PMG nailing machines: “The electronics are easier to use. And again, it really is frustrating when you have different parts of the machine stop you for one reason or another, say a pallet flipper or something like that. If something goes wrong, it stops the whole process. The guys like a machine that just works, and it’s a good solid, well-built machine, and it just keeps working.”
The new Titan is designed to be beefy and well-built, according to PMG. Carter pointed out one area where they have oversized the components – hydraulics. He said, “The hydraulic system on the Titan is designed to be oversized so that a customer is not using its full capacity during normal nailing operations. This increases longevity of the system and also prevents overheating.”
Carter added, “The Titan’s controls were designed to be user-friendly. With the high turnover in the industry, new operators can learn and navigate the controls easily. We’re also working with Pallet Design System™ so a user can directly import a pallet design into the machine”.
The current show model of the Titan on PMG’s display floor has cameras and a display monitor that shows the operator the condition of each finished pallet as it’s being assembled. These cameras are equipped with Remote Access for owners and plant managers to watch the Titan build pallets right on their phone. With the new configurations available for the Titan Nailer, at a push of a button, the operator can kick out any pallets that need to be manually repaired or discarded without having to leave the #2 Operator Station.
Knowing personally what other innovations PMG is working on, and seeing some of them in person, they are on the cutting edge of being the leading innovator in the Pallet Industry. Jones explained, “There’s several other big innovative things we’re working on that we can’t discuss or disclose on right now, but these are exciting features or options that we’re doing to the machine that we should have within the next year.”
Innovating the Company Not Just the Machines
PMG isn’t just working on the machines of the future. It is rethinking its operations, adding key personnel and developing its service offerings.
Jones declared, “We are focusing on being the best service company in our industry to really support all of the equipment that we sell after the installation. We have set up a unique communication process where customers can contact all of our technical staff and get the fastest response on any issue. This is speeding up the response time and reducing downtime.”
PMG recently introduced a chuck maintenance subscription service for nailing systems. Jones explained, “This service ensures that your nailers are maintained in tip-top shape. Our service approach helps reduce downtime and improves the longevity of your investment.”
Pallet Service Corp. in the Upper Midwest has used this service and found it helpful. Nick Wenner, president of Pallet Service, also provided a perspective on the evolution of PMG over the past few years. He said, “In terms of just the team that Greg has added, it’s been really cool to see him be able to transition his way out and bring in a new wave of people that can help carry this company forward. They are building on all the connections and industry knowledge and respect that Greg has in the industry and investing in new ideas for the future.”
Looking to put more resources behind its service capabilities, PMG has just hired an English/Spanish speaking service tech and plans to add more. The company now has six full-time technicians. It is also building a library of educational videos that will be loaded onto the Titan nailing machines so that you can watch a video and diagnose an issue right from the machine. This will be available in the near future.
In addition to selling new equipment, PMG offers electrical and hydraulic upgrades for older machines and sells a wide variety of used equipment as a major broker. One service it offers customers is helping customers sell their old machines and reinvesting in newer equipment. Jones pointed out, “This service makes it easier to afford upgrading equipment because you don’t have to finance the entire cost of a brand new machine or line.”
A key to the business changes taking place at PMG has been its use of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which has been a business management philosophy that has become popular in the industry over the last several years. Carter admitted, “The EOS process has been absolutely business changing for our whole company. The EOS Process, over the last two years, has decreased our overall machine production time by 71%, from the first machine we built to the time it takes us to build a machine now. It starts with hiring the right people, putting them in the right position and making sure they honor your vision and core values.”
A big driver for the business changes has been feedback from customers. Jones said, “We’re innovating things right now because customers come to us and tell us what they need. We’re not just building people machines that we think they need. Those customer relationships are critical to our plan for future innovation.”
Innovation also includes creating opportunities for workers to grow and take on new challenges with the company. Jones said, “One of the things that Zach and I focused on a lot was updating the level of skill in our staff. And when you talk about investing, our payroll’s gone up exponentially. We’ve found really skilled workers, and we’re hiring at really good salaries and making sure that the whole culture of the company is a great place to work.”
Wine added, “With the ability to grow within our own organization, we’ve had guys start out as assembly techs that have moved up to management roles.”
Looking at the future of the company, Wine said, “I agree that EOS was vital, and it matured these guys a lot. As far as the future is concerned, I don’t see a lot of change from what our customers have known from the past. Continuity is something customers can expect from our team moving forward.”
Happy Customers Make for Repeat Business
It’s one thing for employees to speak about the benefits of working with PMG. It is quite another when happy customers share their experiences and keep going back for repeat business.
PalletOne is the biggest pallet manufacturer in the country, and it is also a major client of PMG. Wallace said, “Through the years, PMG has been a great partner for us, and we respect their vision and their desire to stay innovative. They are telling us what they are seeing and have kept us on the cutting edge.”
The pallet giant has worked with PMG to retrofit many of its older machines and is now transitioning to buying Titans to provide a framework for the future. It has also relied a lot on stackers and handling systems produced by Max Board Feet (formerly AIT), which PMG represents. With the new leadership under Doug and Wayland, Wallace said that he thinks PMG is more focused on innovation than ever before.
PalletOne plans to buy more Titans to provide a framework for the future. Wallace noted that it has reached the point that it isn’t really more cost effective to retrofit old machines and that those machines may not be a good framework for newer technology that could be a game changer in the near future.
Wallace admitted, “But when it comes to choice in the machinery and where that money goes, we’re not blind loyalists. We go where we see the value and where we see the innovation. And that has led us back to PMG quite a bit.”
Another company that has found success working with PMG is Pallet Service Corp., headquartered in Minnesota. The company has just built a new cut stock facility in Wisconsin. It includes a lot of equipment sold by PMG that is produced by Max Board Feet. Nick Wenner, explained, “This is basically a fully automated cut stock line. It’s actually two lines that converge into one set of stackers and auto bander.”
The process starts with two 20ft capable Pendu multi-head trim saws that the company already owned. These feed into Max Board Feed HR rip saw, which processes 2×8, 2×10 and 2×12 material into 2x4s and 2×6’s. The ABSAMS (Automated Board Singulation and Metering System) singulates and meters the boards which then feed into an HYR426 saw. The HYR426 Saw is designed to Single and Double Resaw 2×4’s and 2×6’s at random. These boards are fed into Max Board Feet’s kicker system, which can sort for width and length, connected to four different parallel belt conveyors that feed into four different M2L stackers.
A second line starts with a Pendu trim saw and then goes into a Producto rip saw that just cuts for thickness turning 2x4s into 1x4s. This saw can be bypassed if necessary. The line feeds into that same series of belt conveyors and then can feed into stacker one or stacker two. The line also has a Max Board Feet KA Notcher with bypass installed.
While the lines and staff running them are new, Wenner says the technology is working as expected. He clarified, “One of the main reasons that we’re going down this road is because we’re trying to obviously maximize volume per person or per man hour. Also, we need to continue to make these jobs safer and easier for the people. So, we’re trying to eliminate all the hand stacking and anything that just eliminate touch points as many as we can.”
Thinking about design expertise during the sales process, Wenner said that Wayland Carter helped him with the CAD design work to layout everything to navigate posts and other challenges with the building. He explained, “From a design perspective, PMG is very interactive and thoughtful. PMG’s partnership with Max Board Feet has been super helpful, too. They help organize all the installation and implementation process and make sure that everything is working fine. Wayland even came out to supervise the installation.”
Wenner commented, “Obviously, my dad and Greg Wine go way back from their Viking days and have built their companies outside of that company… As we have grown, PMG has also grown its product offerings. They have been a really good, long-term partner for us.”
Finally, Jeff Lewis, the current chairman of the NWPCA and the owner of Atlanta Pallets has two Max Board Feet M2L stackers that were sold by PMG. Three years ago, he bought a PMG LZ2000 nailer, and he just put in an order for a new Titan Nailer.
Lewis said, “My team loves the M2L stackers. They have very little trouble with them. I have dealt with PMG for over 20 years. I know all the principals – Greg Wine, Doug Jones, Wayland Carter and think the world of them. They build and rep fine equipment, and they stand behind them. The service offered by PMG is tremendous.”
Lewis remembered one example of extra mile service. He said, “Probably about twelve years ago, we had a problem where we really need a machine part, or we were basically out of business until we get it. Greg Wine commandeered a small plane and had them fly the part down that afternoon to our facility. That’s the kind of people they are. They realize the fact that most of us depend on the equipment that we bought from them to run our business. If we’re down for a period of three or four days on a major piece of equipment, it really hurts us.”
Atlanta Pallets is very happy with the reliability of the LZ 2000 nailer. Lewis described it as a rock solid machine. He said, “It sees very little downtime. It’s really easy to maintain, and the workers really like working on the machine… Downtime is the worst enemy that we have in our production operations. So, if you can have machinery that has very little downtime, you’re way ahead at the end of the day.”
Reliability really matters in this business. Lewis emphasized, “When you are not making pallets, you are not making money.”
– Howe Wallace, president of PalletOne
Looking Ahead
Staying adaptive has helped PMG position itself as a leader for the next generation of innovation. “Greg has set a standard of business and work ethics that we will always hold the company accountable to,” stated Jones. Having the ability to create personal relationships with customers and PMG’s dedication to service and support, Jones believes that will slingshot PMG into the future. Jones concluded, “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to stay in the position we are. To continue to be a leader in this industry, and having a team like PMG has put together, I know without a doubt we can do anything we set our sights on.”
