When I tell people what I do for a living, many of them are surprised to find out that I can write so much about something as simple as a wood pallet. As all of you know, the pallet and low grade lumber industries have become much more complex over the last decade. For more than 26 years, our staff has worked to develop high quality information for the industry. This requires lots of hard work and dedication.
Over the last two years, our staff has worked tirelessly to constantly improve our content. Starting this April, we launched the digital edition of the Enterprise to complement our printed publication. It allows us to reach a growing international audience and to provide early and rapid access to the publication.
Many readers may not be aware of our other publications and services that have proven to be a valuable resource to many pallet companies. I started working with the pallet industry four years before our first issue of the Enterprise through our Pallet Profile Weekly marketing and management report. The Profile serves the role of being the only market report written for the wooden pallet industry and the weekly news source for important pallet industry news stories and analysis.
The July 4th edition of the Pallet Profile Weekly included a two-page white paper entitled, “What Is Happening in the Pallet Market? A Pallet Profile Exclusive Market Summary.” Lumber, nail and fuel costs have worked in concert to raise the cost of pallet manufacturing and recycling over the last year. While everybody is aware to some extent that fuel costs are pressuring just about everything, many pallet users are only marginally aware that steel prices have been skyrocketing. Pallet nail prices have moved sharply higher since the first of this year. This white paper verifies these cost increases.
What about lumber prices? Many buyers have read in various sources that the sawmill industry is somewhat depressed, lumber production is being reduced, and prices are soft. Pallet buyers often do not understand the relationship between the construction lumber market and the pallet lumber market. The Pallet Profile sets the record straight as a unique, unbiased, reliable source of pallet market information.
Our recent white paper is indicative of the kinds of management products that are proving to be valuable to a growing number of pallet companies. Any new subscriber to the Profile will receive a copy of this white paper to use as desired. In addition to the Profile, our Recycle Record subscribers have access to white papers and special research reports as well.
Other past management reports have included the only pallet industry analytical reports on important past CHEP court cases. We have published a number of recycling industry studies and human resources reports that include industry wage averages.
By the middle of August, our newest human resources report will be available for all of the companies that participated by providing their company data. Subscribers to either the Profile or Recycle Record can purchase a copy of this new study at a special rate. Others can purchase the report for a reasonable price.
Everybody in the pallet industry knows that nail costs have gone sharply higher since January, but many people do not truly understand the mechanics of what has caused this increase. A detailed report on the pallet nail market will be published in September. It will be free to Profile and Recycle Record subscribers and available to others for a nominal fee.
Our industry is changing. In addition to the Pallet Enterprise magazine, our company is dedicated to providing management reports and analyses that are unique for our industry. Any progressive pallet company that wants to keep up with important developments and changes that impact the pallet industry will find the services being offered by our paid reports to be increasingly valuable.
The staff of Industrial Reporting includes publishing professionals who are exceptionally gifted in their respective disciplines. I would put our staff and affiliated writers up against any in the forest products industry. My job has become one of coordinating our resources and steering our ship so that our products are both unique and educational. If there are topics that you would like to see us explore, please contact me (edb@ireporting.com) to share your ideas.
As a professional Ph.D. statistician, I understand the value of qualified data. Our expertise and information provides the analysis you need to make smart business decisions. For information on how to subscribe to either the Pallet Profile, Recycle Record, or both, call and speak with Jeff McBee, our market analyst at 800/805-0263.
