Over the years, the European Pallet Association (EPAL), which is the organization behind the highly popular EPAL Euro pallet standard, has developed the world’s biggest exchange pool of quality policed pallets. Monitoring and maintaining quality control is a difficult task, but EPAL is active on this front, and is taking a number of initiatives to crack down on counterfeit pallets and ensure proper compliance with quality standards.
Paul Davidson, chief executive of Brepal Ltd (EPAL in the UK and Ireland) explained, “Although all EPAL pallets must meet the minimum requirements of the standard of the technical regulations of EPAL we have recognized that in practice there are quality differences not encompassed by the standard but which are recognized by the market. These differences are usually expressed in terms of quality grades, and EPAL has now provided a non-mandatory guide to systematize this so as to reduce disputes that can arise in the exchange process.”
There are three basic quality standards for used or repaired pallets: A, B and C with A being the best and C being the lowest grade. Even class C grade pallets pass the minimum standards set by the technical regulations of EPAL. The primary difference between class A and B is the color of the pallet as well as the better grade has no contamination risk, similar to a new pallet. Lighter color suggests better quality and less use. The major difference between class B and class C is that blocks can be slightly skewed, there may be wood splinters present, not all marks may be legible and some adhesions, such as films, cardboards or tape may be connected to the pallet. Also, the moisture content can be greater than 22% in class C pallets.
Some problems are cause for an EPAL pallet to be rejected until repaired. This includes: missing components, protruding nails, blocks skewed more than 1 cm, improper repairs, broken stringers, no longer any prescribed identification marks, or improper components, such as boards with wane. Also no contaminations are allowed that can be passed onto a product loaded on top of the pallet. This includes: paint, oil, smell, mold, mold stains, food, insect droppings, etc.
The objective is to continue to retain the highest quality possible for a pool while recognizing that used pallets may exist in different conditions. By comparison to the U.S. market, the EPAL repair requirements are much more stringent.
Davidson explained, “The guide has been produced in cooperation with GS1 Germany (GS1 is an organization of FMCG companies, supermarkets and their logistics providers – www.gs1.org). Generally improving exchange is our focus and our new Pallet Check smartphone app is also part of this.”
To inform EPAL pallet users about various requirements and to help them monitor and track quality control, EPAL has released a cell phone app called PalletCheck Express. It offers a quality guide, the ability to count pallets using photo recognition, a quality documentation process and more. Currently, it is only available in German, but other options are under development.
The problem with counterfeit activity and EPAL pallet quality are connected since EPAL has such a tight quality monitoring program in place with certified pallet producers and repairers. Counterfeit EPAL pallets coming from Eastern Europe have been impacting prices in other areas and pushing down prices.
Alexander Becker, executive of the EPAL Academy, the training institute for EPAL, stated, “Counterfeit pallets are made from material of poor quality. They are extremely dangerous, because the necessary characteristics, such as stability and load capacity, cannot be guaranteed.”
By contrasts, EPAL pallets are repaired to a strict standard that is monitored by an independent audit agency with routine inspections. Inferior quality can be traced back to the manufacturer or repair depot. This ensures consistency and quality. The last step of the repairer after defect parts are exchanged is, that there is a “repair-marking-nail” shot into the pallet, which is marked with the license-code of the repairer.
EPAL has been working with law enforcement and border control agents in Europe to identify and stop counterfeit EPAL pallets. Last year a sting identified nine deliveries of EPAL pallets from Ukraine that were verified as counterfeit and stopped. These EPAL euro pallets generally are not produced to the same quality standard, and when you cut corners loads and lives can be at risk.
EPAL stated, “The damage caused by counterfeit EPAL Euro pallets is difficult to quantify, but it certainly runs into millions of euros.” The organization further suggested these counterfeit pallets cause thousands of accidents each year across Europe.
From new standards for used pallets to increased border monitoring to the new app for pallet users, EPAL is working to keep its quality reputation in tact while tackling challenges in the market. For more information, see the charts accompanying this story or visit www.epal-pallets.org
