The leading institution for scientific research in the pallet and transport packaging sector is the Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design (Center). A part of Virginia Tech’s Sustainable Bio-materials Department, the Center conducts research and stays on the cutting edge in wood science and packaging design. Many people in the industry know about the Center, but they aren’t aware how the Center can improve their business. When they think of the Center, they think of research conducted to improve the Pallet Design System (PDS)™ or to validate some new pallet design. But the Center also helps train up the next generation of pallet, packaging and wood products professionals who can bring expertise into your workforce.
If you want to go beyond competing on price, having the right people can help you improve the intelligence of your sales and outreach pitches. The right personnel can improve your facility using lean manufacturing and engineering principles. The best new hire may be someone you never knew existed because you weren’t looking in the right place. One of the best places to find top talent for the industry is the pallet and packaging program at Virginia Tech. Pallet Enterprise sat down with the direct of the Center, Laszlo Horvath, to talk about interns and co-ops, hiring and ways to better partner with the Center.
You don’t have to be a huge pallet company to take advantage of this industry resource. Find out how one student can boost your sales or operations.
Pallet Enterprise: What pallet companies have benefitted by working with your intern program?
Laszlo Horvath: Some of the larger pallet companies, such as PalletOne and Universal Forest Products, regularly hire our students as interns and full-time employees. The last three graduate students went to pallet companies. One went to Pallet Alliance to do more holistic unit load design. One went to PalletOne; he’s looking at the production side. And one works for Steve Yelland at J.F. Rohrbaugh & Co. Then he’s going to be the packaging engineer behind their sales team, providing engineering support.
Pallet Enterprise: So, how does the process work when it comes to hiring an intern?
Laszlo Horvath: Some people contact me, but the university has hired someone to coordinate with companies looking for an intern or to fill a position. Some companies attend our job fair in October and meet with students one-on-one there. PalletOne regularly attends the job fair and hires students after this interaction. John Freeborn is the new director of employer relations for the College of Natural Resources and Environment. He helps coordinate the needs of students and employers. Having one person to contact makes the entire process simpler for companies as well as students. John Freeborn can be reached by calling 540-231-1138 or by e-mailing freeborn@vt.edu.
Pallet Enterprise: What kind of projects do students work on?
Laszlo Horvath: Each student has a different area of focus and skill set. We have packaging, wood science, forest products operation and forestry students. So, if they are looking for somebody who’s more of a technical expert in their operation, then they might get students who understand sawmilling for example. And then they can work in their company, optimizing their processes. Some of our students go into either their sales or management track. One large pallet manufacturer starts new Virginia Tech hires in its production department so that they acquire experience in different stations, then they become a supervisor, then they go up the ladder or they become sales staff. The packaging students, a lot of them become some type of pallet sales guy because they understand the packaging industry and they understand the needs of the companies who buy the pallets. They can sell pallets as well as provide technical solutions for corporate clients. Some students have experience in lean manufacturing.
Pallet Enterprise: Your packaging students also have experience with testing?
Laszlo Horvath: Yes, they do. But the goal of working in the lab is really just to gain experience with the materials and then see how packaging solutions or pallets break in the field and then understanding how to fix them. So, most of our students, unless they go to Universal Forest Products and they’re going to work for their packaging lab, are really not going to do testing projects. What they do is create solutions for companies to move their products. These solutions are tested by our staff in the lab at the Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Testing helps clients know what works and what doesn’t.
Pallet Enterprise: Some students just work on projects and may not be hired as interns. What is the process for project work at the Center?
Laszlo Horvath: Yes, absolutely, we do a lot of project work at the Center. The idea is if clients have a specific problem with their pallet, packaging or unit load, we help them develop and test a solution. Let’s say for example, a client comes in with a 12-foot-long pallet that they use to move shingles and then they have some problems with it, or they want to move from softwood to hardwood or hardwood to softwood. We would devise an experiment where we evaluate potential solutions and look for what works best. Recently, we had a project where the company was shipping bagged products, and they had issues with nail withdrawal. When they were moving the pallets on a forklift, the nails were starting to withdraw, cutting into the bags. We designed a custom testing plan for them, which helps identify the source of the problem. We also do a lot of basic testing to certify load carrying capabilities of pallet designs. We also help companies looking to switch from hardwood to softwood pallet designs.
Pallet Enterprise: What are some other examples of project work that you perform at the Center?
Laszlo Horvath: We worked on a sling handling for pallets when people move shingles to the top of a roof in residential construction to remove shingles. We helped the client evaluate whether their pallet is strong enough to actually do this. At the Center, we do a lot of packaging projects too, such as certifications for Amazon and IKEA. There’s a fee associated with these services that we use to maintain the lab. Project work lasts anywhere from a week to two months or more, depending on how large the project is.
Pallet Enterprise: What has been the response by companies that have hired VA Tech graduates?
Laszlo Horvath: Pretty much everybody who hired our students came back and said they want to hire more. PalletOne is one of the success stories for our students. PalletOne started to hire a couple of our students, and they just keep coming back to get more. These companies like the fact that our students understand wood and packaging. They have formal education on the issues that pallet customers care about.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the time frame for internships? How long can they last? What about co-ops?
Laszlo Horvath: A lot of students and companies are already thinking about summer internships in the fall. The latest that companies should start thinking about this opportunity for the summer is early January. Beyond then, fewer students are available as they keep disappearing from the mix because they are getting internships. The closer you get to the summer, the less likely you get the best students. Internships normally go from mid-May till mid-August. Pretty much at the end of the semester till the beginning of the semester. Another option is co-ops, which take place during the semester. For co-ops, students don’t actually come back to Tech; they pause their education and then they work for the company for that semester. Some companies like to do combined co-ops and internships. So, students start working mid-May till end of December or January till August. The benefit of a combined internship and co-op is that companies spend a lot of time training people, and you want to have that person for more than 11 weeks.
Pallet Enterprise: So, what do you have to pay? What’s the range?
Laszlo Horvath: It really depends on the region. What I usually say is the pay range is $15 to $25 per hour depending on the company. What we always tell the companies is pay enough that they can go there, afford housing and food without having to go into debt. Typically, we said minimum $10 per hour but that changed honestly. A couple years ago, $18 for hourly pay was competitive. Now, we are hearing that students are getting more. Bigger companies come in with extremely competitive offers and pick off the best students.
Pallet Enterprise: What other services or industry connection points do you want to highlight?
Laszlo Horvath: I want everyone in the industry to know that we are offering more online training for those who want to improve staff knowledge, keep them safe during the pandemic and reduce costs. Online training is much cheaper because you eliminate travel, lodging, food and make it easier for people to attend. There has never been a better time to attend a short course on pallet design, unit load design, warehousing and logistics and other topics.
Pallet Enterprise: How can the industry serve and connect with your students?
Laszlo Horvath: Some of the companies that are larger just want visibility so that our students know that they exist when they go out to work for pallet users or potential customers. One good way to achieve that goal is to volunteer to be a speaker to talk with students on specific topics. That’s what Steve Yelland did. He connected with students remotely and spoke on challenging pallet projects they undertook. Going beyond company promotion, he spoke on topics that were interesting and helpful for the students in their educational process. We are looking for people to talk about raw materials, overcoming challenges in pallet design, etc.
Pallet Enterprise: What if people want to become a Center member or support its ongoing work?
Laszlo Horvath: Companies or individuals that want to support our mission can join the Center. Some companies want to give back to the students, and Center membership is a great way to ensure that we are here for the long run for the industry and our students. The lowest membership level is $5,000 per year. Anyone who wants more information about the Center should visit https://www.unitload.vt.edu/
