Choosing Viking was an easy decision for the three pallet manufacturers covered in this story. Viking has installed machinery throughout the world and has built a reputation for producing reliable machinery that gets the job done. But the company isn’t just resting on its past success. The recent pandemic gave Viking a perfect platform to demonstrate why it has succeeded for decades and hopes to do the same in the future.
Viking is currently in the final phase of launching its next-generation nailer, the Voyager and has updated its industry standard Turbo 505 nailer with the 505 Silver Edition. At the same time, Viking has increased its service capacity and is offering upgrade kits demonstrating its commitment to continuous innovation to its legacy machines.
The recent pandemic was a test of Viking’s service and manufacturing capabilities, and the company demonstrated its reliability during one of the toughest times in the nation’s history. Kurt Larsen, president and co-owner of Viking Engineering & Development Inc. stated, “I am really proud of all the hard-working people at Viking. When COVID hit, we didn’t close our doors for even one day. Our service and sales staff continued to make in-person customer calls where they could. We didn’t miss a service call nor an install date for a new machine.”
The reliability of Viking helped customers keep pallets moving to meet some of the biggest pandemic-related challenges. Larsen recalled a customer in Canada who called on a Friday needing assistance with a machine. “My team worked to remedy the situation and discovered that the reason for the stress in the customer’s voice was that he was responsible for delivering pallets to a major toilet paper manufacturer as the pandemic began. Viking’s customers ensure that supply chains work, and we keep our customers running year after year with our proven machines and continuous improvements.”
During the pandemic, Viking beefed up its support and service team to ensure that all customer service calls were handled in a timely manner. Some people are hesitant to take the plunge with automation due to the up-front costs. But one Viking customer explains why he needed to move towards automation.
New to High-speed Automation
After looking at Viking machines in the Pallet Enterprise for more than 20 years, Charles “Chuck” Rick Jr., owner of Cypress Sawmill in Roseland, Louisiana, finally decided to take the plunge. He explained, “We had made pallets by hand for years. But I was tired of struggling to find workers. Employees increasingly became less reliable, and the Viking machine shows up every day. It makes the assembly process much easier, and I am able to hire people who don’t have to work as hard physically and can produce even more pallets in the process.”
Rick recently bought the re-designed Viking Turbo Silver Anniversary Edition. He said, “The Turbo Silver Anniversary Edition is a beast. I am struggling to get enough lumber to keep it fed. We are getting 1,800 pallets or more per shift in production.”
Rick commented, “We bought the second one of this new design. It took about a month to finally start making pallets. Viking stood up to the plate to get everything running great. It was a learning curve for everyone. It was a brand-new machine…I am tickled to death with the new Turbo. And I know I made a good decision.”
The Turbo has helped Cypress Sawmill increase production by about 600-700 pallets per shift while cutting down on labor costs and physical wear on workers. Rick predicted, “I am working on upgrading my sawing operation. Once that is all fully installed, I will have enough capacity to keep this machine running like I want, and we will boost revenue by $1-1.5 million in the first year.”
The redesigned Turbo came out of discussions with Viking customers who were happy with the machine, but they wanted some improvements. The Turbo has become the workhorse for many pallet manufacturers across the country. The Silver Anniversary Edition includes upgraded motors and modified software that results in up to a 15% improvement in cycle time over the standard 505. Also, the expanded M2 catwalk and optional digital brander provides better accessibility and safety.
Rick discussed the math that made the purchase work, “I have been dreaming about this machine for 20 years. But I finally did the math and discovered that as long as I build 1,100 pallets per day, I can make money with this machine. With customer demand so strong, I needed to find a way to boost production while limiting labor costs.”
Cypress Sawmill started out as a sawmill operation cutting primarily cypress logs. Rick sold a lot of lumber to pallet companies and then decided to jump into that business after he realized the potential. The company eventually transitioned into only pallet production. It has been producing pallets for almost 20 years. Evaluating the performance of the Turbo Silver Edition, Rick summed it up, “The new Turbo builds a perfect pallet. Everything is aligned right, no shiners. I brand and stencil pallets inline, which saves on labor costs too.”
As a new customer, Chuck Rick is glad he finally jumped into the highspeed arena, and he believes the machine will make his company better for the future.
Central Packaging Keeps Equipment Updated
As the largest pallet manufacturer in South Carolina, Central Packaging & Crating knows what it means to meet demanding requirements. It relies on three Turbos and one Champion to keep customers supplied with pallets. Kevin Neuman, president of Central Packaging & Crating, said, “The Champions are very flexible. You can do small volumes, smaller pallets. Designs that don’t maximize the potential of the Turbos.”
By contrast, the Turbos are a good fit for longer runs, anything over 100 pallets. Neuman added, “Although we started with a Champion in 2000, over the years, we added Turbos to reach higher production goals.”
One thing that Central Packaging & Crating has done to stay on top of technology is to sell older machines to keep its equipment up-to-date. Viking works to continuously improve models and offers kits to retrofit older machines. These kits can improve the operator experience, improve performance, etc. The company just put in an order for another Champion and sold its old model. Viking will help sell a used machine and post its availability on their website as a free service to customers. This takes the hassle away from the pallet company when it comes to upgrading to a new model.
Neuman explained, “Every one of our Turbos are five years old or younger. We try to keep current. One big benefit is depreciation; you don’t have to pay as much in taxes… Viking machines maintain a great resale value. We run them about 7-8 years and then sell it for a new one.”
Central Packaging & Crating started with a Viking champion in 2000 and worked its way up to the Turbos. Currently, the pallet manufacturer has three Turbos and one Champion. Central Packaging & Crating runs its own cut up operation processing mainly rough hardwood cants and KD pine. The company started out making custom pallets and crates in 1995 with one employee and now has over 50 employees. Operators can achieve 1,700 to 2,000+ pallets per shift on the Turbos with 5-6 changeovers depending on the pallet spec. Viking nailers offer versatility, which is a good thing because Central Packaging & Crating produces more than 100 different pallet designs.
Neuman explained why he choose Viking nailing machines. He said, “Viking has a good reputation in the industry and has been around a while. Their support is very good. If something happens with a machine, Viking jumps on it right away to fix the problem.”
Neuman stated, “We haven’t tried anything else. When you are happy with something, why switch? We know what we are going to get when we buy a Viking.”
Service Stands Out for Happy Viking Customer
Ongna Wood Products in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin depends on Viking for its stellar service. Nate Ongna, president and co-owner of Ongna Wood, commented, “We believe in consistency. By sticking with the Viking brand, we have a proficiency and efficiency with this type of nailing equipment. Everything is uniform, which is easier for operators and maintenance staff.”
The pallet manufacturer is a fourth-generation family business. The company began decades ago sawing ties and making boxes for farmers. In the 1990s, the company expanded into pallets and bought its first Viking Champion. Today, Ongna Wood Products relies on two Turbos and three Champions.
Nate Ongna relayed the backstory, “We added two more Champions through the early 2000s. Then customer demand increased to the point that we needed to add two Turbos over the past six years.”
A key to getting the most out of its machines is timely maintenance. Ongna Wood Products replaces parts right away when things start to wear or break. Nate added, “Viking offers excellent service. We try to stick with ordering parts and nails from Viking. We believe that consistency helps us keep production up.”
Ongna’s experience is that Viking technicians are effective at helping you troubleshoot problems over the phone and can usually help you identify the problem quickly. Plus, Viking is located close to his plant. Ongna mentioned, “Viking is close enough to us. They have literally driven over night before to provide service when we needed it.”
Given all the shipping concerns post pandemic, Ongna admitted that it provides peace of mind to know that parts are produced and sourced in the United States. He said, “I like to buy U.S. equipment because I don’t have to worry about foreign parts or service.” With a large parts inventory and convenient online store with parts pictures, customers can efficiently and quickly get what they need to stay running and reduce downtime. Viking ships 95% of its service parts within 24 business hours.
Initially, Ongna Wood Products chose Viking because of its reputation and the company produced a single face pallet that fit well with the Champion II design. This nailer included a flipper nester feature that worked exceptionally well with this unique pallet design. Ongna Wood Products has stuck with Viking due to its reliability and consistency.
A bigger part of Ongna’s business over the past two years are standard-sized pallets. This is where the Turbos really shine – longer runs, higher volumes. They can achieve 200-275 per hour depending on the lumber and pallet design. Each Viking machine has its sweet spot. Ongna explained, “You can get away with a lot poorer wood quality on the Champion than the Turbo. You can do funky things with the Champion too. We have modified the air cylinders. And have done other things to achieve specific results.”
Ongna runs three cut up lines producing boards and stringers. It buys mostly hardwood dimensional lumber that gets turned into pallet stock. One of the specialties of Ongna Wood is its expertise to produce just about any pallet design. Nate Ongna declared, “We can make just about anything from a standard 48×40 to a fully customized pallet design.”
Voyager – First in a New Wave of Innovation
Viking Engineering prides itself on its continuous innovation. More than just a new nailer, the Voyager is the start of a new generation of automation possibilities for Viking. Larsen explained, “We had customer demand for a faster machine. That is the impetus behind the Voyager. Ultimately, it will produce a pallet every 8.5 seconds. Customers also wanted a machine with dual hoppers that will reduce the workload of the operators. The Voyager is more ergonomic than previous machines.”
Larsen commented, “Eventually, we hope to be able to add some extra automation to remove bodies off the machine when it comes to adding stringers and boards. This next-level automation is possible in the future with the dual hopper design. That’s the next evolution of the Voyager.”
The idea is to offer continuous innovation and upgrades for the Voyager and other Viking nailers. He stated, “We want to be known in the industry and by our customers as an organization that not only develops new technology for new product introductions but also for existing Viking nailing platforms.”
Benefits of the Voyager include a dual board hopper, S3 board positioning, an improved nail delivery system and more. The entire nailer is designed to be efficient and upgradeable in the future. Beyond new machines, Viking is also experimenting with new patented technology, such as laser sensing. The idea is that lasers can be used to improve nailing or detect manufacturing issues for new or recycled pallets.
Larsen pointed to the Viking logo with its three sails on a Viking ship. He explained, “They stand for Viking Engineering’s commitment to the industry and our customers – building high quality machines, continuous innovation and outstanding customer service.”
