It’s the one call that every pallet company owner or manager dreads receiving. Your facility is on fire, and it’s a major blaze. That’s what happened to Jesse Craver, owner of Cahaba Pallets, in Centerville, Alabama back in March of 2021. But this tragedy had a happy ending. A fast response from the community allowed the pallet recycler to get back up and running quickly without losing any customers.
One big blessing that helped fuel growth after the fire was the delivery of a new nailing machine from Pallet Chief. Brett Craver, plant manager and Jesse’s son, remembered, “We had actually just bought the Pallet Chief nailer prior to the fire. The timing of the machine’s arrival was a huge blessing. We bought the Pallet Chief to boost production. When we had the fire, we pretty much lost everything outside of a forklift, Bobcat and some dry van trailers. We were able to get another facility right there close to us. We purchased some land and quickly constructed a new building. And then the Pallet Chief IV nailing machine was delivered. So, because of the flexibility of that machine and then the fact that we had skilled laborers who could build pallets manually, we were able to get back up and operating fully in a matter of only eight weeks.”
Pallet Chief: Simple Operation Makes Automation Easy
One of the things that the Cravers wanted in a nailing solution was simplicity. Cahaba Pallets bought a new Pallet Chief IV nailing machine about three years ago. They build mostly combo GMAs on the machine using new and recycled wood.
Jesse said, “We love the production coming off our Pallet Chief nailer. It takes a lot of hard work off the backs of our employees. You’re not having to flip the pallets. You’re not actually having to hold nail guns and hit every spot. It’s quick, simple and easy.” He added, “All the operator has to do is place the material and hit start.”
Like most pallet companies, attracting skilled labor can be a challenge. Brett explained,
“I think from my perspective, one thing is you don’t have to necessarily have skilled laborers that know how to build pallets. You’re able to take the workforce in your area without a lot of training, and the machine makes it easy to produce pallets compared to all the labor and skill required for manual pallet production.”
The Cravers use the Pallet Chief IV to produce re-manufactured pallets with new stringers and recycled deck boards. Jesse admitted, “Now with recycled deck boards, we have no problems running them on the Pallet Chief nailing machine.”
Although most of the pallets produced on the nailer are GMAs, they do make some non-standard sizes. Jesse stated, “We do change over the nailer every now and then for a couple of different customers, but a lot of our customers are buying GMAs.”
The changeover process is fairly easy, even though this machine does require manual set up. The process usually takes about 20 minutes or so. This model has the standard board feeder on it, not the new deluxe, double board feeder. Cahaba Pallets doesn’t use the board feeder because the variable thickness can cause issues with the board feeder. But the board feeder works great with new lumber.
Another major benefit of Pallet Chief equipment is the price. Jesse admitted, “The price point of the Pallet Chief IV was one of the contributing factors because we felt that it would provide a good return on the investment. Their prices are certainly competitive.”
Buying local is always a plus too. Headquartered in Central Alabama, Pallet Chief is located near the Cahaba Pallets facility. The Cahaba Pallets staff were able to go see the machine being built and train on the new machine at the manufacturing plant. Jesse said, “Due to their close proximity, they are able to come on-site quickly and troubleshoot any concerns. Pallet Chief has provided very responsive customer service.”
Pallet Chief uses Everwin pneumatic nailing tools in its standard machine setup. A simple flip-a-clip mechanism allows nail guns to be quickly removed and switched out if one jams and needs to be replaced. The Pallet Chief IV can handle three or four stringer designs.
A 100% Green Pallet Business
Cahaba Pallets is primarily a pallet recycler, although the company does build new and remanufactured pallets from recycled material. The company also offers pallet removal services as well. Located in Tuscaloosa, the recycler offers pallets and services throughout the state, although many of its clients are in Central Alabama.
The recycler has a strong environmental story to tell. Brett explained, “We turn our wood waste into biofuel. So, we are a 100% green company. Nothing goes into the landfill. We pride ourselves on limiting waste and being a sustainable company.”
Cahaba Pallets helps customers divert pallets from landfills. Brett said, “A lot of our suppliers/vendors are coming to us because we keep them from sending pallets and packaging waste to landfills.”
After the fire, Cahaba Pallets bought a Rotochopper grinder to process wood waste and cut down on waste pallets and wood in its yard. Jesse commented, “Our Rotochopper grinder enable us to efficiently eliminate waste and keep our yard clean. Keeping your yard clean is critical for fire prevention. After the fire, we are much more vigilant about grinding and removing pallets that we can’t repair or sell.”
One challenge can be finding residuals markets and knowing what to do with wood waste. But the recycler is fortunate that it has found a steady customer turning ground material into biofuel.
Lessons from the Plant Fire
It was a miracle of sorts that the company was able to recover so quickly from the 2021 plant fire. Some local suppliers, such as an electrician, helped the company get power by utilizing a three-phase generator. Another local recycler provided raw materials to produce pallets because Cahaba’s entire pallet inventory burned to the ground.
Jesse stated, “We are forever grateful for those companies that helped us get back up and running quickly after the fire.”
A key lesson that the Cravens learned was the importance of good insurance. Jesse commented, “You’ve got to have good insurance in this business. The insurance helped us greatly. I probably didn’t have the exact coverage I needed, but the fact that I did have coverage helped us get back up on our feet quickly. Insurance really can be expensive. But if we didn’t have insurance, we might be completely out of business right now.”
Brett added, “We really didn’t lose any customers. We had a bit of a delay there. I would say that the Pallet Chief played a big role in our recovery after the fire. We were able to mass produce pallets at a fast rate. Because we never stopped swapping out core trailers for customers, we still had supply for producing remanufactured pallets.”
In regards to other equipment, the Cravens found some other machines nearby that they were able to acquire quickly. Brett admitted, “We were up and going in no time. It was pretty amazing, actually.”
Simple Process Flow
Cahaba Pallets does everything with simple processes and minimal automation. Forklift drivers unload stacks and take them to repair tables. The company runs 4-5 repair stations at a time. Pallets are sorted, repaired and hand stacked. Broken pallets that will be taken apart are moved to the bandsaw dismantlers. It uses two PRS bandsaw dismantlers as well as a PRS Power feed trim saw and a Smart Products chop saw.
Jesse explained why he selected the equipment that he did. He said, “We were trying to get back up and going; we were trying to find something as quick as possible. PRS was able to turn something around for me very quickly, understanding the situation we were in.”
As the company approaches its 10-year anniversary, the Cravens are continuing to make changes to improve the business. The Cravers changed from outsourcing transportation to buying its own truck fleet over the last year. Brett noted, “Handling our own trucking has been fantastic in terms of quicker customer deliveries and lower costs. Overall, it was a no-brainer.” Cahaba Pallets runs International Prostar trucks.
The company started with Jesse and a few employees in July of 2014. Everything was built from ground zero. Early in its history, the company made $400,000 in sales. Now it has grown to more than $2 million in revenue. And the Cravers see more opportunity for growth. Brett has worked in the business full-time over the last few years. Jesse admitted, “A key to being successful in this business is managing your expenses and understanding your costs.”
Another major focus for Cahaba Pallets is to only send pallets out the door that meet or exceed customer quality requirements. Whether working direct or through brokers, Cahaba Pallets strives for quality.
Brett concluded, “Our family-owned and operated culture is a big reason for our success as well as our commitment to quality. We strive to make sure that everything we send out is top-notch quality. We’re not trying to cut corners. We may not be the cheapest, but we do make sure everything we send out is good quality. Your reputation is everything in the industry, so you’ll get a bad rep if you’re sending out inferior quality products.”
Editor’s Note: For more information on Cahaba Pallets, call (205) 340-0050 or visit https://cahabapallets.com/
Pallet Chief IV Deluxe Board Feeder
To make the operation more efficient for a worker, Pallet Chief now offers a deluxe deck board feeder. This option provides for two bays to store boards, which reduces operator strain and stress. This GMA pallet solution feeds 6" and 4" boards at the same time. It uses a machined gantry with precise board placement. The deluxe board feeder boosts production speed as well.
To see a video of this innovation in operation, view the video below. What are some Pallet Chief advantages? With over 30 years of experience, the company has improved its manufacturing capabilities under new ownership. According to Pallet Chief, it boasts the best lead time in the industry for a machine made in the USA. The company has a new, advanced factory and engineering team for precision enhanced design.
Simple to operate, the Pallet Chief IV runs on 110-volt power supply and can produce up to 1000 pallets per shift.
To find out more about cost-effective pallet nailing solutions from Pallet Chief, call (256) 245-0417 or visit www.palletchief.com.
See the deluxe board feeder in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX05tSoHrz0&t=13s
