The training of production workers at pallet companies has been a longtime necessity, something you just have to do to ensure safety compliance. However, companies are viewing it more as an opportunity to boost operation performance. Leading manufacturers and recyclers are taking a much more proactive and strategic approach to onboarding and upskilling their production workers. We reached out to outside training experts and pallet industry insiders alike to find out what practices should be top of mind for pallet businesses in 2025.
As we conducted interviews, we kept hearing terms that might not immediately come to mind when talking about training—themes such as employee retention, engagement, and being an employer of choice.
Brad Cutcher, COO of PLA, exemplifies this newer approach. He reflected that things were different 20 or 25 years ago when the labor pool was deeper. Today, there is a much tighter labor market, and workers’ expectations are also different.
“Training is part of how we become the employer of choice,” Cutcher stated. “We’re going to invest time on onboarding, and we want to give (new hires) the best chance to succeed. Limiting turnover is obviously a cost savings, but really, we are focusing on ensuring we give a new employee the best opportunity to succeed with us, so by default, our business succeeds.”
To be certain, forces have changed the labor equation. Differing lifestyle priorities, mass baby boomer retirements with the corresponding loss of experience or tribal knowledge and increasing automation that will require a different employee skill set all come into play. Based on our conversations with training experts and pallet companies, here are some ideas that companies should consider implementing or updating in 2025.
How to Onboard New Automation
It’s no secret that the industry has been turning ever more to higher levels of automation. However, new machinery installations can mean new risks and operational requirements. Pallet insiders offered great tips on this topic, such as relying on the machinery vendor for training and developing a formal automation onboarding process for your company.
“We initially rely on the manufacturer of the equipment we’re putting in,” offered Ron Young, the self-described “hands-on” owner of Kaukauna, Wisconsin-based RB Pallet Service. “They typically have a training program, so we put an employee with them, plus me. I always get trained on everything because if there are any questions, I know where they’re going to come. They’re going to come to me, so I better know what’s going on.”
Just as companies develop a formal “onboarding” process for new employees, PLA, one of the U.S. pallet industry’s largest companies, has embraced a similar concept for onboarding new pallet processing machinery.
“We realized very quickly that while workers were still repairing and handling pallets, the way they now were doing it was completely different,” observed Cutcher of PLA. “The position was changing. We’ve made this investment, but how do we set employees up to make sure they succeed?”
With this in mind, PLA has established a machinery onboarding process. “Any time new equipment is introduced, it’s critical that employees are trained on its safe and effective use – to help them to be most effective,” Cutcher said. “We have a defined process for onboarding new equipment that includes employee training on proper use, maintenance and safety.”
Like RB Pallet Service, PLA also relies on training support from automation vendors. “These industry manufacturers are very collaborative and willing to make sure we have what we need by engaging with them,” he added.
Leveraging Your Insurance Provider As a Resource
Aside from leaning on your equipment vendors for support, insurance providers can also be tapped as a resource. Young pointed out the positive impact RB Pallet Service has seen by taking advantage of the safety expertise of its insurance providers. For example, the company’s insurer provides a monthly onsite inspection, including plant inspection and recordkeeping review. “He goes through to make sure we are on top of things,” Young said. “It’s a great benefit.”
Young described the results as “dramatic.” “We don’t have as many injuries,” he said, noting that employees also see the benefit of the enhanced safety focus.
Hub International is one insurance provider that offers such safety expertise. Emily Lubman, director of risk management at HUB International, provides onsite client support to clients, including wood products companies.
Lubman’s role involves working directly with client companies to provide safety training and support tailored to their specific needs. She takes a collaborative approach, partnering with clients who voluntarily choose to engage her services, which she believes sets a positive, cooperative tone. Her goal is to empower and educate clients so that they can sustain effective safety practices long after her involvement.
Client requests can vary from leadership training to particular safety issues. In one recent engagement, she was asked to address energy control procedures.
“I’m going to come in and partner with someone onsite, whether it’s the safety person, whether it’s the supervisor, the maintenance staff, or the safety committee,” Lubman explained. “I work with any and all of those folks and go through the process with them and hold their hand so that they build the confidence to do it themselves. That’s our goal.”
Shifting Responsibility from Safety Manager to Plant Supervisors
Lubman has recently noticed a shift in safety training and follow-up responsibility from dedicated safety professionals to plant supervisors and is seeing a significant increase in employer supervisory training requests. “I think there’s been an acknowledgment that our supervisors are our first line of defense,” she noted.
“They’re the folks that interface most directly with our hourly employees, and they have the strongest relationships and rapport with them,” she said.
It is easy to say that training has been completed and signed off, but how do you ensure that employees are following through with that training on a daily basis? When you think of training as an ongoing process rather than an event, daily interaction with supervisors is critical in ensuring that procedures are consistently followed, and corners are not cut over time.
Formal training often gets all the attention, but Lubman highlighted the value of informal coaching, which continues after the initial training sessions. Supervisors should take the opportunity to observe employees during their shifts and provide one-on-one feedback. This continuous improvement mindset ensures that employees hone their skills and stay updated with the latest safety procedures.
Finally, Lubman emphasized that supervisory training should focus not only on technical skills but also on leadership and effective communication, which are essential for supervisors to succeed as empathetic yet accountable leaders.
Utilizing Motivated Employees for In-Language Training
Language can be a significant barrier to effective training in industries with diverse workforces. Lubman underscored the importance of providing training in a language that employees fully understand, especially when it comes to complex procedures. She relies on motivated bilingual employees to help bridge the language gap in her work. Many pallet companies have adopted this approach.
“We promote from within, so each plant has a diverse leadership team from the supervisor level up that reflects the workforce in the surrounding community,” Cutcher stated. “We also use technology and third-party translating services when necessary to ensure we’re communicating properly and that employees understand training and other messaging.”
At RB Pallet Service, Young observed that while he is not bilingual, he is blessed to have two bilingual in-house trainers who are cross trained on all equipment.
As the workforce changes, old communication and training practices must evolve as well to consider differences in technology, generational tendencies and ethnic practices. Productivity and safety are keys to success in the pallet industry. And communication and training will make decide who are the winners and losers on this front.
Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a series on basic training best practices for pallet operations.
