By focusing on simple design, Pallet Chief Mfg. builds pallet machinery that is easy to operate and maintain. This approach helps pallet manufacturers lower both labor and maintenance costs.
Pallet Chief Mfg, an international supplier of affordable pallet nailing and stacking equipment, is located in Fayetteville, Ala. The company was started by owner Barry Landers when he invented the first Pallet Chief Nailer in 1989 for use at his own pallet manufacturing facility. Barry Lander’s motivation was to solve the common problem of “shiners” (nails protruding from the sides of finished pallets) associated with hand nailing. Now over 20 years later, the company builds affordable nailing and stacking equipment that is used around the world.
Pallet Chief machines have no hydraulics or computer components. Instead, they operate on compressed air and 110 volt electricity. This simplicity allows anyone to learn to operate them in a short time without any special training.
“In five minutes I can teach someone how to operate the machine,” said Burl Landers, sales manager. “The great thing about that is that you don’t have to specially train people for extended periods of time to enable them to run the machine. You can put your average Joe off the street on our machines, and they can run it.”
Simple design also allows Pallet Chief to distribute equipment around the world without set-up or operating complications which could be magnified by language barriers. Pallet Chief machines are currently being used in over 27 countries.
Pallet Chief recently added a quick changeover feature to its pallet assembly systems that has made it even simpler and faster to switch from one pallet size to another. The quick adjust feature includes a new firing bar system that allows the nailing pattern to be changed in a matter of seconds and a crank handle that adjusts the size of the pallet with the turn of the handle. When combined, these features allow a changeover to be completed in about 15 minutes or less.
The simplicity of the machinery design provides cost saving benefits in low maintenance requirements and minimal down time. Because there are no hydraulics and computerization, there is little that can go wrong. These systems do not require expensive replacement parts. These all add up to annual maintenance costs that average significantly lower than other systems, according to Landers.
“When you do have maintenance or troubleshooting problems you don’t have to have a technically advanced person to fix the problem,” said Landers. “The average maintenance person can get the machine up and going again. Over the long run other, more complicated pallet assembly systems can cost thousands of dollars per year to maintain. Annual maintenance cost for a Pallet Chief system is almost nothing by comparison.”
For more information on Pallet Chief visit www.palletchief.com or call 800/339-2925.
