Every once in a while there comes along an idea that revolutionizes how we live and do business. To the uninformed, these inventions may just appear to pop up over night. But normally these ideas are developed only after a lot of trial and error. The light bulb, for example, one of the greatest modern inventions was devised after numerous researchers made small discoveries. Eventually, Thomas Alva Edison put these together to develop a working prototype complete with an entire system for electric lighting.
Just like Edison, who tried about 6,000 different fibers before settling on cotton for his first filament, some leaders in the pallet industry have been looking for the breakthrough that would catapult their company to the next level. Everyone seems to agree that the future belongs to those who can provide better solutions for customers. Beyond simply purchasing or renting a pallet, customers want less hassle, more service, improved communication and billing, and lower cost. Customers want to deal with fewer suppliers and have just-in-time service.
Many customers, especially in the grocery industry, want a different platform than the standard GMA stringer pallet. They have gotten a taste of the block pallet thanks to pallet rental, and many prefer it.
Over the past several years, there have been numerous attempts by those in the general white wood industry to meet changing customer demands. PalEx, which eventually became IFCO, tried to roll up the industry by going public and buying competitors. There have been a number of attempts to unite major players via loose organizations such as the Pallet Alliance or the recently emerging PALNET USA. Some private companies have tried to offer unique solutions such as Pallet Pallet, Penn Pallet and Pallet Asset Recovery System (PAR).
The tremendous agrowth of CHEP and emergence of PECO, two pallet rental companies, has forever changed the industry landscape. With all of these various attempts to solve the same problems it can be easy to see how the general industry might be disillusioned. Will anyone ever solve these problems in such a way to give the white wood industry a shot at taking lost market share back from private rental companies?
I believe that the answer is "Yes." But like any good invention, it takes time. If inventing was easy, everyone would do it. Edison said that genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
Each failure leads us closer to the solution if we will only learn from the past. While Edison did not solely invent the light bulb, he did make it a practical reality by improving on what others had done. By the end of 1880, he had produced a 16-watt bulb that could last for 1500 hours.
As Edison moved to commercialize his idea, he realized that the idea was beyond his resources. Getting electricity into the homes of everyday citizens required big pockets. He turned to investment bankers to fund his dreams.
Throughout his life, Edison patented more than 1,000 inventions. He improved upon the telegraph and the telephone. His inventions helped spawn the motion picture and recording industries.
Speaking of inventions, the next generation of the PalletBoard, Pallet Enterprise’s online forum, is about to be unleashed. It takes the discussion in a whole new direction allowing for improved networking while continuing to preserve anonymity for those who desire it. New features include: instant messaging, an internal e-mail system, customized user interface, and a special best of the PalletBoard section. Users can track specific discussions for updates, block posts from specific users and upload images to posts. Visit www.palletboard.com and click on the new board icon to tour the new system.
