Are you ready to make the jump to block pallet production? If you are thinking of making a move into a block nailing system for the first time, there are many things to consider. (Note: this is the second installment of a two-part series on block pallets. Last month we looked at the global block pallet market.)
Will You Do Enough Business To Warrant The Investment?
At the risk of being obvious, there should be enough volume to warrant the investment, whether you are upgrading from a beam nailer or getting into block production for the first time. “I think everybody has to make the evaluation of the capital expense based on payback,” one pallet manufacturer told Pallet Enterprise. “We have been a manufacturer for the rental companies, and you know there’s enough volume there to justify the investment in a high-speed machine over time.
“So, if somebody is thinking about getting into the block pallet business, my advice would be to look for some sort of commitment from a customer, over time, before making the investment in the machine. They’re not cheap. The last thing you want is to plunge into it and then not have orders to keep it in production. You have to walk before you run.”
What Type Of Block Pallets Are You Planning To Make?
There is a wide variety of block pallets in the marketplace. Jeff Williams of PRS Group suggested as a first step to perform some research to understand what block opportunities exist in your market area.
“Block pallets are kind of a different animal,” he observed. He recommends looking into your geographic marketplace to see what product shippers require. It is a good idea to understand the potential pallet specifications you would be looking to build before shopping for a machine. By bringing PDS drawings, along with volume estimates to the equipment vendor, you will help expedite the process of matching your requirements with a solution.
The fundamental difference between block pallets and stringer pallets is exactly that. The vertical spacers are blocks versus stringers. However, timber block pallets require stringer boards that are positioned between the top of the block and the top deck boards.
So, what varieties of block pallets are we talking about? Not all block pallets are the same. They range from CHEP or PECO perimeter or picture frame base pallets to unidirectional base Europallets.
Also, consider that there are a total of nine chemical industry (CP) pallet specifications. Some of them are quite complex, including wing and cantilever design, or even holes drilled into deck boards. Block pallets may require complex nailing patterns and require two or more different nails: shorter, clenched fasteners for the mat, and longer nails to assemble the rest of the unit. Popular CP pallets in the United States include the CP1 – 1200mm x 1000mm (47.25" x 39.38"), CP3 and CP9 – 1140mm x 1140mm (44.88" x 44.88") and CP7 – 1300mm x 1100mm (51.18" x 43.31").
What About Block Supply?
Some block pallets have multiple block sizes, so it is important to determine the block sizes you need, and whether they will be timber or composite. Composite blocks are valued for several reasons but not by everyone. They utilize wood waste, are consistently sized and dry, promoting robotic placement and high-speed production. Due to concern about fiber shedding and potential food contamination, however, composite blocks are not used by U.S. pallet rental providers. Composite blocks are more popular for export pallets.
If you are going the timber block route, then you will need to be able to produce the blocks you need with a block cutter. In more highly automated systems, Williams explained, bundles of long timbers can be unscrambled, fed to an automated block cutting saw, and then conveyed to the nailing line.
“We’re looking for the longest length of 4×6 possible because it’s just less handling into the saw,” one pallet manufacturer said. The company has looked at adding automation to stack the blocks, but it has not, as of yet, because of space constraints and a current lull in rental pallet production. “We haven’t made that investment, but our chopping is automated and it’s quite efficient. So, we’re happy with that result.”
What Are The Nail Requirements?
Another consideration when getting into block pallet production is that multiple nail sizes may be required. For PECO pallets, for example, the specification calls for 1 5/8" smooth shank nails for the mat, 3" annular ring nails for the top deck, and 2 1/4" annular ring nails for the bottom deck.
Whether you are talking PECO, CHEP or COSTCO white pallets, everyone is using the same type of nail, noted Ryan Greenwood of Crane Point Industrial, a national nail supplier. One point of differentiation, however, is regarding nailing the mat, and more precisely, how the mat nail will be clenched.
“It really depends on your machine,” Greenwood said. “If it’s a machine that rolls the nail over or if it’s a machine with the metal plate pointed, the nail needs to be designed with a slight angle so that it is applied directly and bent over that way after nailing.
How Much Automation Do You Need For Now And In The Future?
For a basic block pallet nailing machine, Williams observed, you could have a single nailer head with a shuttle table, a system that could produce a few hundred pallets a day. “The transition to a more automatic line to making block pallets really is the material handling, as well as the addition of the second or third nailing head,” he said.
Planning for future needs is an important part of the selection process, Williams noted. His advice is to look for a machine that is modular and can be expanded to meet your needs. “As the block pallet business grows, then maybe I add that third nailer, so it becomes an automated process,” he said. “Or I add a robot that can load the blocks rather than having an employee placing them manually at the front of the machine.”
For example, he observed, you might initially have a Viking Champion or a CAPE Mach 1 in the corner nailing mats that are then palletized and brought to the line. As you need to build more pallets, however, mats can be manufactured inline, adjacently, with the operator feeding deck and stringer boards into hoppers, and the stacks of finished mats conveyed to the nailing line where each one is picked up by a pick-and-place robot and dropped onto the blocks for top deck assembly.
And if you are thinking about getting into pool pallet production at a later date, he added, consider if you will be able to add inline painting capabilities, as well as other considerations such as branding and corner cuts.
There is a lot to think about when you are looking to move into block pallet automation. Taking the time to consider the questions above can help you find the equipment you need to take advantage of the block pallet market.
