Ed Montes is director of operations and sales at GO Pallets Inc., a pallet manufacturing & recycling company based in Fontana, California.
Pallet Enterprise: How is your business managing the COVID-19 crisis? Do you have any advice for other pallet companies?
Montes: We would rather be safe than sorry. So, we encourage our staff to practice safe distancing while working and during breaks as well as constant hand washing. We provide and require all employees to wear face masks at our facility and when delivering or picking up pallets. We have set up hand sanitizer stations by the employee time clock and all around the break and work areas. We also require all outside drivers or visitors to our facility to wear face masks for our employees’ safety as well. The COVID-19 pandemic hit us pretty hard at first, as far as workload and sales go. We saw a big decrease as many industries slowed down or stopped working all together. We were lucky to have enough work to get us through the slowdown by focusing on developing a well-rounded customer base. For example, during the shutdowns we saw a decrease in many retail product store providers while at the same time an increase of online retail products. Medical supplies, food products, packaging for those and other essentials are good year-round industries to service especially during a crisis.
Pallet Enterprise: Besides COVID-19, what is the biggest challenge facing those in the pallet industry right now?
Montes: Getting reliable hardworking employees is often at the top of our list. Workers comp cost remains at an all-time high. CARB emissions regulations for trucks and forklifts are some of the strictest in the United States which can be very costly. Crime and vandalism like pallet yard arsons, break-ins, truck and trailer thefts have increased in recent years in some states and cities. Finding an inexpensive professional security company that is experienced with pallet yard patrolling is an added expense but definitely worth the peace of mind.
Pallet Enterprise: What makes your company stand out from other pallet companies?
Montes: One of the things we pride ourselves on is providing the best possible pallet service. We don’t strive to be the cheapest competitor. We don’t try to make the most money either. We just strive to be fair. We earn new customers by going above and beyond what some pallet companies might be willing to do. For example, if a new customer calls us because the pallet company they are doing business with is only cherry picking the broken pallets they want and leaving behind a pile of junk, we will go haul that junk out and even take a broom to sweep. Over the years we have learned that it’s not always about the price for many customers. It’s about how hard you are willing to work for them.
Pallet Enterprise: What are some of the things that your company does to be green and earth-friendly and how important is that to you?
Montes: We are proud that we generate very little waste. We recycle almost everything. All cardboard, plastics, nails, etc. Even the wood scraps that get hauled away by container loads get ground up and repurposed into mulch, wood chips or biofuel. We repurpose the majority of pallet lumber we generate from pallets we dismantle, like miscellaneous sizes. We use that material not only to repair pallets but also to manufacture combo pallets. It saves us money on new lumber and saves a few trees.
