A.J. Cheponis, national sales manager for Pallet Consultants, shares his insights about working in the pallet industry, as well as some predictions for 2019. Based in Pompano Beach, Florida, with locations in several states, Pallet Consultants provides tailored pallet programs to its customers offering recycled, new and remanufactured pallets.
Pallet Enterprise: What are the biggest things you’ve learned from working in the industry and what tips can you share with others?
Cheponis: There are so many things that can be said and shared, its challenging to distill it down to something simplistic. After pondering the question for some time, I boiled it down to three words: YOU GO FIRST. My answer is predicated on one hugely important assumption; that you are in fact naturally “wired” for sales.
• If you want someone to like you – like them first.
• If you want someone to trust you – trust them first.
• If you want someone to buy into you – buy into them first.
Pallet Enterprise: Regarding lumber supply, do you see availability increasing? How will the recent storms impact supply?
Cheponis: Lumber supply is difficult to predict as mother nature always seems to throw us a curve ball; too much rain or snow can be as disruptive as fire or storms. With softwood markets finally reaching an equilibrium, local lumber has once again become more advantageous in both cost and availability than importing from Canada or South America. We expect this to continue and are prepared to outsource as necessary to satisfy our commitments.
Pallet Enterprise: What do you foresee for labor and the workforce? How will the industry adapt?
Cheponis: The old saying, “What got us here, won’t get us there,” couldn’tbe more appropriate when referring to labor. To help take us to the next level, we have developed better training,invested in better working environments, and created better metrics and incentive programs to keep our people happy and productive. Like many companies, we’ve added strategic automation to our processes while staying away from the bleeding edge of technology until robotics are better developed for the recycled industry.
Pallet Enterprise: How do you predict businesses will be impacted by tariffs and trade, and in turn, the wood packaging industry?
Cheponis: Some industries will be looking to source materials in the United States during 2019 opposed to offshore procurement. Despite media hysteria, this should help the pallet industry at large.
Pallet Enterprise: Regarding the Amazon effect, how will wood packaging facilities be impacted as more product goes directly to the consumer?
Cheponis: Amazon produces a minimal net effect on the pallet industry but has impacted brick and mortar distribution centers. All manufactured goods continue to ship on pallets to distribution centers; we expect no change in the supply chain as manufacturers are not equipped to self-distribute.
