Justin Hegsted is operations and purchasing manager of Challenger Pallet & Supply, a third-generation family pallet operation that celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Pallet Enterprise: How is your business managing the COVID-19 crisis? Do you have any advice for other pallet companies?
Hegsted: This is obviously one of the most difficult times that our nation and the world has ever faced. We are concerned about our employees and their families, as well as all of our customers. We are working to do our part to help support the economy. Many of our customers are in various essential infrastructure industries, such as food, pharmaceutical, packaging and other important services. We are working to provide a healthy work environment by educating our employees about social distancing in the workplace. We have split up our break schedules so that employees can maintain proper distance in the break room. We have increased cleaning throughout the facility and provided hand sanitizer near the time clocks. It’s a major challenge with changes that seem to occur every day as this pandemic continues to evolve.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one thing that you do at your company that sets you apart from other companies?
Hegsted: We feel that customer service is what sets us apart from the competition. This starts from our sales team and goes all the way from our delivery drivers to our production team. We try to educate our employees about what customers do with their pallets, so they understand the necessity for quality and on-time delivery.
Pallet Enterprise: What do you like most about working in the pallet industry?
Hegsted: The pallet industry is a challenging environment where you always have to be on your toes. Customers have developing products and new automation lines that require new pallet and shipping ideas. Staying close to your customers and helping to find new ways to support their products is essential to success. Also, being a part of the Western Pallet Association and the NWPCA has been very rewarding. We love the many relationships we have been able to create through participating in these associations.
Pallet Enterprise: How does your company take advantage of automation?
Hegsted: We are always looking for ways to automate or limit the number of times we touch a board. This can be as easy as adding conveyors to a saw line, an automated stacker, or using developing technology for the pallet industry such as scanning equipment.
