Lighter pallets translate into cost savings

There are several reasons
for choosing a cardboard
pallet over the standard
wooden version. They’re
lighter and more ecofriendly
and are proving to
be extremely popular in the
airfreight industry, despite
costing slightly more per
pallet.
According to Jan Vreken,
director of lightweight
cardboard pallet suppliers
CX Pallets, a normal
wooden pallet weighs in
the region of 20 kilograms
while a similar cardboard
pallet only weighs around
9kgs.
“These cardboard pallets
not only bypass the stringent
phytosanitary regulations
pertaining to wooden pallets
(as they contain no wood)
but also save freight costs in
the long run,” he said. “The
pallets can generally carry a
safe load capacity of one ton
but heavier-duty pallets can
also be manufactured.”
Vreken came across the
idea of cardboard pallets
from a Swedish family
friend who saw corrugated
pallets in Sweden. After
much investigation he
realised these pallets had
never been used in South
Africa as wood was always
a cheaper option.
“The use of wooden
pallets in international trade
has come under significant
pressure following the
introduction of the
International Standard for
Phytosanitary Measures
15 (ISPM15) in 2005, an
international law requiring
all raw wood to be either
heat-treated or fumigated.
A cardboard pallet can
easily be used to transport
just about anything – from
automotive components
and mining equipment to
perishable foodstuffs.
“Although slightly more
expensive than their wooden
counterparts (R140 for a 1m
x 1.2m pallet as opposed
to R100), the benefits for
airfreight export lie in the
total freight cost,” said
Vreken. “No matter how
cheap a wooden pallet, it
can never be as light in
weight as a cardboard pallet.
Therefore, at US$2.00 per
kg for airfreight, the total
cost saving per pallet will
be US$22.00.”