Supply chain chaos and port delays have resulted in a global shortage from containers to forklift chassis. One group is taking steps to ease the flow of a more critical component of cross-border trade: available pallets.
In order to "strengthen the exchange of old pallets", the European pallet Association ev (epal) updated its "epal quality classification and exchange terms." The revised document was developed by the tray pool operator headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany, in cooperation with retailers, forklift drivers, tray service providers and tray repairers. It aims to speed up the tray purchase and exchange process by providing answers to some common questions, including: under what circumstances can epal Euro pallets no longer be replaced? Will broken wood or residual labels reduce the quality of European pallets? How do I know if pallets are suitable for elevated shelf systems? What is the best quality of automated processes?
The epal quality classification was originally drafted for the German market in 2011 and has since been adopted by other national committees, making it an increasingly important reference for all parties engaged in cross-border trade, Roman malicki, President of epal Polska and member of epal's board of directors, said: "the increase in cross-border supply chain and digital pallet management means that the use and exchange conditions of epal Euro pallets need to be the same in every country and must be easy to understand by all users. The new version of 'quality classification and exchange terms' approved by all epal national committees has improved pallet exchange throughout Europe."
