What To Consider When Purchasing Timber Cases

Timber cases are an ideal transportation solution for those who need to move their products to the point of sale or further distribution. A timber case differs from a timber crate because it is designed to add further protection to the goods within. A case has additional horizontal sheathing and ensures additional protection from the elements or from tampering by others. Cases can be made bespoke for any product, but there are a number of general considerations to be made before a timber cases supplier is chosen and here are the 6 most important:

The moisture content

The moisture content of a timber case affects the strength and weight of the case itself. This can be specified at production. The lower the moisture content then the more durable the case and the less the environmental impact and the transportation costs involved.

Re-usability

There are two factors to consider here. Do your cases need to be reused? If they do they will need to be able to withstand multiple trips and will need to be designed for this level of usage. If they are being reused they will need to be identifiable and so some kind of branding will be required on the cases themselves.

Destination requirements

Not all destinations have the same requirements and if the products are to be transported outside of the EU then there are extra phytosanitary requirements to combat potential issues such as pest infestation.

The working load

Quite clearly, the cases must be able to withstand the weight of the goods within and how the goods are to be stacked and carried.

Packaging considerations

It is useful to know how the goods will be accessed from the cases. This means that if they need to be accessed from all 4 sides then the design will need to incorporate this.

The handling equipment requirements

It is important at the time of case construction that you know how the cases are to be picked up. A pallet truck for example, will have different requirements to a fork lift truck and the design of the case will have to satisfy the method of pick up.

In addition to these issues, it is of course important to use only a reputable supplier of timber cases. Nicklin have been manufacturers and suppliers of timber crates for almost 100 years and can provide advice and assistance for any of your timber case needs. You can contact them on 0121 359 8101 or email them at enquiries@nicklin.com

Our Top 3 Blogs You May Have Recently Missed

Since we began trading in 1913, our company – Nicklin, has grown to become one of the UK’s established providers of bespoke timber and transit packaging.  We have a range of products which we supply including: bespoke pallets, timber cases, timber crates, plywood cases, timber components and corrugated cases. 

Most recently we have been talking about timber pallets, and the benefits of transit packaging on our blog.  However, as we understand how busy our customers may be, we have given you the chance to catch up with our Top 3 Blogs you may have recently missed.

1.       A 5-Step Guide To Managing the Use of Pallets – here we discussed how our customers can manage their pallets safely, to avoid any injuries and to prevent any breakages occurring to the timber packaging itself. Find out more about our timber packaging and wooden pallets

2.       The Main Benefits of Returnable Transit Packaging – discover how transit packaging could be a cost effective way of sending products to your customers, in an environmentally friendly way. Using returnable transit packaging is a great advantage for any business as it can be used time and time again.

3.       How Innovative Packaging Designs Are Helping To Reduce Waste – We tell you how making the most out of various product designs for your packaging, could have a positive effect on your target market. This has so far proven to work for many businesses who often try to meet the demands of the public, and this is something you could try too.

We aim to provide all of our customer’s with safe, cost effective and environmentally friendly products.  

To find out more about how you can make the most of our timber pallets and products, you can visit our website at nicklin.com.

The Merits of Reconditioned Pallets

Changes in recent decades have meant that the timber industry has begun to make an impressive contribution to the production of more sustainable timber products. There is no doubt that reputable companies now ensure that the timber they use for timber-based products comes only from sustainable forestry. This is obviously a step in the right direction after years of ignorance and lack of care for the environment, but there are additional ways that your company can make sure that the timber products they use, such as pallets, make a minimal impact on the environment. One key way of doing this is to make sure yourexisting pallets are reused wherever possible or that you buy reconditioned pallets.

Throughout the UK, 90% of all new pallets are still made from timber despite the introduction of plastic pallets. Usually this timber comes from the “unwanted” parts, the parts that are not used for furniture making or building materials.

The average lifespan of a wooden pallet is between 5 and 7 years. Once a pallet is damaged there are a number of options available to ensure it is fully utilised:

· recondition it

· use it as a fuel source

· shred it into useful wood chips

· make another use for it (such as garden furniture)

So how is a pallet reconditioned?

Reconditioning or repairing a pallet is relatively simple and can be completed by an individual with the right tools. However, with the sheer scale of repair required by some companies it may make sense to contract out this work to a specialist, who can do larger numbers of repairs more speedily and more effectively.

Larger companies have machines that will disassemble pallets so that all the reusable components can be used to make new pallets, or repair damaged pallets and all the pieces that are in disrepair can be made into wood chip or fibre. The types of machines used vary from cutting wheels and discs, to band saw cutters, to hydraulic equipment. It can be quite a sophisticated operation.

By the time pallets have been produced from their predecessors and are ready to go back to their owners, or be sold on, they are as good as new. One of the benefits of buying reconditioned pallets however is that they are cheaper to produce than new ones. It is estimated that they cost between 30% and 60% of a new pallet and as such are  an appealing option.

If you want to know more about the process for repairing pallets, or you are looking to purchase reconditioned pallets then visit  Nicklin to discuss your pallet needs.

A 5-step guide to managing the use of pallets

Pallets are used to assemble, store and handle goods, transporting them to various locations. Used pallets should be considered carefully to prevent any possible injuries.  Wooden pallets are heavy, and will need to be handled with care so that they can be reused for other products.  There are some measures that you can take to make sure that you load the pallets correctly, and use them in the right way.

Here are 5 steps to help you manage your pallets safely:

1.      Suitability

Pallets are designed for moving goods and can hold fairly heavy weights, depending on what type of pallet that it being used.  It is important to load a small amount on at a time, to prevent the pallet from collapsing or breaking.

2.       Loading

Items should be packaged correctly to prevent them from breaking when being handled on the pallet.  A special platform should be used to load the items onto the pallet, and further items should be added gradually.

3.       Height Requirements

The height should generally not be bigger than the actual base dimension of the pallet. Items should be carefully assessed and measured, to ensure that they will be safe when loading onto the pallet.  This way the goods can be safely transported.

4.       Pallet Use and Maintenance

When you pick a pallet that you wish to use, double check that it is not damaged in any way. Split or stained pallets could cause damage to other products, making it a costly error.  Pallets should be carefully examined upon the delivery of any items.  If any pallets require repair they should be sent back to the manufacturer or the pallet owner.

5.       Choosing A Pallet

Wooden pallets should be chosen carefully.  They are often used many times, so they need to remain in the best possible condition. It is important to look after your own safety, and make sure that you have the right equipment with you when using the pallets. 

Pallets are most commonly manufactured as ‘two way entry’ pallets, and ‘four way entry’ pallets.  Nicklin provide pallets to suit your needs, so that your goods can be handled and transported in the best way possible.  To find out more, please visit the Nicklin website at nicklin.com.  

The Main Benefits of Returnable Transit Packaging

Transit packaging solutions such as timber pallets, crates and cases can be manufactured for either single trip use, or as returnable transit packaging. Single trip packaging is designed to be used only once, which means that it should be disposed of once it arrives at its destination and is unpacked. Returnable transit packaging on the other hand, can be used time and time again.

Whereas single trip packaging is somewhat wasteful, returnable transit packaging has a number of benefits for your business and the environment.

Benefits for your Business

Strength and Durability – As returnable transit packaging is designed to be re-useable, time and time again, it is built to be much more robust than single trip packaging solutions. Single use packaging is usually built from wood in order for it to be easily disposed of; returnable transit packaging is most commonly made from plastic materials for extra strength and durability.

Products that are transported via returnable transit packaging are also less likely to be damaged in transit, therefore lessening the potential for damage related costs.

Cost – The cost of returnable transit packaging is reduced over time. The longer the lifespan of packaging, the longer the time the cost of packaging is spread over. Whilst in the short term, multi-use packaging is generally more expensive than single use packaging, over time, businesses can stand to save a lot of money.

Disposing of waste packaging materials whilst complying with government waste disposal regulations can in many cases be somewhat expensive, and therefore reduces the amount of profits businesses can make from their products. Returnable packaging helps to greatly reduce waste costs as it is designed to last; this in turn helps to significantly improve a business’s overall profitability.

Health and Safety – Returnable packaging is often designed for a specific use and as a result, it can be produced with health and safety in mind. By creating packaging firmly within the specification of making product handling easy and safe, there is a much smaller likelihood of health and safety issues.

Storage – Returnable transit packaging is often designed with storage and ease of transport in mind and is often stackable or collapsible.

Brand – Returnable transit packaging presents businesses with a valuable opportunity to increase their brand recognition. By emblazoning all packaging with their branding, both in terms of colours and logos, recognition of their brand can travel with their products.

Environmental Benefits

As well as helping to reduce costs, increase profitability and increase brand recognition, by making the decision to switch to reusable packaging materials, businesses can considerably improve their company’s environmental credentials. Many clients, customers and consumers may be more likely to choose a brand if they are seen to be doing their part to help the environment.

One of the most important environmental benefits of returnable transit packaging is that it helps to reduce the amount of waste that goes to a landfill site. With landfills quickly filling up, this is a massive environmental, social and political issue, so any attempt to combat the amount of waste going to a landfill site is a massive boost to a business’s green credentials.

By manufacturing reusable transit packaging, businesses can also stand to significantly reduce the amount of energy and raw materials that are used to create packaging solutions. This not only benefits the environment, but also creates economic benefits.

For more information on returnable transit packaging, you can visit http://www.nicklin.com/returnable-packaging.aspx.

The Benefits of ISPM 15 for Packaging Firms

Almost 95% of all deliveries made in the global distribution industry are packaged with one form of timber or another; from wooden pallets to packing cases, crates to dunnage. But until recently this wood was not subject to any international standards. This often resulted in environmental damage, as pests were spread from country to country, and ecosystem to ecosystem.

In a globalised world, with countries trading across borders like never before, this risk to the environment has grown at an exponential rate. So the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) introduced an international protocol known as the 'International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Number 15', or 'ISPM 15' for short. This had two major benefits; it helped to protect the environment of every country that signed up, and it gave a safe and reliable standard for businesses in the timber transit packaging industry to adhere to.

ISPM 15 standards

IPSM 15 standards apply to all forms of solid wood, "including pallets, dunnage, crating, packing blocks, drums, cases, load boards, pallet collars and skids". They require that this wood is treated, either by heating it to a core temperature of 56 degrees Celsius for thirty minutes, or by fumigating it with methyl bromide. Since fumigation can have negative effects on the atmosphere, and is being phased out by the 'Montreal Protocol on Substances that Decrease the Ozone Layer', heating is the treatment that is most commonly used.

Pest control

The main benefit of following the ISPM 15 regulations for timber transit packaging firms is that it allows them to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.

This was not always the case; it was only in the 1980s and 90s that real research into the subject got underway. A growing fear that pests could spread via wooden packaging was confirmed by research conducted in 1997, which found that out of fifty wooden spools shipped from Asia to Canada, 24% contained wood-boring insects.

The true effect of insect migration is still be discovered, but there are many examples of instances where it has had a negative impact on forests and woodlands. Sirex woodwasp is thought to have found its way into Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in wooden packaging, and the red turpentine beetle is thought to have entered China’s pine forests in casings made from infested North American wood. Tree-killing insects such as the Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer and brown spruce longhorn beetle, are currently attacking trees across North America, having arrived there in packing materials that were shipped from Asia.

Fortunately, the IPSM 15 regulations are putting an end to a spread of these pests. Packages could be rejected or even destroyed upon arrival at their destination, if they have been packed with non-compliant wood, and forests across the world set to benefit.

International standards

A secondary benefit for timber transit packing firms, is that the ISPM 15 is truly international. No longer will they have to comply with one set of regulations in one country, and a separate set of regulations in another. Firms operating out of countries with stringent safety protocols will not be made uncompetitive when competing with firms based in nations with fewer regulations.

The ISPM 15 regulations have been adopted from Argentina to Vietnam, and from Australia to Venezuela. In all, 77 countries had signed up to ISPM 15 by 2010, including 28 nations in the EU, and leading industrial nations such as Japan and the USA. Developing nations, which often do not have the infrastructure to enforce regulations, are also doing their best to come on board, and are likely to sign up over the course of the next decade.

ISPM 15 operates like a passport for timber packaging. Wood that is ISPM 15 compliant is stamped with a logo, which allows it to be traced, and verifies that the timber is free from infestation. This saves the need for tiresome and time consuming tests when importing packages, ensuring that transit firms can get on with what they do best; transporting vital packages across the world in a timely and safe fashion.

For more information on ISPM 15 wooden pallets, cases and crates, you can visit the Nicklin website.