Lightweight alternative to wooden pallet completes testing

This week, start-up NextPallet completed testing of its new lightweight shipping pallets that are about 10 to 20 pounds lighter than traditional wooden alternatives. The company hired Chicago-based Gaynes Labs to test the strength and validity of the product, results showing it could withstand loads of 20,000 pounds without sustaining any visible damage.

“Air cargo should be our bread and butter,” company president Tod Ginnis told Air Cargo World. “Those shippers who can’t use ultralight, air-only pallets will save a fortune by switching from wood to our much lighter solution and won’t be risking their cargo. And there’s no need to repalletize for land-based transport or DC [distribution center] storage and racking.”

The company says their “NextPallets” are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than traditional wooden pallets, using “100 percent recycled corrugated” material and an industrial adhesive that replaces use of nails and staples, making the pallets safer both to handle and for cargo.

Ginnis said that pricing will be competitive with regular wooden pallets. The concept will be available to wood pallet firms for purchase, allowing them to assemble and sell the pallets within their own networks. Ginnis said he “fully expect[s] these distributors will be able to match the price of wood while earning higher margins than are possible with their wood pallet sales.”

Details on the availability of the product are yet to be determined.