A one-of-a-kind event will soon take place: Stakeholders and users of pallets are to meet up in Hamburg. A flow of ideas between industry, retail, and logistics representatives is expected. The topics are centered around the Euro Pallet, Europe’s most popular ULD. Different keynotes complement the meeting, covering broad aspects of the European pallet market, pallets in warehouse automation, as well as pallet handling projects in e-commerce and related businesses.
Innovations can sometimes be very simple – and extremely effective. In this case, it consists of eleven boards, nine blocks and 78 nails. Together, they weigh just twenty kilograms but can carry up to four tons of weight. We are talking about the Euro Pallet. Whether in trucking, rail transport or air freight: It is impossible to master everyday life without paying tribute to these pallets.
Old tool, new roles
Due to their immense importance for the global flow of goods and as a precondition for enabling transportation, a Pallet Symposium will soon be held in Hamburg, orchestrated by the HLT – Hamburger Logistik Tage logistics events specialist. The initiator, Olaf Oczkos wants to primarily showcase new developments and the changing role of ULDs in the age of digitalization and data exchange. The event offers networking opportunities and includes an exhibition where the latest products will be presented, as well as a series of lectures. Experts will illustrate how cost-cutting and optimization potential can be leveraged. Right from the start, the focus will be on current trends and developments on the European pallet market, followed by taking a closer look at the practice of smart digital pooling solutions. Other presentations will focus on warehouse automation and its implementation in ongoing operations, pallet management, and challenges in international supply chains.
Although millions of pallets are in use every day, they are an almost unknown entity in terms of their provenance and significance for trade and commerce. They exist, they are available, they are a useful tool for transportation. That’s about it, in general terms.
From ancient Egypt to modern times
Yet, they are a millennia-old appliance for mankind. The first pallets already existed in ancient Egypt, where the builders of the pyramids dragged building materials weighing several tons, across the desert sands on wooden planks. The breakthrough in modern times, came with Howard T. Hallowell from Philadelphia, who filed the first pallet patent in 1924, under the name ‘Lift Truck Platform’. The upswing in mass production after World War II, and the increasing international exchange of goods, soon drove up the demand for cheap, efficient transport pallets. The system had proven its usefulness and finally gained widespread acceptance. Ultimately, however, it was not until the 1960s that standardized dimensions and material quality were agreed on in Europe. The result is the Euro Pallet, originally presented on 01JUL61, which is still going extremely strong. Its uniform dimensions of 1200 x 800 x 144 mm, enable forwarders to operate door-to-door services without breaking up consignments and repacking goods after arrival at airports.
Quality is guaranteed due to licensed production
Despite its immense importance for the logistics industry and the economy, the pallet never became a star. At least not in the public perception. This role was reserved for the sea container. Developed by Malcom McLean in the 1950s, the first vessels with 60 steel boxes on board, sailed from Newark to Houston on 26APR56. Today, the huge number of containers handled at seaports or airports day in, day out, can only be guessed.
Back to pallets: exactly 34 units fit on a single truck bed. The Euro Pallet is manufactured under license, thus guaranteeing the quality of the ULD. Warehouses and freight terminals are equipped with racks tailored to the dimensions of the Euro Pallet. To lower costs and reduce the CO2 footprint, the exchange of pallets was initiated by German forwarding agents. The idea of reuse was soon adopted worldwide.
The new generation of Euro Pallets meets the regulatory import requirements. All units must be heat-treated to comply with the safety standards of The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), that aims to protect the world’s plants by preventing pest infestations.
Broad range of subjects
These and other issues will be discussed at the Pallet Symposium, which takes place on 11-12NOV24, in Hamburg (Hotel Hafen Hamburg), Germany. The event will begin with a networking dinner to break the ice amongst the participants. Keynotes are planned for the next day with various specialist lectures on offer, including presentations on the latest generations of wooden and plastic pallets. The focus will be on the optimization of operations through the use of pallet software, the automation of processes and new tracking solutions (https://palettensymposium.de/kontakt/). Finally, the importance of the ULD as a traditional and modern transport unit will also be highlighted. “We expect over 100 participants from the entire transport industry, including ULD manufacturers and exhibitors,” states the organizer, Olaf Oczkos.
The conference will be held in German language and can be booked using the following link: https://palettensymposium.de/anmeldung-zum-palettensymposium/
