Customer Spotlight – Automotive Industry

One of the market sectors we service is the automotive industry.  Last October, at the NWPCA Pallet Recyclers Conference, we toured the Ford Rouge Plant to see how pallets play a key role in transit and storage for the automotive industry. We got up close and personal with the assembly line and witnessed first-hand the technologies and high-production equipment that is utilized to make automobiles.

As expected, mobility is a key issue within automobile manufacturing.  Parts and products need to be shipped or transported quickly from point A to B.  This, combined with the often heavy weight of parts and products, requires a strong and durable pallet.  That is why the automotive industry heavily relies on plastic pallets.  They are usually extremely durable–lasting for one hundred trips or more, stackable, and resist weathering, rot, chemicals and corrosion. These pallets can also be easily cleaned and sanitized for international shipping.  In addition, plastic is lighter in weight than wood, making them more fuel-efficient to ship.  Of course, they can also be customized to support fragile and heavy parts and/or to travel along specialized, automated assembly systems.

However, plastic pallets cannot easily be repaired, and can be ten times as expensive as hardwood.  But, ultimately, plastic pallets still make sense for a large supply chain like the automotive industry because they can profit from their durability and stackability.

Did you know?  The auto industry typically uses four pallet sizes: 30″ X 32″, 40″ X 48″, 45″ X 48″, 54″ X 48″.

In addition to the automotive industry, Rose Pallet also supplies pallets to a variety of markets including third-party logistics, agriculture, chemical, construction, energy, food and beverage, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, steel, and transportation.  In fact, our team has decades of collective experience managing pallet supplies for Fortune 100 and 500 companies across the United States. The difference is our responsiveness, communication, and personal accountability. We examine and assess your circumstances and customize solutions based on unique market and operational specifications.  Contact us today!