The Advantages of Extended Length Pallet Packs
The Advantages of Extended Length Pallet Packs
Today I want to discuss why anyone looking to ship their products should make an additional consideration for extended length pallet packs. Offered in the lengths and heights you would expect for larger bins, and I find that customers quickly write these products off without giving them a fair shake. So, what makes the plastic/cardboard hybrid extended-length container a solid alternative to the all-plastic bins you will find all over our catalog?
Versatility
Whenever a project ends up going with a large pallet pack, it’s almost always due to the versatility of the product. The inherit split sleeve design allows for loading and unloading of items with the side walls completely removed. Don’t need a split sleeve? We can add drop doors to the ends of the container for ergonomic unloading and loading like you might be used to with a standard bin. The beauty of the cardboard sleeve is it allows us to customize the container to the customer’s needs. Odd heights can be accomplished without extensive plastic welding, and custom logos can be printed on without additional signage. Another common customization would be adding a floor to the pallet, giving you a nice flat surface for stacking items. Need locks for the lid to keep things secure? We can do that too!
Weight
One of the biggest advantages the extended length pallet packs have over their all-plastic cousins is they are much lighter in design. If you’re shipping 500 lbs. of product it makes less sense to then add 200 to 300 lbs. of container to the equation. This extra weight doesn’t just add up in the truck, but also on the floor when moving bins around. It is much easier to slide and position a pallet pack than it is a bulky plastic container. No fork straps on the pallet also make them skid jack friendly. Our heaviest pallet pack, all assembled, is 99 lbs.
Space
If you’ve read anything about collapsible containers is that their design lends itself to positive return ration on empty units. Pallet packs are no different, the pallets and lids all nest to be stackable, and the sleeves fold down to be stored on a pallet. This is the reason why we use a split sleeve on this product: to make them easier to handle for storage. How good is the return ratio on these products? Well, a 70x48x50 heavy duty plastic collapsible has a 2:1 ratio, you can fit 34 of them loaded into a truck and send back 68 empty containers. The equivalent pallet pack has a whopping 6.25:1 ratio, you can fit 36 loaded and return back up to 225 empties.
Reusability
The final attribute I want to go over on extended length pallet packs is their life expectancy, aka their reusability. Like any large collapsible container, small, supportive components like latches, lids, and hinges can wear down over time and need maintenance. What makes these bins different? Well, for starters, each major component of a pallet pack can be purchased separately: tops, pallets, sleeves can all be replaced and slotted into existing components without any fuss. The most common replacement will be your cardboard sleeves, which have a life cycle of 6 years depending on their usage (we’re assuming a schedule of regular shipments). The reason the sleeves last so long is because the brunt of your wear and tear will be on the pallet of the container, which by no coincidence is where most of your plastic is going to be. This advantage is most noticeable when a container takes incidental damage during use. Replacing a plastic wall is far more expensive than replacing a pallet pack sleeve, especially if your containers are cut down to a non-standard height. Replacing a damaged pallet section isn’t even feasible on an all-plastic extended-length container, but you can easily do it with a pallet pack.
Hopefully the words here will add some valuable information to your shipping container solution hunt. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this or any of our products. Thank you.
