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On-Site Pallet Repairs vs Off-Site

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On-Site Pallet Repairs vs Off-Site - Worker repairing pallets
Steve Thompson
Steve Thompson
February 25, 2022

For effective and efficient warehouse picking, consider training team members to repair pallets on-site. It will prevent a pallet shortage that leads to compromised inventory. Your team can fix broken pallets and come up with custom sizes. Here are essential points to know about on-site pallet repairs.

On-Site Vs. Off-Site Pallet Repair

Doing your pallet repairs ensures the results meet your standards and needs. It's vital to fix broken pallets as soon as possible to avoid adding to the strain of multiple logistics challenges. Shipping pallets out to a repair station adds costs and delays turnaround time.

Car throwing pallets in a bin

The warehouse picking process is where bottlenecks can begin. Supply chains can experience various other bottlenecks, so it's crucial to ensure you have the right available resources in place. Regular pallet retrieval and inspection are necessary to maintain smooth warehousing.

Off-site pallet repair is known as pallet pair and return. In this traditional scenario, pallets are picked up from a warehouse by the repair team, fixed at a repair facility, and returned. In the past, many suppliers didn't bother sorting the good from bad pallets before sending them off for repair—this lack of sorting added to the inefficiencies of farming out pallet inventory repair work in bulk.

Main Benefits Of On-Site Pallet Repair

If you establish a regular schedule for on-site pallet repair, you won't have to worry about a pallet shortage in your warehouse picking. Your team can develop sustainable solutions for reducing waste, such as using recycled pallets. Here are some of the key reasons why on-site pallet repair is worthwhile.

Reduce Transportation Waste

Rising fuel costs make shipping certain items like used pallets inefficient. Think of the time and labor saved from loading and unloading old pallets. That time could be used more efficiently for periodically repairing pallets and creating a wide variety of high-quality custom-sized pallets. All businesses need to rethink transportation strategies to cut costs during a supply chain crisis.

Make Inventory More Accurate

Fixing Pallets

By performing your pallet repair work, you'll have more inventory control. Pallet counts will be more accurate because there won't be opportunities for miscommunication to cause errors in orders.

No Delivery Issues To Worry About

Since you'll keep all your pallets at your facility, you won't need to rely on pallet maintenance or repair delivery services. Your crew will have better things to do with their time besides loading and unloading pallets for repair.

Keep Quality Pallets Available

You know the pallet quality you need for your warehouse. Insisting on high-quality pallets will reduce pallet repair. When focusing on quality pallet manufacturing, you invest in durability and fewer slowdowns. Its utility, not its aesthetics, determines a pallet’s quality.

Cut Costs

Instead of sending pallets to a repair station, you'll be in control of your pallet inventory if you train a team to do your pallet repairs. You'll be able to save money for the company since rising transportation costs alone can squeeze profit margins.

Pallet Inspection And Quality Control

Man inspecting repaired pallets

Your pallet management program should include routine pallet inspections by a quality control team. The most common pallet problems include damaged stringer plugs, wood cracks, and damaged deck boards. Staples can be used on top of stringer cracks to help keep breaks from spreading. Your quality control team can ensure certain pallets are prioritized for repair while excessively worn pallets are used for scraps.

Conclusion

Unnecessary pallet transportation can add up to financial waste. It's best to adopt sustainable solutions for supply chain operations since resources are deeply tied to financial health and planning. Developing a pallet management program with on-site pallet repairs will help you keep your pallet costs under control. In the meantime, if you need to buy pallets, get in touch with the pros at Pallet Market and request a pallet quote today!