18
Should my pallets be hardwood or softwood?
by Tyson Steffens
Since the beginning of time, there has been a handful of primal questions that emerge from the core of our souls. Questions that, if we could only positively answer them, would elevate our existence. You probably thought about them the last time you shared a sunset, watched the waves roll in, or held a newborn: is there a God watching over us, what is the meaning of life, and of course, should your pallet be made of hardwood or softwood?
Luckily, although past decisions on diet, anniversary gifts and fantasy football were ill-fated, when it comes to pallets, you have found the oracle. Let me enlighten you.
If you palletize loads in South Florida or west of the Texas Panhandle (projected north), then this is a no-brainer…softwood. This was easy. You don’t have hardwood in your region without bringing it in by rail from East Texas, Missouri, or Iowa, which is cost prohibitive. You will learn to love SPF in only two cuts…this is the Legoland of pallets. For pallet design geeks, this is purgatory – like limiting DaVinci to a red crayon, a blue pencil, and some play dough.
RPN
RPN
not have access to composting, noted Briney. The “holy grail” he said, is an insulated packaging material that is recyclable.
The company’s new insulated packaging product, ClimaCell, is made from paper-derived material — recycled paper — plus other bio-based material. Inch for inch, it performs the same as Styrofoam in terms of insulating capability and is moisture resistant. TemperPack allows for fully customized graphics and messaging to be printed directly on the insulation.
ClimaCell is curbside recyclable, so a meal kit consumer can put it in a recycling bin along with their flattened corrugated box. TemperPack has worked extensively with recycling centers to ensure that its product will be sorted with corrugated for recycling.
For its original product, TemperPack collaborated with a supplier that collected burlap bags used to ship coffee beans and other goods. The supplier shredded the used burlap bags and processed the jute material into panels that were shipped to TemperPack to be made into the final product. The company will continue to offer the jute-based insulated packaging product.
Beyond meal kits – packaging for perishables
TemperPack is actively working to penetrate the grocery industry. Following the success of the burgeoning meal kit industry, supermarket chains are moving to provide services to deliver products to consumers. (Plated was acquired last year by Albertsons, second only to Kroger among supermarket chains.) They will be developing small distribution facilities to package and ship perishables for home delivery, according to Briney. The supermarket chains are trying to figure out the most profitable model to get perishable products to the consumer, he said. TemperPack already has developed insulated grocery bags — made of ClimaCell — to serve the grocery industry.
TemperPack has invested a lot of time cultivating relationships in the pharmaceutical industry and participated in a lot of test trials. The sales cycle takes longer. However, Temperpack is “on the goal line,” said Michael Scipione, director of research and development, and hopes to have a contract in the industry soon for ClimaCell.
A pharmaceutical drug shipment has to be chilled between 36-45 degrees F for 36-60 hours, noted Scipione. “It’s not a challenge for our product,” he said. The challenge is how the drugs are packaged with frozen gel packs in order to keep the drugs properly chilled and without freezing. “You have to get clever with the buffers,” said Scipione.
Other potential markets include businesses that ship fresh cut flowers, and even perishable meal kits for pets.
Two of TemperPack’s principals, James McGoff and Charles Vincent, studied packaging engineering at McGill University in Montreal.
In a press release announcing the launch of ClimaCell, McGoff, a co-CEO, said the company sought to develop a “guilt-free insulation that was just as easy to recycle as the cardboard box it came in.”
The press release also referred to the rising problem of plastic debris in the Earth’s oceans. Packaging is a major contributor and makes up nearly one-third of solid waste from municipalities.