In the News

Optimizing Your Pallet and Trailer Load

The time and creativity put into your POP display will be for naught if it arrives at the retailer damaged. Working with an experienced partner that can optimize your pack out, pallets, and trailer space to find a balance between maximum quantity and protection and safety will ensure your displays arrive in the same condition as they were manufactured. 

Using our in-depth experience with logistics and understanding of max load, we start at the pallet by helping our customers minimize shipping costs and environmental impact through pallet and trailer space optimization.

For example, when looking at trailer space optimization, a typical pallet is 40” x 48” and a typical tractor-trailer can accommodate 30 pallets in a single layer. If you can stack them, you can fit 60 if the combined height is less than 110 inches. However, we have to keep in mind the tractor-trailer will max out at 45,000 to 50,000 lb on the road. We work within the parameters of the pallets and the truck to optimize the use of space. 

One of the biggest challenges faced is maximizing the cube with any variety of weight, size, and shape products. For example, we have to figure out how to fit a specific number of products into a specific size display and then determine how to most efficiently and safely fit them on the pallet.

We use software to optimize the stacking strength of the pallet and help us to determine if we should pinwheel, alternate layers, or use column stacking for the displays. Overhang on the pallet and individual deck boards must also be considered since this can impact compression strength.


Understanding Complex Requirements

Customer requirements are also considered. Do they want a double-stacked pallet or a single 72 inches high? Will we max out the tractor-trailer?  There are many things we have to keep in mind during the design. From design through quoting through transportation, we ask many questions to understand what is required. 

Before and while we are engineering a display, we ask the following questions:

  • How will this be shipped? Can we double stack pallets? What is the best way to lay the displays and products in its pack out and on the pallet? 
  • What material grades and design characteristics are required to achieve the strength needed for palletizing and shipping?

With these questions answered, we can begin to put the puzzle together to create a display that will meet the customer’s logistic needs.


Safety First

In addition to optimizing pallet and trailer space,  we also consider the safety of the product and display during transport, ensuring it can handle compression, vibration, and drops that may occur.  The product should fit squarely on the pallet and be able to bear the weight of an additional pallet when required.

With customers that request it, ISTA testing can provide us with valuable feedback. ISTA is a simulation test to see how the product and display will behave during shipping and handling. This is done before the display design is finalized to ensure it can be transported safely. If the display doesn’t perform well, we can go back and make changes such as alter the design, change fillers, or upgrade materials. 


Let DusoBox Design a Safe, Optimized Pallet Configuration

The engineering team at Dusobox will work with you to turn your toughest display challenge into your greatest success story. Contact us to get started.