<Following is an excerpt from an article in the Aug 1, 2003 issue of Pallet Enterprise>...

The concept of performing pallet repairs in a line using varying degrees of automation is not new to pallet recyclers.

Of course, pallet recycling businesses are widely different because of local markets, customers and conditions, and the kind of services they provide – and how they supply them – differs greatly.

For example, at some pallet recycling companies, most operations are performed by manual labor. Pallets coming off a truck may be sorted by hand, workers use a pry bar to remove damaged boards, and finished pallets are stacked by hand.

At the other end of the spectrum, conveyors and other machinery and equipment is used to move and handle the pallets and perform many of the processes involved in refurbishing repairable pallets.

Although some suppliers may be strong advocates of certain approaches to pallet repair lines, they will work with recyclers to design a repair line that best meets their requirements. Suppliers also can design and equip pallet dismantling and lumber recovery operations in conjunction with pallet repair operations.

A pallet repair line can be designed and equipped for even a relatively small pallet recycling business, and suppliers can design and equip these systems so they can be readily expanded in the future to accommodate additional growth.

There are a number of benefits to automating pallet recycling operations with a repair line system approach, according to suppliers.

The two principal benefits could be characterized as increasing production and efficiency while controlling and even reducing costs. Simply put, using machinery and equipment can enable pallet recyclers to produce more pallets in a shorter amount of time. Pallet recyclers also may be able to reduce labor and other costs of their business.

Some benefits have a ripple effect. Using conveyors and other equipment to eliminate the arduous manual labor involved in moving and handling pallets makes a worker’s job much easier. Fatigue and strain are reduced. Workers can be more productive and are less prone to injury, which may favorably impact workers’ compensation costs. These benefits also can have an impact on employee morale and a company’s ability to recruit and retain workers.

Pallet suppliers should carefully weigh the pros and cons of capital investments in machinery and equipment.

Smetco is a manufacturer and supplier of equipment and complete systems for pallet handling, sorting and repairing, including component machinery, such as dismantlers, stackers and dispensers, up-enders, trim saws, platers, splicers, notchers and more.

Smetco pallet repair systems are designed to increase the volume of repaired, useable pallets and at the same time save money by:

• Reducing labor

• Improving pallet flow and handling efficiency

• Reducing forklift usage

• Improving recycling methods

• Creating a safe work environment.

Smetco high-productivity repair systems feed and convey pallet stacks to operators, separate for operator inspection and repair, remove and replace deck boards and stringers, convey pallets from repair to automatic stackers, grade by type or size, restack and return to service, salvage lumber and convey and remove scrap lumber for further processing.

The company’s’s pallet repair systems incorporate sound material handling principles with heavy-duty construction. Smetco will custom design a system for any plant and budget.

Smetco sorting systems are designed to sort more pallets faster at less cost by:

• Reducing labor

• Eliminating manual labor

• Improving pallet flow and handling efficiency

• Eliminating injuries and fatigue

• Reducing forklift usage and maintenance

• Creating a safe work environment

• Improving pallet inventory control.

Automated pallet sorting systems are a strong focus of Smetco, which can design, fabricate and equip systems for recycling businesses that vary widely in volume and other requirements. Smetco’s high-productivity systems will feed pallet stacks, separate for operator inspection, remove debris, grade pallets by type or size, restack and return to service. Automated data collection systems and pallet cleaning are optional.

Basic systems for companies heavily involved in the GMA market, for example, will provide four sorts or more — pallets that can be reused immediately, pallets that must be repaired, and similar sorts for block-style pallets. Some systems will provide up to nine or 10 sorts.

The demand for automation and improved material handling has grown as the pallet industry continues to mature. Increasingly, pallet recyclers are looking to reduce handling costs and worker compensation insurance claims -- and increase profits -- through the use of automated equipment.

For more information, contact Smetco at (800)253-5400, fax (503)678-3095, e-mail sales@smetco.com, or visit the Web site at www.smetco.com.