“iGPS meets these needs through a pallet pooling system,” said Harrison Dean, executive vice president of the Orlando, FL-based company. “Customers rent pallets, eliminating the burden of owning and managing a pallet fleet. It is a significant cost and logistical challenge for large businesses. This allows them to easily adjust pallet usage based on demand.
“Our iDepot system streamlines the process further,” Dean continued. “Pallets are inspected and cleaned at the retailer’s location, then immediately returned to circulation, eliminating extra transport, costs and emissions. Finally, iGPS pallets are durable — lasting about 100 trips, four times longer than wood — and recyclable. At the end of their lifespan, they are ground down and reused, making the system sustainable and eliminating landfill waste. It is a feature valued by both customers and retailers.”
The company’s plastic pallet pooling has many benefits for bagged produce. Those benefits include increased food-safety and hygiene, reduced transportation costs, minimal product damage, exceptional automation abilities and unsurpassed sustainability. They also include increased worker safety and a highly-efficient pooling system that can eliminate the purchasing and maintaining of a pallet inventory.
Dean said that iGPS has a great story to tell attendees at SEPC, including just how important pallets are to the overall produce industry.
“The show provides a great opportunity to showcase the advantages of plastic pallets to more produce suppliers,” he said. “We are eager to grow our business, but more importantly, we believe in the positive impact our pallets have. Produce and grocery customers report less product damage and fewer retailer rejections due to the smooth, consistent surface of plastic. The lighter weight and lack of nails, splinters, and broken boards also improve worker safety and reduce warehouse debris, minimizing downtime from equipment jams.”
Additionally, Dean added, iGPS’s sustainable model helps companies reduce their carbon footprint. “For every 100,000 iGPS pallets shipped, we save approximately 1,000 gallons of fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 20,000 pounds,” he noted.
The fact that iGPS has a long history working with retailers, especially in the food and beverage industries, helps retailers and suppliers feel more comfortable with the company and more willing to listen to new trends in the pallet industry.
“We even handle most U.S. egg shipments,” Dean said. “A major client in the fruit industry struggled with wood pallet issues: debris, equipment jams, and up to 20 retailer rejections monthly, each with a fee. Switching to iGPS plastic pallets solved these problems. Our lighter, more durable plastic pallets flow smoothly through their automated equipment, and rejections are now near zero.”
Dean said that using these pallets also results in cleaner facilities with no debris or punctured forklift tires. “Plus, iGPS pallets don’t absorb moisture, maintain consistent size and weight, and are easy to clean and sanitize, preventing mold and pathogens,” he noted.
Dean expects more innovation from the pallet category as supplier and retailer demands rise and everyone seeks more ways to control costs and maximize efficiencies.
“The future of the industry, particularly pallets, is intertwined with sustainability and technological advancements,” he said. “Producers will seek cost reduction, sustainability improvements, and supply chain optimization. Specifically, for pallets, we see a growing shift towards plastic, driven by safety, cleanliness, and automation.
“Robotics is transforming warehousing, and plastic pallets, with their uniform build and embedded RFID tags, are ideal for automated systems. Their lighter weight, durability and recyclability contribute to a greener, more sustainable supply chain,” he said.
