 With over 4,000 wooden pallet
manufacturers in the United States alone, the process of
qualifying and choosing a good supplier can be overwhelming.
The following list of questions should help you narrow your
search.
Is the supplier
a member of the National Wooden Pallet & Container
Association (NWPCA)? NWPCA members are armed with the
latest information about the pallet industry and pallet
related issues. An NWPCA member will work with you to
develop the optimal shipping platform and help educate you
about proper pallet handling and safety. Palcon, LLC is an
active member of the NWPCA.
Is the supplier
able to provide JIT delivery? Can the supplier offer waste
pallet and lumber removal? Can the supplier eliminate your
pallet worries by maintaining your inventories and letting
you focus on other important issues? Palcon will do
all of the above.
 Does the
supplier own its own truck fleet? Often it is
difficult to arrange trucking, especially in emergencies.
Palcon owns its own truck fleet. With Palcon, you will have
your pallets when you need them, not when an outside
trucking firm can deliver them.
Does the
supplier have EDI capabilities? Does the supplier
offer pallet engineering? Can the supplier offer a customer
specific web based database? Palcon can.
Is the supplier
a pallet broker or a pallet manufacturer? Pallet
brokers use several manufacturers to build pallets for their
customers, which allows them to service larger accounts.
Most reputable brokers are noted for their excellent
service. Manufacturers build their own pallets and sell them
directly to the customer or to a pallet broker. Pallet
manufacturers have direct control of quality and service.
Palcon manufacturers 90% of their pallets and brokers 10%.
Brokering allows Palcon to service national accounts, which
would be virtually impossible for a single manufacture.
Will the
supplier provide a 100% guarantee on quality? What type of
quality program does the pallet supplier utilize?
Palcon guarantees all products and utilizes Quality Standard
Plus (QSP) to ensure that are products exceed our customer’s
expectations. If you have a question about quality, please
request a customer list and give them a call.
How does the
supplier determine price? Pallet prices fluctuate
from region to region and are generally based on current
lumber market conditions. The pallet purchaser can eliminate
some of the guess work by knowing how to calculate the
amount of lumber that goes into a pallet and by knowing
current lumber prices.
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