Hinton Lumber Products has opened a new greenfield wood pallet manufacturing facility in the Charleston, South Carolina region, expanding its national production footprint and strengthening capacity in one of the fastest-growing logistics corridors in the United States.
The new site, located in Summerville, is designed to support scalable, automation-enabled pallet manufacturing, with production expected to begin in spring 2025. The facility adds to Hinton’s existing operations in Houston, Texas, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, reinforcing a coast-to-coast pallet supply network serving large national shippers, manufacturers, and exporters.
“This facility is an important milestone in our growth strategy,” said Larry Howell, President of Hinton Lumber Products. “It helps us support our long-term customers in the area. It also makes us quicker to respond to market needs.”
Strategic location for domestic and export logistics
Hinton selected the Charleston region for its proximity to major interstate corridors and direct access to the Port of Charleston, one of the busiest container ports on the U.S. East Coast. The location is intended to improve freight efficiency for both regional distribution and export-oriented supply chains.
The facility is configured to support high-throughput production of wood pallets used in domestic, export, and international logistics. This includes ISPM-15 compliant pallets and EU-spec designs required for overseas shipments. Hinton is also among a limited number of U.S. manufacturers authorized to produce EPAL-certified pallets, which are increasingly specified in global supply chains.
With the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) set to take effect in August 2026, proximity to a major export gateway positions Hinton to support customers navigating evolving international compliance requirements, particularly for reusable and standardized pallet systems.
Automation-ready design and future expansion
The Summerville facility was designed from the outset to support automated pallet assembly and future capacity expansion. According to the company, the plant is intended to scale alongside customer demand while supporting pallets optimized for high-volume handling, multi-trip use, and automated material-handling environments.
By adding Southeast capacity, Hinton aims to shorten lead times, reduce freight distances, and improve service levels for existing customers while creating room for new business in a rapidly expanding industrial market.
“I am proud to announce our greenfield project in Charleston, South Carolina,” said Hinton Howell, Chief Operating Officer at Hinton Lumber Products, in a LinkedIn post. “This initiative enables Hinton to better serve our current customer base across the Southeast and creates opportunities to expand our business in this thriving regional market.”
Howell also credited customer collaboration and regional support for advancing the project, thanking the South Carolina Ports Authority and local partners for their involvement.
Strengthening a national pallet supply network
The Charleston-area expansion continues a broader strategy by Hinton to build a resilient, national pallet supply platform capable of serving Fortune 500 manufacturers, exporters, and advanced logistics operations. Together with its facilities in Houston and Tuscaloosa, the new site enhances geographic coverage while supporting the company’s focus on automation-ready, performance-driven, and sustainable pallet solutions.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
