When selecting a pallet color/colour, there are several factors to consider, such as the benefits to choosing a pallet colour in terms of pool branding, customer marketing, operations management and asset retention. There can also be complications around colour selection, such as another pool already using the colour of preference for a new launch. This was the case in the New Zealand market, where Loscam chose to go grey (A Pooling Shade of Grey).
For Loscam, leading pallet pooling service provider in the Asia Pacific Region, the rationale for the newly announced colour change of its wooden pallets from yellow to red follows its corporate initiative to standardise the pallet colour across the organisation. The initiative is expected to further facilitate cross-border and inter-region pallet shipments for its pooling customers. It makes sense as the Asian logistics market continues to mature.
Loscam established its first Asian operation in 1993, with the beginning of its operation in Singapore. The company collaborated with consumer goods manufacturers and modern trade retailers, pioneering pallet pooling in Southeast Asia. The business rapidly blossomed throughout the region over the next 15 years. (See my old articles in Pallet Enterprise Magazine from 2005 and 2007). The 2010 acquisition of Loscam by the China Merchant’s Group increased the level of financial support, enabling Loscam to continue to grow its leading market position. Today, Loscam operations cover Australia and New Zealand, six Southeast Asia countries and Greater China (Hong Kong and Mainland China).
Pallet pooling, Loscam emphasizes, plays an important role in optimizing the supply chain in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. In a fully developed pallet pool market like Australia and Thailand, pallets are used to transfer goods throughout the supply chain and among various trading partners with minimal manual handling of products. Standard pooled pallets are used from manufacturing plants through to retail stores, and in some cases used as part of the in-store product display.
“We remain committed to provide consistent quality products & services to our customers across the region,” states Mr. Sirin Limpaitoon, Managing Director of Loscam Southeast Asia. “The change in colour of our yellow Asian pallets to red is among our ongoing efforts in standardisation, and we expect this change to further drive wider inter-country pallet flows as a result of increased cross-border pooling”.
In addition to pallets, Loscam is also engaged in providing pooling services for a range of other packaging equipment such as plastic crates and bins for the fresh produce and retail sector.
“To continue to provide quality products and services to our customers, Loscam will keep on investing in upgrading our existing and new operation facilities and to open more service depots in Southeast Asia”, Mr. Sirin Limpaitoon adds, underscoring his company’s commitment to the region.
For further information, visit www.loscam.com.
