What Is A Pallet Collar?

Pallet collars have been used for many decades in industrial packaging, yet remain a great solution even as supply chain priorities change.

A pallet collar is a unit load storage system that works in conjunction with a pallet base to provide an effective solution for the storage, stacking and shipment of bulky or irregularly shaped items that would otherwise be difficult, if not possible to stack. In addition to facilitating the stacking of bulky items to save space, they are also are reusable and can be folded when empty to improve the empty container return ratio.

The pallet collar consists of boards, most commonly wood boards but also plastic, plywood and composite materials. The boards are held together with hinges. Collars can be stacked on top of each other to create a container of the required height. that are held together with hinges.

By stacking pallet collars on simple pallets it is possible to form a protective box in the needed height. The adjustable height makes this type of packaging easy to use while it can be adapted for different situations and different products, with less unnecessary space taken. And when the collars are not in use or are being transported it is possible to fold them so that they use less space. It is possible because of the hinges that are used here. The flexible construction and high durability materials make pallet collars the ideal substitute for classic wooden boxes and allow you to optimize the space of your warehouse. Transportation of products is fast, cost-effective and safe.

Schoeller Allibert plastic pallet collar — Pallet collars, as mentioned above, can also be made from plastic as well as other materials. Source: Schoeller Allibert

What Are the Benefits of Pallet Collars?

Pallet collars offer great solutions for businesses that are looking for that “what’s in it for me?” value. Transforming pallets into reusable, resizable, with no waste generation is what wooden collars have to offer. They are reusable, and they are fully recyclable when they reach the end of their useful lifespan. In addition, the pallet collar provides other benefits:

Provides superior product protection for bulk loads, and facilitates the stacking of irregular, bulky items that otherwise could not easily be double or triple stacked
A reusable packaging system that eliminates packaging waste generation and delivers a lower cost per use
Eliminates or reduces the need for stretch wrap or shrink wrap and strapping
Foldable when not in use, allowing for more efficient reverse logistics of empty collars
Offers flexible height, thus eliminating the shipping of empty air and improving freight efficiency
Easy to store and easy to assemble
Reduces risk to goods and labor

The list is extensive when it comes to the benefits that can be realized, not just to get in on the new packaging trends but for your overall warehouse activity. Anything that will cost less and wind up delivering better results should always be investigated as a potentially worthy change.

Let’s Take a Closer Look

Getting familiar with this “add on” to your pallets can reveal exactly how they can be used to improve your supply chain, reduce waste and risk, and better protect your goods. First, let’s look at what they are, then we will look at how flexible they can be and finally, we will quickly review how they can meet both regulatory and consumer expectations.

What are they? Many people describe them as a replacement for a wooden box, but they are much more. Collars come in standard sizes, they can be either 4 boards or 6 boards that are hinged together on all sides. The depth can be adjusted by simply removing or adding collars that easily stack. They do not require any tools to assemble. The collar is used to prevent spillage of goods, and unauthorized entry into the contents of the pallet and to protect the goods.

The flexibility comes in because collars can be stacked together to create a deeper box based on the size of the contents. This gives you a great deal of control not only in the warehouse but during transportation. Traditional wooden boxes do not allow for flexibility when it comes to depth. When you add wooden collars to a pallet, you get the durability of a wooden crate but the flexibility of other wrapping materials. They can withstand a great deal of weight. Of course, the ability to control the size of the container means you no longer must pay to ship “air” and that your goods are better protected against rough shipping situations.

How is this going to help to meet the new trends in 2019? You will use less packaging when you have a packaging solution that can be custom fit to your specific needs. This, of course, cuts down on waste in the warehouse and for the end user. Wooden collars can be reused repeatedly, which means you buy less packaging, it also means that you need less space to manage your packaging. They are fully recyclable which means they do not wind up in the landfill.

Pallet collars help to cut costs and reduce risk. Reusable packaging simply makes better sense for your bottom line. Of course, the fact that there are no tools required to manage pallet collars and a single person can construct them on the spot means you can expect fewer handling injuries as well and less labor-wasting time to construct crates.

An additional benefit is that your company develops a reputation as being a company that is concerned with making choices that are good for the environment. It is a win-win situation. Consumers will give your brand a thumbs up as will regulators. You will be ahead of the reduce, recycle, reuse trend! Making a simple choice to redesign your packaging to something that is safer, stronger and cost-effective, while reducing solid waste, can be the catalyst to becoming the brand that cares.

Source: Kronus

What Is a Pallet Collar?