Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Export Pallets in Perth, WA

Plastic2go has secured a limited stock of 1100x1100 lightweight (P2G110LU-WA) and medium duty (P2G110MU-WA) plastic pallets for export in Perth, Western Australia (WA).

These plastic pallets are an excellent choice for export, because they are clean, they fit well into a standard shipping container and they can enter any destination country at no additional cost.

 Export plastic pallet 1100x1100
Residents of Western Australia can now purchase these excellent plastic pallets without the added cost of transporting them, which means a considerable reduction in the actual cost of the pallets. With the rising cost of petrol putting pressure on transports, business in Western Australia will greatly benefit from this offer, because it means buying their plastic pallets for export a lot cheaper than from Melbourne or Sydney.

Both the lightweight (P2G110LU-WA) and the medium duty (P2G110MU-WA) pallet models are stackable, UV treated, safe to handle and provide the ideal platform for products in crates, cardboard boxes or any other type of packaging. They retain their shape well due to the cruciform full perimeter base, while still allowing forklift and pallet jack access from all 4 sides.

Plastic2go is quickly selling this stock of plastic export pallets in Perth to local companies, but will accept large inquiries from clients elsewhere in Australia.
Inquiries can be made via the "Export Pallets" specials page on the company's web site.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What to Do About the Brambles/CHEP Results?

A few weeks ago, Brambles, the parent company of pallet hiring company CHEP, announced some bad financial results, having (temporarily) lost its client Wal Mart and its stock went down in response to that. A drop in stock price usually means more trouble, translating the lower-than-projected profits into a loss of company value and market sentiment. This time, it only translated into a better deal for Wal Mart…

In Australia, CHEP's hired pallets are used extensively to move products around the country. Until recently, many companies considered this arrangement to be safe and therefore a smart business strategy, but is it?

With the rising cost of petrol already putting pressure on transports, buying pallets, especially plastic pallets, now makes more sense than ever before. Add to this the possibility that CHEP may need to increase hiring rates or that it will start focusing its business and leave small companies unserviced, and some may find themselves much better off buying than hiring.

Plastic2go is offering assistance to any company looking to purchase plastic pallets instead of hiring. Plastic2go's materials handling experts will analyse the company's requirements and current setup and propose a complete solution based on new or used plastic pallets, crates and/or bulk containers.

Plastic2go has materials handling industry experience in Australia of over 20 years. Its people have brought the first plastic bulk containers to Australia and have consulted and supplied plastic pallets, plastic crates and plastic bulk containers to many organisations who are now saving money every day as a result. Some of these companies used to hire their pallets, but now reap the benefits of owning their plastic pallets and seeing the business benefits over time.

The plastic pallets, crates and bulk containers offered by Plastic2go can reduce the storage and transport costs, as well as many other operational costs, significantly. Features like folding, nesting and disassembly, combined with superior hygiene and higher handling safety performance make these products a great choice for many companies looking to work smarter in the modern economy.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Why Buy Plastic Pallets and Not Hire?

Many companies in Australia use hired pallets to move their products. However, recently there has been some big news related to a large pallet hire company, which seem to raise the question: is hiring pallets the best way to go?

To answer this question, we interviewed an expert in the materials handling and pallet field, Plastic2go managing director Mr. Avi Meirovitz. Mr. Meirovitz has extensive experience in many industries and has agreed to share some of it with us.

Q: Mr. Meirovitz, thank you for talking to us. Do you think that pallet hire is a smart decision for Australian companies?

A: In some cases, it is, but not in every case. You see, pallet hiring is based on a daily rate. This rate appears to be very low - just a few cents per pallet - so companies consider it a small expense and go for it.

Q: Are you saying this is not really the case?

A: Well, that depends on how long you need the hired pallets for. If you need them for a year or two, hiring makes sense, but if you have a regular fleet of pallets, which you use over and over, after 3 years (and sometimes less), you have paid the full cost of the pallet, plus financing, and now it is starting to cost you more.


Nestable plastic pallets are an ideal replacement for hired pallets
Q: What about pallet maintenance? Don't you get some benefit out of that by hiring your pallets?

A: No. Actually, it is quite the opposite. When a pallet is damaged and needs to be replaced, the hiring company will charge you for the pallet, because it belongs to THEM. So, in addition to paying the hiring charges, you incur the costs of any breakages.

Q: So what might be a better way for companies using many pallets on a regular basis?

A: A much better way would be to use plastic pallets, especially nestable plastic pallets. This is because they last a lot longer than the hired timber pallets, they are much lighter and can be handled manually in some cases, they are smooth and pose none of the risks of timber pallets, such as splinters and nails, and they save up to 80% of the storage space when they are not loaded by nesting. 
 
For some applications, such as beverages and pharmaceuticals, where it is important to keep the pallets clean, plastic pallets are the only solution, because they can be steam cleaned. 
 
In essence, plastic pallets are ideal for "closed-loop" systems.

Q: What about the risks associated with an upfront purchase and the accounting benefits of expensing the hire costs?

A: Well, asset purchases can be converted into an operating lease, which effectively turns the purchase into a type of hire. Now, if you have read any of the recent news related to hiring companies, surely you would see that hiring pallets (or crates or bulk containers, for that matter) from another company is risky business. I think that buying your own plastic pallets is by far more economical, safer and smarter than hiring.

Q: Thank you so much for your input, Mr. Meirovitz. I think this gives a really clear picture of hiring vs. buying of pallets.

A: My pleasure. I believe Australia is moving in the right direction with respect to pallets, and I can already see the smart companies out there buying plastic pallets, which is great.

Plastic2go is an Australian supplier of plastic pallets.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Cheap Plastic Crates

In the past few months, Plastic2go has been selling its stackable, vented plastic crates, measuring 600x400x240mm. These crates (RPC) are suitable for groceries, food, fruits and vegetables distribution systems, as well as for storage of parts and documents.

Now, Plastic2go is introducing a new stock of lower crates, measuring 600x400x200mm and offering 40L in volume. These plastic crates are in Australia and can be ordered in lots of 60.

These crates are cheap because they have been used on a single trip into Australia, but they are clean, strong and in perfect condition (see photo).


Cheap plastic crates (RPC) for distribution of food, fruits and vegetables or for storage
What's great about these crates?
  • Volume – Each of these crates can hold 40L of good or parts
  • Light Weight – Each crate only weighs 1.35kg, but is strong enough to carry 40L of fruit or vegetables and to stack in a column
  • Ventilation – Excellent for fruits and vegetables or for documents
  • Stacking Strength & Durability – Stacking strength comes from vertical columns in the sides of the crate
  • PricePlastic2go is offering this limited stock at special prices
For companies looking to buy cheap plastic crates, there is a limited opportunity to buy them now, instead of new and expensive ones.

Inquiries can be made via the "Vented Crates" page on the company’s web site.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Plastic Crates (RPC)

Plastic2go has announced a new range of foldable vented plastic crates (RPC) for groceries, food, fruits and vegetables distribution. These new plastic crates are available in Australia and can be ordered in any quantity over 20.

In this range, Plastic2go offers 3 different sizes, all within the
600x400mm standard: 24 litre, 41 litre & 55 litre.



Foldable vented plastic crates (RPC) for distribution of food, fruits and vegetables
What's great about these crates?
  • Food Grade Finish – FDA approved
  • Ventilation – Excellent for fruits and vegetables
  • Comfortable Handles – Built into all 4 sides
  • High Cube Utilization – No space lost for nesting
  • High Return Ratio – 3.6-5.7 to 1 space saving on return trips
  • Stacking Strength & Durability – Once unfolded, stacking strength comes from vertical columns in the sides of the crate
The new crates are suitable for delicate fruits and vegetables, from star fruit and strawberries to zucchini. They are ideal for display and cooling.

For a limited time only, Plastic2go is offering special deals on the new range of crates, with discounts between 10% and 30% off the retail price, depending on the quantity purchased.

How does all this affect Plastic2go clients? That’s simple. Clients can now order smaller quantities of Plastic2go's plastic crates. There’s no need to order full container loads. Clients also get their plastic crates delivered much quicker, because the crates come from stock in Australia.