Wood Pallet Manufacturer

Unaka Forest Products, Inc.

Introduction

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Products

We offer a range of products in addition to our pallets.

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Learn About Unaka Forest Products Inc

Our Origin
Unaka Forest Products, Inc. began in 1972 when owner and founder Jerry Hensley began his logging operation. However, its roots sprouted long before that when, as a young boy, Jerry learned the logging trade by logging with a horse alongside his father.
A 40-Year Journey
Progressing from a logging operation to a whole tree-chipping operation and eventually into a scragg mill and pallet operation has been the journey of Unaka Forest Products, Inc. Jerry Hensley and his three children are now, 40 years later, still maintaining this family-owned-and-operated business. During this substantial amount of time in business, our experiences have made us even more dedicated, and each one of us is eager to earn your business.
The Best Wooden Pallet Manufacturer in East Tennessee

Wood pallets are an essential component of any logistics chain, and you want yours to last for as long as possible. Unaka Forest Products is the best pallet manufacturer in Tennessee, thanks to our high-quality wood and specialized pallet-and-crate manufacturing processes.

Are you looking for the best quality wooden pallets in East Tennessee at affordable prices? Get in touch with Unaka Forest Products today.

BEST WOODEN PALLET MANUFACTURER

IN EAST TENNESSEE

The Historical Role of
Wooden Pallets
The invention and use of wooden pallets revolutionized logistics and warehousing worldwide. The humble wooden pallet allows warehouse workers to stack items, saving on warehouse space. It also allows for easy transportation of heavy and awkward products, especially when paired with a forklift.

As a mainstay in shipping and logistics, most people probably think we’ve always had wood pallets, but in truth, they were invented only a century ago, in the early 20th century. Before this, industry and businesses relied on the use of wooden boxes and wooden barrels. As World War II increased the use of the forklift, so too did pallet use increase, and the pallet manufacturer became increasingly crucial in serving the needs of our U.S. military.

The Wooden Pallet
Manufacture Process

Now more than 100 years after the wooden pallet’s invention, we have numerous synthetic and manufactured materials, yet the bulk of pallets in use are still constructed from wood. This is because wood remains the most economical material for manufacturing pallets.

There are two kinds of wood used for pallets – hardwoods like oak and softwoods like southern yellow pine. Each serves a purpose, and a pallet company knows which works best in each application.

What sets us at Unaka Forest Products apart from our competitors is that we saw our lumber from the small logs left over from our other forestry processes. Most manufacturers rely on sawmills, which supply scrap boards for wood pallets. These boards are usually of sub-standard quality, which results in a product that will break and buckle easily.

Since we use logs from our own forestry operations at Unaka Forest Products, we cut out the middle man. It also allows us to keep our pallet prices low—a saving we pass on to you.

We use whole small logs so that we can ensure the high quality and robustness of our pallets. You’ll get a pallet that lasts longer and is more robust than that of any other pallet suppliers.

Wooden Pallet
Construction
When a pallet needs strength, we use oak. It’s a high-density hardwood that’s perfect for manufacturing pallets to carry heavy loads and fragile goods. It isn’t the most economical choice, though, and oak pallets are typically recycled and reused.

Southern yellow pine is also quite common when making pallets, especially by wholesale pallet manufacturers. A pine pallet will have an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and because pine dries more easily, it isn’t as susceptible to pests, molds, and fungi. Quite often, the food industry uses pine pallets because of this cleanliness factor.

Modern Improvements in
Pallet-Making
Thanks to recent improvements in our machinery, we’re now able to automate most of the pallet and crate manufacturing process. Our computerized Viking Turbomax 505 nailing machine can create over 10,000 pallets per week, while our automated sawmill equipment keeps up with the demand for lumber.

These automated processes allow us to pass on the cost savings directly to our customers. Every aspect of our process is as efficient as possible, ensuring that we produce excellent, durable pallets at prices that you can afford.

As an IPPC-compliant pallet company, we make sure that our pallets are heat-treated according to global regulations. Heat-treating kills all pests on the pallet, including mold and insects, which leads to a longer life for all our wood products.

As an IPPC-compliant pallet company, we make sure that our pallets are heat-treated according to global regulations. Heat-treating kills all pests on the pallet, including mold and insects, which leads to a longer life for all our wood products.

● Consumer Goods
● Energy
● Food & Beverage
● Government & Nonprofits
● Industrial Goods
● Packaging & Paper
● Pharmaceutical & Health Care
● Retail
● Technology
● Transportation
Pallet Types
While pallets come in many shapes and sizes, there are only two basic pallet types: the stringer pallet and the block pallet.

Based on the original pallet design, a stringer pallet often has two-way entry, although manufacturers can make them with notches that allow four-way access for forklifts. Stringer pallets, usually made from pine, are designed to be discarded after use, so you might say it’s disposable.

A block pallet, designed to be stronger than a stringer pallet, is generally made from hardwoods. We use parallel and perpendicular stringers for increased strength and more efficient handling. Block pallets are often recycled and reused due to the higher costs involved in manufacturing them.

The choice between the two types typically gets decided based on:
• the load
• the need for strength or reduced weight
• economic factors (i.e., costs)
Pallet manufacturers these days have sophisticated software we can use to design the proper pallet for specific types and weights of loads.

Contact Unaka Forest Products Today
Pallets are the lifeblood of the shipping industry. If you’ve ever had a shortage, you know how devastating it can be to your everyday operations.

At Unaka Forest Products, we have you covered.

We produce our pallets with care, ensuring a robust, durable product that meets IPPC standards. Our extensive inventory also means that you can have your order delivered within 24 hours to keep your operations on track.

Whether you’re looking for pallets or other wood packaging products, give our industry experts a call today.

Affordable Pallets
We have several ways to make pallets more affordable. Buying pallets wholesale is the most common, but for some businesses, this isn’t possible. An alternative is using recycled pallets, which are less expensive in comparison with new pallets. As your pallet manufacturer, we can guide you in other ways to customize your pallet based on your transport needs to save on costs.
The Supply and Selling of
Wooden Pallet
Pallet management may be difficult for many logistics companies. Besides creating pallets, block pallets, and other wood products, we have enough space to build up a significant inventory that caters to our diverse market. We store our pallets in a shed with a concrete surface so that they’re kept dry and protected.

What this means for our customers in the United States is that we can deliver your pallets to your site within 24 hours. Since we also control our trucking operations, we can provide you with all the pallets you need, whenever you need them.

What We
Believe In
We hope the information you find on our website enlightens you about our operation and why we feel we could be valuable to your company as a quality lumber provider and pallet manufacturer.

You will also see that we are on the cutting edge of technology as well as environmentally conscious with our ever-growing efforts in trying to decrease America’s dependency on foreign oil with the tons of biofuel we are producing. Our process has allowed us to take advantage of biomass solutions to serve the needs of America’s biofuel suppliers.

Our sister company
Mobile Chip, Inc.,
is located in the William H Cole Industrial Park in Abingdon, Virginia. We originally established Mobile Chip, Inc. as a mobile chipping operation that would allow us to travel to various sites to chip. We still have the option of doing just that or remaining at Mobile Chip, Inc.’s home base in Abingdon. We also buy pulp wood at this location.
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Contact Us

Address:

217 Dry Creek Road Jonesborough, TN 37659