What is The Need for Heat-Treated Pallets
What is The Need for Heat-Treated Pallets
Wooden pallets are being used in the storage and transportation industry for quite a few years now. The innovators of this product who have come up with its design are constantly making changes and introducing new ideas to the basic design. Now that wooden pallets are necessary, companies are experimenting with Heat-Treated pallets. What is the need for heat-treated pallets? Find out today!
Many businesses are using different types of wooden pallets to transport their inventory. Some of these businesses have started preferring heat-treated pallets over simple ones because they offer longevity for their goods. Goods like perishable items require a specific temperature to be stored which is provided at warehouses. But the platforms on which they are stored also need to be compatible with their requirements. You can get the most out of your wooden pallets if they are heat-treated.
What Does Heat-Treatment Do?
First, we need to know exactly what heat treatment does to the pallets. As we know that wood is prone to catch mold and termites that can destroy it from within. Once the wood quality is compromised, the inventory of the business can also be affected by these circumstances. To avoid something like this, companies started heat treatment for their wooden pallets to ensure no wood decaying elements were present.
Heat treatment is a simple process that involves thoroughly sterilizing the wood to eliminate infestations and natural contaminators. This treatment aims to ensure the safety of the inventory placed on the pallets and for anyone who interacts with them as it can cause allergic reactions. Termites and beg bugs, often found in contaminated wood, also harm people.
How it’s Done
A thorough guideline provided by the International Phytosanitary Standard is a simple heat treatment process that can be done to the wooden pallets to ensure the removal of any harmful infestations. The process involves debarking the wood pallets and then heating them for at least 30 minutes until the wood’s minimum core temperature rises to 56-degree celsius. After the heating process is complete, the heat-treated pallets are then put together and marked with a stamp of compliance for quality assurance. Some manufacturers paint their pallets to enhance its life-span.
The heat-treating procedure is done in large-sized furnaces where the prepared wooden pallets are placed. The wood is not separately treated because once it is given the shape of a pallet, some infestations can still invade it. Once the procedure is done, you get a heat-treated pallet ready to be shipped to buyers.
The Benefits of Using Heat-Treated Pallets
Businesses that are operating on an international level require high-quality wooden pallets the most. There are many benefits of heat-treated pallets, but it has also become a compulsion for international standards. The International phytosanitary standard provides guidelines for the quality of wooden pallets approved for international trade. So, we can say that apart from the benefits there are in using heat-treated pallets, it has also become a requirement for the companies to get it done regardless.
The reason behind this is that when wooden pallets are stored for international trade in Airplanes, Ships, and Trains, another inventory of other businesses could also be at risk of being affected by invasive species. This regulation of heat treatment was imposed to ensure that no business has to suffer loss.
Here are some of the common benefits that are gained by using heat-treated wooden pallets:
Compliance With Transport
Pest infestation was becoming a real problem in international trade and because of that a lot of goods were being affected. The guidelines imposed by the International Phytosanitary were to reduce the risk of pest infestations in the wood so that your inventory could be transported safely without any harm. Health regulations have become a serious issue these days. If you are hoping to send your goods to some place via Airplane, then you must be mindful that airliners are very specific about the goods they transport. Safety and health regulations must be complied with.
Weight Reduction
When wooden pallets are treated they become lighter in weight which makes it easy to transport them from one place to another. It also makes international trade easier. This happens because when wooden pallets are treated, the moisture in the wood is eliminated and only dry wood is left behind making it more durable and free of any future insect infestations.
When your inventory will be transported on these heat-treated lightweight pallets, it will reduce the shipping costs because lesser fuel will be used in the transportation.
Lower Risks of Wood Contamination
Heat treatment can prevent future insect infestations in the wood. If the wood is affected by termites or other insects, it can eventually harm the goods as well. For any business, these are not favorable conditions. When perishable goods are being transported, they are much more prone to being affected by these infestations. Heat-treated pallets are a must for international commerce or even commerce across state lines. Pallet producers must conform to international standards for Wood Packaging Material (WPM) by International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) guidelines.
Lower Product Damage
Since heat-treated wood is safe from any insect infestations, there are no other ways the cargo could be damaged. Unless the goods are fragile items that break after a fall, no other harmful occurrences could happen. International shipments are generally safer since they are conducted with proper care.
Commonly Asked Questions
Here are some of the commonly asked questions by wooden pallet buyers:
Should You Opt for Heat-Treated Pallets For Storage Purposes?
Heat-treated pallets are always a good idea when it comes to storage. Although, some businesses think that using non-treated pallets wouldn’t do any harm to their inventory but it’s good to stay on the safer side. Yes, heat-treated pallets are a bit more expensive than regular pallets but they have an enhanced life span that will be great for your business. You won’t have to purchase them frequently instead, only purchasing once can be a great investment for your business.
Can my Mattress Business Benefit from Heat-Treated Pallets?
Goods that are prone to infestations need to be stored in a safe space where they do not get infected. If you have a mattress business, then you must get heat-treated pallets for your business since mattresses can easily get infected by bed bugs that may be present in an average wooden pallet. It’s better to invest in good quality pallets than to lose half your inventory to infestation invasions.
What are The Necessary Steps to Get Rid of Insect Infestations?
The only way to get rid of insect infestations is by heat treatment for your wooden pallets. When wood is heated, it loses its moisture content, which is why it attracts many pests. If you purchase heat-treated wooden pallets, you can prevent these pests’ spread to your goods and product contamination.
Does Heat Treatment Encourage Better Shipment of Goods?
Yes. Heat treatment not only reduces the risks of infestations but also improves shipment standards. When the wood is treated, it becomes lighter in weight which results in cheaper shipment costs. This is one of the very important benefits of heat treatment.
Conclusion
Wooden pallets have been a great help to us in the domains of storage and international trade. Our products can be safely transported from one country to another without harm. It has been a great help to businesses. Companies have started to incorporate regulations for their storage facilities involving the use of heat-treated wooden pallets so that their products retain their original condition. Apart from all the corporate benefits, health regulations are also an important concern of these businesses. Your employees should be provided with a safe environment to work in.
If you’re searching for resilient and enduring wooden pallet manufacturers in East Tennessee, you’ve come to the right place. We have accumulated 40 years of successful experience and customer satisfaction, and we provide you with top-notch services and wood products. Unaka Forest Products has an exceptional product range that caters to your unique requirements and preferences, whether wooden pallets, precut lumber, biofuel chips, or landscape mulch. We also sell organic wooden mulch, precut lumber, and biofuel. Contact us today for the best quality wooden pallets.
