LOGISTEED, Ltd. is pleased to announce that “The recyclable hybrid pallets with a load capacity of 1 ton” won the Logistics Award, “The decks for stacking cargo with detachable stanchions” and “The wooden boxes with ramps for small electron microscopes” won the Transport Packaging Award at the Japan Packaging Contest 2024 held by the Japan Packaging Institute.

Hybrid pallets have features of the low cost of cardboard pallets and the strength of steel pallets. The pallet is constructed by fitting steel pipes into two grooves inside. The bending strength (resistance to warping due to weight) is improved by integrating the cardboard pallet and steel pipes, and the surface is covered with a flap to prevent the steel pipes from popping out and to distribute the load to stabilize the strength. The hybrid pallets can be loaded with up to 1 ton by forklift, even under high temperature and humidity. The cardboard and steel pipes are not glued together, so they can be easily disassembled and recycled, and the main unit weighs just 9kg, making it an environmentally and worker-friendly product.

Conventionally, there is wasted space in the upper area of wing trailers and truck bed spaces. The ready-made adjustable decks are high-spec and expensive, while the nesting types are low-cost and easy to adopt. However, the nesting types have the disadvantage of having a frame at the bottom which reduce the cargo space. The new developed deck has a structure where the deck body and stanchion can be detached for height adjustment, and there is no frame at the bottom, making it a highly versatile design. While providing the necessary functions, the simplicity of the structure has helped to keep costs down. At the sales office using the decks, the number of vehicles was reduced by 40% and CO2 emissions by 45% compared to the previous system. Installation costs were also reduced by 40% compared to the adjustable type.

Small electron microscopes are usually transported in the form of crate type packing boxes. Conventional unloading methods required unpacking crates and unloading microscopes from pallets with forklifts, but it was difficult to arrange unloading equipment in some destinations. To solve this problem, the top and end panels of the crate were used as ramp components to enable unloading without the unloading equipment. As the ramp had to be moved approximately 4m from the pallet to the floor on casters on the microscope itself, pieces of wood of different heights were nailed to both panels to achieve an inclination angle of 3 degrees in consideration of quality and safety. In addition, 3 mm high guards were created on either side of the ramp to prevent falls.

Under the business concept “LOGISTEED,” we aim to become the most preferred global supply chain solutions provider, and we strive to achieve new innovations by enhancing the core domain and expanding collaborative area across businesses and industries.

【Reference】
・LOGISTEED packaging solution
https://www.logisteed.com/en/solution/packaging/