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Alexandria, Virginia (USA) – January 24, 2025 – The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) is proud to announce that the Pallet Foundation has received the largest grant in its history. This $1 million grant, awarded through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Regional Agricultural Product Promotion (RAPP) program, to the Softwood Export Council’s (SEC) and its member, the NWPCA, takes effect immediately and runs through 2029. The funding significantly advances the mission of promoting the sustainable use of U.S. softwood products in wood transport packaging and related industries.

This landmark grant highlights a strategic commitment to expanding markets for U.S. softwood products, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries (outside of Mexico) in Latin America, and Europe, aligning with a core objective of the NWPCA Strategic Plan in its global position initiatives.

“We are thrilled about the opportunities this grant opens to expand markets in Spanish-speaking regions outside of Mexico,” said Hilary Carr, PhD, Director of Mexico & LATAM. “Through targeted outreach, this initiative educates wood packaging producers about U.S. softwood species, sustainable forest management practices, grading standards, and their diverse applications.”

Primary research conducted by the NWPCA reveals that pallet manufacturers are eager to learn how to design wooden pallets using softwoods with the NWPCA’s Pallet Design System™ (PDS), enabling them to optimize the use of lumber in pallet design.

RAPP funding will be utilized to gather detailed market intelligence on wood packaging production in the target region. This funding also supports trade missions, seminars, and in-country training using the Pallet Design System™ (PDS), a software tool that ensures the viability of U.S. softwood lumber for pallet manufacturing.

“This historic grant marks a milestone for the Pallet Foundation and demonstrates the strength of our partnership with the Softwood Export Council,” said Brad Gething, PhD, Vice President of Science & Technology. “Together, we are advancing the global presence of U.S. softwood products within the wood packaging industry,” Gething added.

“With 90% of the global supply chain relying on pallets for goods transport, the wooden pallet industry has a significant role to play. Constant messaging about the benefits of U.S. wood from sustainably managed forests, supported by recently completed LCAs and EPDs, is crucial,” Gething emphasized. For more information about the grant and the Pallet Foundation, contact Dr. Hilary Carr.

Hilary Carr, PhD
Senior Director, Mexico and LATAM
WhatsApp (+52) 55-4449-7940 (México)
WhatsApp (+1) 786-330-9639 (EUA)
Email

PDS v6.6 Includes Unit Load Analysis for Drums and Pails, ERP Integration, Carbon Impact Declaration

December 7, 2022: The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA) releases Pallet Design System (PDS v6.6) software with three significant additions: unit load analysis for drums and pails, a more robust ERP integration, and a carbon impact declaration for wooden pallets.

With over 849 million new and recycled wooden pallets manufactured annually, having the ability to design and analyze the performance of a pallet for drums and pails means that pallets are more reliable and efficient with optimal material utilization.

“Pallets are currently designed using a uniformly distributed load (UDL) to determine the load capacity, which often leads to overdesigning a pallet, using more wood,” said Kristen DeLack, PE, PDS structural engineer. “Because of the shape of drums and pails, you now can design, analyze, and significantly reduce the deflection of the pallet in all support conditions compared to a uniformly distributed load.”

With the newest release, PDS now adds further integration capabilities with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. “The overall goal with ERP integration is to help manage all aspects of the business, from sourcing to pallet design, production, and delivery,” said Brent McClendon, NWPCA president/CEO. “This is a

In addition, a carbon impact assessment in the PDS design analyses estimates the CO₂ footprint of a typical pallet in the United States. The basis for the declaration comes from the Environmental Product Declaration for Wooden Pallets, third-party certified by UL Environment.

“We’ve been working on sustainability initiatives and unit load solutions over the past several years, investing millions with support from the Pallet Foundation,” commented Brad Gething, PhD, NWPCA vice president of science & technology. “The ongoing research and development have led to cutting-edge science that is found only in PDS, ensuring that PDS continues to meet the evolving demands of our industry.”

The release of PDS v6.6 completes a suite of unit load analysis options of corrugated boxes and plastic and steel pails and drums. In 2019, NWPCA released Unit Load for Corrugated Boxes. All unit load analyses in PDS include a pallet strength utilization number that reports the structural performance of the pallet under the specified load in addition to the Pass/Fail rating.

Read the product release for more information on Pallet Design System™ (PDS) v6.6.

About NWPCA

The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) is the largest organization of wood packaging professionals in the world, with over 700 company members around the world who manufacture, repair and distribute pallets and wood packaging in unit-load solutions, or who supply products and services to the industry. Read more about NWPCA at www.palletcentral.com.

About the Pallet Design System™
The Pallet Design System™ software provides fully engineered and safe pallet designs, delivered in a professional manner. Nearly 500 major pallet manufacturers in more than 30 countries around the world use PDS to create 3-D designs that are comprehensive, detailed and efficient. In addition to predicting safe load capacity and deflection under load, PDS provides detailed specifications in 2-D and 3-D drawings for virtually any wood pallet design. PDS is a proprietary software of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association. For more information on PDS, visit www.palletdesignsystem.com.

Contact:

Brad Gething, PhD
Vice President, Science & Technology
bgething@palletcentral.com
703/519.6104

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PDS Releases Version 6.4  – Users Guide in English, French, Spanish

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NWPCA Updates PDS Users Guide, One-Stop Shop for Pallet Design
Available in English, Spanish and French

Today, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) releases Pallet Design System™ (PDS) Version 6.4. The main feature in this release is a translation of the PDS User’s Guide in Spanish and French. The addition of these two languages in the User’s Guide complements the existing software interface already being used in eight languages in more than 30 countries, and further expands our global accessibility in pallet design.

The User’s Guide is considered the authoritative book on pallet design with its glossary, tables and other terminology. There is a wealth of information in the 300+ page Guide with numerous solutions to the most common questions in pallet design.

“From fasteners to lumber, pallet designers learn more about how different aspects of these components can impact overall pallet performance,” said Brad Gething, PhD, Vice President, Science & Technology. “The national and international wood species tables and fastener characteristics are invaluable tools in the User’s Guide and referenced quite frequently, whether or not you’re using PDS for pallet design.” The Guide was carefully reviewed and updated during the translation phase for a more intuitive, user-friendly product.

“The User’s Guide in PDS does such a great job of explaining how to use a particular feature, so there is zero reliance on technical support,” said John Dye, Scott Pallets, United Kingdom. “We use it to train new PDS users so they can better understand the interaction of all the materials used in pallet design with pallet performance.”

Illustrations and figures were all revamped and modernized as part of this new release, led by George Scharps, PDS Associate Engineer and John McLeod, PDS Advisor to the President.

Special thanks to the Softwood Export Council for their partnership and support in this project. With the expanded languages, new international markets can now benefit from the User’s Guide as well.

Contact:

Brad Gething, PhD
Vice President, Science & Technology
bgething@palletcentral.com
703/519.6104

La NWPCA met à jour le guide des utilisateurs de PDS, un guichet unique pour la conception de palettes
Disponible en anglais, espagnol et français

Aujourd’hui, la National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) publie la version 6.4 du Pallet Design System™ (PDS). Le fait saillant de cette version est la traduction du guide de l’utilisateur du PDS en espagnol et en français. L’ajout de ces deux langues dans le guide de l’utilisateur complète l’interface du logiciel existante, déjà utilisée en huit langues dans plus de 30 pays, et élargit encore notre accessibilité mondiale en matière de conception de palettes.

Le Guide de l’utilisateur est considéré comme l’ouvrage faisant autorité en matière de conception de palettes, avec son glossaire, ses tableaux et sa terminologie. Ce guide de plus de 300 pages contient une mine d’informations et de nombreuses solutions aux questions les plus courantes en matière de conception de palettes.

« Des fixations au bois d’œuvre, les concepteurs de palettes en apprennent davantage sur la manière dont les différents aspects de ces composants peuvent avoir un impact sur les performances globales des palettes », a déclaré Brad Gething, PhD, vice-président, Science et technologie. « Les tableaux des essences de bois nationales et internationales et les caractéristiques des fixations sont des outils précieux dans le guide de l’utilisateur et sont référencés assez fréquemment, que vous utilisiez ou non PDS pour la conception de palettes. » Le guide a été soigneusement révisé et mis à jour au cours de la phase de traduction, afin de rendre le produit plus intuitif et plus convivial.

« Le guide de l’utilisateur de PDS explique très bien comment utiliser une fonction particulière, de sorte qu’il n’est pas nécessaire de faire appel à l’assistance technique », a déclaré John Dye, de Scott Pallets, le Royaume-Uni. « Nous l’utilisons pour former les nouveaux utilisateurs de PDS afin qu’ils puissent mieux comprendre l’interaction de tous les matériaux utilisés dans la conception des palettes avec les performances de celles-ci. »

Les illustrations et les figures ont toutes été redessinées et modernisées dans le cadre de cette nouvelle version, sous la direction de George Scharps, ingénieur associé de PDS, et John McLeod, conseiller du président de PDS.

Nous remercions tout particulièrement le Softwood Export Council pour son partenariat et son soutien dans ce projet. Grâce à l’ajout de langues, de nouveaux marchés internationaux peuvent désormais bénéficier du guide de l’utilisateur.

Guía de usuarios de PDS para las actualizaciones de la NWPCA, la solución integral en el diseño de tarimas
Publicación disponible en inglés, español y francés

El día de hoy, la National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) lanza la versión 6.4 de su programa Pallet Design System™ (PDS). La principal característica de este nuevo lanzamiento es que la Guía del Usuario del PDS ya se encuentra disponible en español y francés. La suma de estos dos idiomas a la Guía del Usuario complementa la actual interfaz del software que, actualmente, se emplea en ocho diferentes idiomas en más de 30 países. De este modo, nuestra accesibilidad para el diseño de tarimas, a nivel mundial, continúa en expansión.

La Guía del Usuario está considerada como la obra de consulta estándar para efectos del diseño de tarimas junto con el glosario, tablas y la terminología incluidas. Dentro de las más de 300 páginas de esta guía, la riqueza de datos nos proporciona distintas soluciones a las preguntas más comunes sobre el diseño de tarimas.

“Desde sujetadores, hasta el tipo de maderas, los diseñadores de tarimas aprenden más acerca de los diferentes aspectos y cómo estos componentes pueden tener un impacto sobre el desempeño general de la tarima,” afirmó el Dr. Brad Gething, Vicepresidente de Ciencia y Tecnología. “El contenido de las tablas sobre especies de maderas nacionales [estadunidenses] e internacionales y las características de los sujetadores son herramientas invaluables dentro de esta Guía del Usuario y, con frecuencia, sirven como literatura de referencia, aun cuando no utilicen el PDS para el diseño de sus tarimas”. Durante la etapa de traducción, se revisó y actualizó el contenido de la guía, para lograr que este producto resulte más sencillo e intuitivo.

“La Guía del Usuario de PDS logra su objetivo al explicar cómo emplear una determinada especificación con el fin de lograr un nivel de dependencia cero del soporte técnico,” comentó John Dye de Scott Pallets en el Reino Unido. “La utilizamos en la capacitación de los nuevos usuarios de PDS para que comprendan mejor la interacción de todos los materiales que se utilizan en el diseño de una tarima con rendimiento”.

Como parte de este nuevo lanzamiento, el total de las imágenes e ilustraciones fueron renovadas y actualizadas, dirigido por George Scharps, Ingeniero Asociado de PDS, y de John McLeod, Asesor del Presidente de PDS.

Por otro lado, se expresaron agradecimientos especiales al Softwood Export Council por su colaboración y apoyo en este proyecto. A partir de esta ampliación lingüística, los nuevos mercados internacionales podrán gozar de los beneficios que ofrece la Guía del Usuario. Por otro lado, el Consejo de Asesoría de la NWPCA del programa Pallet Design System™ mantiene bajo revisión nuevas traducciones a otros idiomas de la Guía del Usuario.

NWPCA Releases Pallet Design System™ 6.2

WHAT’S NEW IN PDS 6.2

PDS 6.2 makes it possible to design overlap-base block pallets with recessed bottom decks. It also contains an important extension to our unit load for boxes analysis capabilities.

Improvements and new features included in PDS 6.2 are:

• Filler boards and trenched stringer boards can be added to overlap base block pallets.
• Interlock stacked boxes can be analyzed for unit loads.
• Forklifting from the end of stringer pallets can be analyzed when there is no stringer between the fork tines.
• Improved properties for air dried softwood pallets that are assembled green and dried prior to use.
• The PDS installer is now available in many languages, in addition to English: German, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese

PDS 6.2 can draw and analyze a new family of overlap-base block pallets having uninterrupted, flat bottom decks. Pallets with flush bottom decks are advantageous when stacking unit loads such as drums. The deck engages over more of the top surface of the bottom unit load, providing better support to the upper unit loads and reducing the risk of damage to the cargo on the bottom pallet. Overlap base pallets can be made stronger and more durable than perimeter base pallets due to the better connections in the bottom deck. Now you can have the best of both worlds – a strong overlap-base pallet which has a flat and continuous bottom deck. This is essential for designing CP-9 pallets which are popular in the chemical industry. The gaps that would normally be there between the deckboards are either filled with nailed-on filler boards or the deckboards are recessed into a thicker stringer board that has been trenched (dadoed) to accept them.

PDS 6.2 allows interlock stacked box unit loads to be analyzed. Interlock stacking tends to shift more loads away from the pallet while greatly reducing the crushing resistance of the boxes. While not lending itself towards optimization of corrugated boxes, it is used to improve the stability of unit loads, particularly, when stretch wrap or other stabilizers have not been applied.

CONTACT

Brad Gething, PhD
NWPCA Director of Science & Technology Integration
Phone: 703.519.6104 Ext. 215
Email

ABOUT PALLET DESIGN SYSTEM™

The Pallet Design System™ software provides fully engineered and safe pallet designs, delivered in a professional manner. Nearly 450 major pallet manufacturers in more than 30 countries around the world use PDS to create 3-D designs that are comprehensive, detailed and efficient. In addition to predicting safe load capacity and deflection under load, PDS provides detailed specifications in 2-D and 3-D drawings for virtually any wood pallet design. PDS is a proprietary software of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association. For more information on PDS, visit www.palletdesignsystem.com.

Research & Abstract by Page Clayton, Virginia Tech, CPULD
Fall 2018

This study aims to investigate pallet deflection as a result of different sized packages in a column stacking pattern and the presence of headspace in the box.

Pallets are the foundation of unit loads and supply chains. They provide a way to store and transport products in an efficient manner. Currently, however, the use of “component based” designs for unit loads doesn’t consider the interaction between unit load components or how this interaction effects the overall structural integrity of the unit load.

Component based unit load designs also result in the excessive use of raw materials which reduces the sustainability of unit loads, drives costs up, and creates issues for people in the supply chain.

The objective of this study was to investigate the interactions between the unit load components, box size and package head space, especially focusing on the deflection of the pallet as a function of pallet stiffness across multiple common pallet support conditions.

This study aimed to investigate pallet deflection as a result of different sized packages in a column stacking pattern and the presence of headspace in the box. The effect of each of these components on deflection is known as load bridging, in which a redistribution of stress occurs depending on the loads’ characteristics within the unit load.

Results showed that, in a column stacked arrangement, smaller boxes caused greater deflection than larger boxes (up to 53 % higher). Data analysis identified that a change in box size causes a decrease in the deflection of a pallet; smaller boxes, with the same load, transfer less pressure to the supports (31% less) and cause more deflection (53% more) than large boxes, especially on lower stiffness pallets. The presence, or lack, of headspace in a box didn’t have any significant impact on deflection.

This study confirmed that supported pallet components do, in fact, carry more of the weight of the load and that the boxes’ sizes do affect deflection. The experiments from this study confirm that the compressive pressure across the top of the pallet surface redistributes itself towards the supports of pallets when the sizes of the corrugated boxes increase. As more of the compressive forces redistribute across the top of the pallet to the supports, the deflection along the free span decreases.

These quantitative results can help to further understand the load bridging effect and allow us to make adjustments based on the current safety factors. Therefore, to increase the sustainability of pallets and to conserve resources, it is recommended that pallets are always designed with product packaging designs in mind.

Research funded by the Pallet Foundation of the NWPCA and by the U.S. Forest Service. Paper submitted to the IAPRI Peer Review Stream.