Pallets are the unsung heroes of the transport industry – just imagine what stock movement would be like without them.

With tens of millions of pallets in use throughout the world, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in capital, tracking and management of their whereabouts can be a logistical nightmare.

For South Australian based company, Palltec, some innovative thinking has given rise to a specialised returnable packaging solution that is proving to be a big hit with Australian and New Zealand wine producers.

According to Palltec chairman, Norm Harrison, Palltec’s experience with palletising glass bottles for a leading manufacturer has opened up a number of opportunities in other industries which will see this year’s 100% growth continue into next year.

“We currently own a controlled pallet pool of 150,000 plastic pallets and over 700,000 plastic layer boards that will transport over 100 million glass bottles to Australian and New Zealand wine producers this year.

“Each plastic pallet carries 400 glass bottles in four layers using five plastic layer boards. Once the bottles have been used the plastic pallets and layer boards are returned to us where they are cleaned and repaired, if need be, then repacked with glass bottles for re-shipment.

“Due to the fragile nature of the glass cargo plastic pallets offer several OH&S advantages over other materials as they don’t splinter, are more stable, don’t buckle and are easier to clean”, Norm said.
And when it comes to moving the loaded pallets Palltec rellies on Powerlift Nissan, as they have done since they started business in 1997.

“Nissan makes a great product that is designed and engineered to meet the needs of the customer. With our operation we required a fair amount of customisation to further improve safety and Nissan made that easy.

“We’ve just traded our two LX Series Nissans on two new 1F Series forklifts after three years of heavy use and because of Nissan’s eye for detail we’ve saved thousands of dollars through the interchangeability of the customised options from model to model.

“Safety is our number one priority and due to the potential dangers associated with glass we had customised 1.8 metre high-load guard cages fitted to the front of the LX Series forklifts, along with safety glass windscreens and toughened Lexon roof panels with extra protection bars – all of which is able to be retro-fitted to the new 1F Series forklifts by Powerlift Nissan’s technicians.

“We’ve also found over the years that it’s important to give our operators the best equipment available as I believe it makes them more efficient and productive, and with Nissan we’ve found that they are consistently refining the ergonomics of their products to make the operators more comfortable.

“And the new 1F Series forklifts live up to our expectations with new features that will deliver real benefits, like – a speed limiting function that reduces speed, wear and tear and the risk of accidents, auto shut-off transmission and mast-lock if the operator leaves the seat, and a soft-landing feature that reduces the chance of breakage.

“In factories, in the wrong hands forklifts can be very dangerous tools. In our warehouses safety is paramount, so it’s up to us to provide all the safety features we can and on this score Nissan and the Powerlift team excel.

“With the new 1F Series forklifts we’ve gone for gas power and a 2.5 tonne lift capacity again, but this time we’ve gone with three stage 5.5 metre masts in order to six stack pallets in our 18,000 m2 warehouse.

“On performance, based on Nissan’s new engine management system the 1F Series forklifts will deliver considerable improvements in gas consumption, responsiveness, noise and exhaust emissions.

“Over and above safety and technology the Nissan’s are utterly reliable. We operate 16 hours a day loading up to 15 B-Doubles so there is simply no room for breakdowns, and to their credit the Nissans have never let us down – they just go and go and go, while Gordon and the Adelaide Powerlift Nissan team clearly believe in their company and in the Nissan forklift product, which is reflected in their dedication to their customers.

“Our forecast is for continued growth which will mean new warehousing and infrastructure and I’m pleased to say that Powerlift Nissan will definitely be part of our future plans,” Norm added. To find out more about Nissan’s range of 1F Series forklifts visit: www.powerlift.com.au

ABOUT POWERLIFT NISSAN Powerlift Nissan stock over 10,000 genuine Nissan parts including parts for units that date back almost 50 years and proudly offer a 95% fulfilment rate of all orders received within 24 hours - which ensures downtime with your unit is kept to an absolute minimum. We are dedicated to keeping you on the move, every hour of the day, every day of the year. That’s why Powerlift Nissan backs you up with a nationwide service and support system. With a mobile force of over 80 service vans and over 250 specialist personnel, a branch and dealer network covering every major Australian capital city and most regional centres, you will never be left short on product supply, back-up service, or advice.