The process of stacking up freights on supporting structures provided in ships is referred to as palletizing. Freight forwarding companies count on this technique to efficiently transport larger quantities of goods while making shipping and storage an easier errand altogether.
Usually, palletized goods are considered to be damage-free. It is a no brainer that it happens only when the cargos are packed and secured properly. No business can accept the unnecessary challenge of having crushed boxes, dented or scratched inventory at any stage of the supply chain. And if this happens with you repeatedly it can even ruin the terms you have with your business partners.
Guidelines To Follow To Minimize Damage/ Loss During Transportation
In order to sustain the best palletization for your goods, freight companies should take up below given 4 practices of safe and secure transportation. Following these, it can be ensured that goods travel from their origin to the final position intact.
Rule Number 1: Pre-inspect your pallets before putting them into further use
Pallets are re-used numerous times but they can be damaged themselves unable to support the cargos they are otherwise expected to. These wooden pallets on which the security of your cargo depends are exposed to damages too. Inspect these structures before piling them up again with loads of weight.
Sometimes even a single crack makes the whole task of moving the pallet very challenging. It is possible that the case falls into the unnoticed crack and hinders the smooth movement of a pallet. Before loading a fresh shipment it is important to check pallets for any damage. They can support the cargo weight only if they are strong enough.
Rule Number2: Provide extra support with corner board
Using corner boards becomes essential in situations like dealing with heavier freight. It is assumed that you know the thumb rule of placing heavier items on the bottom as it makes the pallet more balanced and stable besides avoiding any incidences of lighter items getting crushed with the extra load on the top.
Corner boards make sure that your extra heavy shipment gets additional protection by making a stronger arrangement for your boxes. Also known as edge protectors, corner boards act as an extra layer of strength and safety that guarantees a flawless shipment.
Rule Number 3: Pack it up properly
Regardless of the fact that you use machine or you do wrap your goods with hands stretch wrapping is essentially good for your pallet. It avoids the incidences of load getting slipped or damaged. Shippers frequently make mistake of not securing load to the pallet. Not doing this you can have a stationary pallet with movable freight. This ultimately does not serve the purpose of keeping the load safe through transit. It is best recommended to take three turns of stretch wrap on the bottom to ensure the freight and pallets are secured to each other. This simply means that neither the pallet nor the shipment is going anywhere if there is some movement inside the container.
Another common mistake shippers make is to wrap the shipment extra tight as an end result they get crushed boxes. This is why you should emphasize the use of corner boards which will shift the pressure from the stretch wrap to the corner boards and leaving the freight unaffected.
Rule Number 4: Understand the equation between pallet and freight
It is not practically possible to stack up all goods you know in pallets. Goods like air conditioning units cannot be palletized by any shipper. It all depends on how fragile the items to be transported are. The heavier items cannot be loaded on light shipments too. Let your truck transportation services company decide whether the goods to be transported can be crated or not.
Last but not the least, do not ever act in hustle and bustle when it comes to transporting shipments. Your hurriedness can cause losses to your items and ultimately business while ruining your image.
