There are five basic interactive parameters that determine paper pallet suitability for a given application. These parameters are Strength, Stiffness, Durability, Functionality, and Purchase Price. These parameters are interactive and optimising just one (i.e. minimising price) will impact on the others.
The proper balance of these parameters will vary, depending on the specific product and distribution environments. They hold true regardless of the paper pallet material used. For example, Stiffness is the resistance of the paper pallet to deformation under load. Sometimes a paper pallet won't break under load, but is not stiff enough to protect the product or prevents proper handling.
Many paper pallets are strong enough to support the load weight, yet they create pressure points that cause package and product failure. For example, saving $1 on a paper pallet with thinner panels/decks often requires every corrugated box stacked on that paper pallet to be stronger to resist damage.
Price is an important design criterion, and often given more consideration that the other factors. This leads to paper pallet designs that look economical up front, but end up "costing" much more as they are used. Balance the price of the paper pallet versus the value of the product delivered without damage to the customer. Balance the price versus potential savings in packaging and material handling savings.
These five parameters are interactive, and optimising just one will significantly impact the others. The better your understanding of this interactive balance, the more likely you are to select the ideal pallet material and design for your product and material handling environment.
