The purpose of my task was to map the pallet flows at Findus and put together as well as analyze the problems. My work has also included finding out what alternatives there are to the present pallet exchange system and suggest measures to reduce the problems.
The problems can be divided into poor quality and hygiene issues. The poor quality, for instance poor strength is due to arbitrary judgements and the fact that there are companies that make a system of manufacturing forged pallets of an inferior quality compared to the EUR-pallets. These pallets are marked with stamps more or less similar to the EUR-mark and taken into the exchange system. Of course there are rules how to judge a pallet but these rules are many and sometimes indistinct and there are a lot of marks to keep track of.
The most dangerous part is when the pallets lack the prescribed carrying capacity. If for instance a stack of pallets collapses, there is a risk of personal injuries.
The matter of hygiene is more complex. The EUR-pallets are carried all over Europe and can be loaded with all sorts of goods, oils and chemicals as well as food and there is no way of checking where they have been. On the pallets there can be remainders of plastic film, labels and staples. Wood is soft and objects like pieces of glass can easily stick and go with the pallets into the production facilities.
On the whole a lot is going on in the transport- and packaging business. Companies have begun to realize the problems associated with pallets handling and you can expect a lot to happen the next few years. There are already interesting alternatives to the pallet exchange system and the wooden pallets but one must not be too rash. As we know, for a system to work effectively, it takes many companies that use it.
My conclusion is that Findus should not do anything drastic in the present situation but wait and see what happens in the business forward. However they should deal with their own problems and try to raise the quality of their pallets handling. This can be done through making guidelines for the handling and educating the personnel concerned. Lately Findus has been working on an education like that and it Will be carried out within a near future.
Other measures could be:
Introduce ratios. It is easier to see and understand the problems if you have numbers to relate to.
+ When the goods terminal receives a bad pallet the person in charge should immediately alert the superior and the pallet should be either reloaded or dismissed. A broken pallet may under no circumstances enter warehouses or factories.
+ More rigorous demands for empty pallets to go back to the pallet store.
+ STS rules for pallets sho...
