Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) is one of Europe’s leading producers of sodium carbonate, soda ash and salt products, from its plants in Cheshire. It has been a customer of Scott Pallets’ manufacturing business since 2003.
TCE approached Scott Pallets to discuss a pallet rationalisation project looking at specification, potential cost-savings and the issue of surplus damaged pallets.
During a site visit to review the current situation and with a view to collecting used pallets for the reconditioned part of our business to sell on, our Regional Account Manager, Rochelle Butler, spotted the challenge TCE was facing with large quantities of used pallets collecting in the yard. Not only did this present a chance to free up much-needed space, but also provided a cost-saving opportunity for TCE in recycling and re-using its pallets rather than disposing of them.
Many of the TCE pallets are bespoke and therefore not suitable for re-selling as a reconditioned product, however following discussions with the Scott Pallets recovery team, a pallet collection scheme has now been put in place. Initially focusing on the TCE site in Winnington, the programme may be rolled out across two further sites, subject to further review.
During the first month of the scheme being operational, more than 2,000 pallets were collected. Of these around 50% are reusable and will be repaired to meet the original specification for the customer to take back as recovered pallets for re-use within their business.
David Waring, Indirects/Facilities Buyer at TCE, said: “We are delighted with the new pallet recovery scheme. In such a short space of time, we have already seen a massive, positive impact on our site. Not only is there a huge environmental benefit to the scheme, but we will avoid costs associated with the current method of disposal by retaining them in the same Supply Chain. In addition, we will reduce our Wood Packaging Waste obligations by purchasing increased amounts of used pallets, rather than new.”
Many of the recovered pallets are still in excellent condition, some simply requiring a minor repair to ensure their integrity for re-use. For those that are beyond repair, they will be disposed of by Scott Pallets in an environmentally-friendly manner such as chipping for bio-mass.
The large number of used pallets stored at TCE’s site in Winnington has now been reduced to a more optimal level thanks to the fantastic collaboration between TCE and Scott Pallets staff.
If you’d like help resolving any issues with used pallets at your site, please contact your account manager to discuss the options.
