20 Jun Pallet Changer for Retail Trade
RETAIL TRADE ORGANIZATION
In every big city, both in Italy and abroad, more and more large distribution chains have spread across the territory. These department stores sell different types of products. It starts from food products up to goods for the management of mechanical objects or any type of electronic object with dedicated departments. They differ in superstores, megastores and hyperstores based on the extension of the structure.
In these department stores you can find both products with specific brands and private labels. This does not change from store to store but remains the same regardless of the positioning range. Whether it’s a discount store or a mid-range or high-end warehouse, you can always find disparate product lines with a private label.
PALLET HANDLING IN THE WAREHOUSE
Another common factor that is found in various stores, especially in the larger ones, is the presence of the wooden pallet in the sales area. All stores are made up of three main areas:
- Sales area: in this area all the products of the range are exhibited, organized in specific and dedicated departments. The products are typically displayed on long shelves of varying heights.
- Shops: All large stores always have a dedicated area entirely dedicated to external shops in different areas. We move from telephony to jewellery to entertain visitors and differentiate income.
- Warehouse: in this area reserved for staff, all the store’s products are handled. As in any warehouse, handling is managed through pallets which are often made of wood.
The traffic of each store involves a large recycling of materials in the warehouse. Consequently, the availability of products must always be consistent and managed quickly.
To do this, some stores do not handle the single load, but the entire pallet.
Although it may seem like an efficient strategy from a logistical point of view, it is different from a hygienic point of view.
ADVANTAGES IN USING WOODEN PALLET IN THE WAREHOUSE
The most popular pallets in the world for managing goods are wooden pallets. Their widespread diffusion mainly depends on two factors: costs and the standardization of handling.
The first point is quickly explained: the cost of a single pallet, in relation to the advantages, is minimal.
As far as standardization is concerned, the reasoning is also very simple. In fact, with standard-sized pallets it is possible to handle stacks of very different products, in the same way through machinery. In this way, both fragile and non-tipping products and bags of very resistant goods are transported wherever they are. For this reason, both forklifts and pallet trucks are used, minimizing the effort of the operators.
Obviously, therefore, from a logistical point of view, handling the entire pallet saves a great deal of time.
HYGIENIC ASPECTS OF THE WOODEN PALLET
Although the logistical advantages of handling the entire load are many, from a health and hygiene point of view the situation is totally different.
Due to the material from which it is made, the wooden pallet cannot be sanitized. The pallet, therefore, in addition to being stationed in the sales area, crosses and stays: in the warehouse, on means of transport such as trucks, trains, airplanes and / or containers for ships and in the manufacturer’s warehouse.
The wooden pallet, following transport, is certainly contaminated by various germs that remain in continuous contact with the goods. As mentioned, wood cannot be sanitized effectively. Consequently, the dirt continues to proliferate. When the gross load enters the sales department, everything expands on the products that are purchased daily.
Furthermore, the same standard pallet is used several times for different loads and therefore is handled by different companies. At this point, as has already happened in several stores, it may also happen that the wooden pallet is attacked by insects and small animals that will then find themselves in contact with the goods.
WOODEN VS PLASTIC
While on the one hand there are clear and indispensable advantages in the use of pallets in the store, on the other there are problems that should not be ignored. For this, the existing solution is the use of plastic pallets.
This type of vehicle allows you to manage the same types of products in your warehouse. Also, plastic can be sanitized unlike wood. This would solve all the previously mentioned problems from the hygienic-sanitary point of view.
The plastic pallet, however, due to its higher unit cost cannot be shipped for economic reasons. This is the reason why wooden pallets are still present in some stores.
TOPPY SOLUTION: THE PALLET CHANGER
The existing need to improve hygiene in the departments would means moving loads onto plastic pallets pallet. For the daily volumes managed in each single store, it is not possible to carry out the operation manually without employing dozens of people for this activity.
Toppy therefore studied the ideal pallet changer in different versions to satisfy all needs of the retail trade.
PALLET CHANGING ADVANTAGES
Through a pallet changer it is enough to take a few minutes, or seconds for the fastest solutions, to transfer the load from the wooden pallet to the plastic one. With a few minutes of daily investment, it is possible to greatly improve the hygiene level in the store, but not only.
The improvements arise from different points of analysis, including the ecological one. In fact, much fewer wooden pallets would be used and therefore lower costs for disposal by the single company, for example. Consumption and CO2 emissions would also be greatly reduced, which would give an advantage in terms of branding as well as from the pure economic side.
FEATURES OF THE TOPPY PALLET CHANGER
Toppy pallet changers are available in both mobile and stationary versions, but also in a fully automatic high-performance version. It is possible to change up to 100 pallets / h and manage all types of loads. For large-scale distribution, one of the key points is the management of all loads. For this reason, Toppy pallet changers can satisfy this need and more, by exploiting different technologies.
Another key benefit is the ability to split the load across multiple pallets. In this way, products to be placed in different points of the store can also be managed without having to manually intervene on the load.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MOBILE AND STATIONARY PALLET CHANGERS
Stationary pallet changes require a specific area dedicated to the operation and can handle all products by overturning the load or not. On the other hand, Mobile pallet changers are more versatile. In addition, they can handle every type of product and be used as forklifts or pallet truck.
Both systems increase the performance, efficiency and safety levels inside the warehouse, but are aimed at two different targets. Stationary systems are more suitable for cyclical and automatic operations. Mobile systems, on the other hand, thanks to their versatility, are able to manage the operation in a more flexible way.
SUITABLE SOLUTIONS FOR RETAILERS MARKET
The solutions preferred by retailers to date have been the “Falcon Wings” and “Side Press” pallet changers. Both can handle all types of products as they do not overturn the load and move it by means of a delicate side pressure. Furthermore, they are available in both stationary and mobile versions and in splitter versions to split loads.
The Falcon Wings is a patented pallet changer different from all the solutions in the world. Secures the load thanks to two blades that fit into the base of the load to stabilize it. In this way, the pressure necessary for handling is also reduced and heavier products can be managed with this pallet changer.