PLASTIC PALLET USE REPORTED TO BE RISING

PRINCETON, W. Va. -- Use of plastic pallets is increasing, according to a survey that predicts the percentage of retailers and wholesalers using the alternative material will rise to 37.2% by 1997.

22% currently use plastic pallets in their distribution operations.

That number will jump by 15.2% in three years, the survey reported, and although all respondents use wooden pallets for at least some of their operations, 6% plan to use plastic exclusively by 1997.

Respondents interviewed for the survey said they were switching to plastic pallets to gain cost savings and increased pallet longevity. Those surveyed said a plastic pallet lasts an average of 75 trips until repairs are needed, while a traditional wooden pallet lasts only five trips.

Another benefit cited for using plastic pallets is reduced worker compensation costs. Because plastic pallets weigh as little as 18 pounds, and wooden pallets range from 50 to 70 pounds, the chance of worker back injuries is greatly reduced when a plastic pallet is handled.

The use of plastic pallets is often determined by the size of product quantities needed by a store, the survey reported. If a store orders a large amount of a certain product, respondents said it is more efficient for an order selecter to pull a full wooden pallet from the rack. But for smaller orders, where items need to be individually pulled from a slot, plastic pallets make more sense.

The survey reported that pallets are most prevalent in dry goods warehouses, because dry goods require the most pallets and are often more durable than other types of merchandise. However, respondents said plastic pallet use should rise for frozen and other product warehouses in the future.

Alternatives like rental and recycled pallets are expected to remain stagnant, the survey reported. Five percent of the companies responding said they used "other" types of pallets, including rental, metal and recycled pallets, but that category will only marginally increase to 5.5% in 1997.

Even more marginal are corrugated and wood-composite pallets, which are currently used by 1% of the respondents, and only minor growth is expected in the next three years.