Did you know there is more than just one type of pallet provider? 48forty is proud to be an asset-based pallet recycler. Your next question (or two!) might be "what is an asset-based pallet recycler and how can working with one help my business?"
What is an asset-based pallet recycler?
Quite simply, an asset-based pallet provider (like 48forty) owns all or most of the assets necessary to support a customer’s supply chain. This can include warehouses, trucks, distribution centers and, yes, pallets.
Benefits of working with an asset-based supplier
There are five ways that working with this type of pallet supplier can help your business.
1. Control & Accountability
As an asset-based company, 48forty provides our customers with end-to-end pallet solutions including supply and retrieval, on-site services and reverse logistics. In addition, we manage our staff, drivers and plants and carefully select our asset-based vendors. As a result, we have 100% control over our operations which translates into maximum efficiency and exceptional customer service.
2. Agility & Flexibility
We own our tractors and trailers and have company drivers available when needed. In fact, we operate one of the largest private fleets in the country. This allows us to be responsive to our customers’ needs.
48forty is a national company with tractors and trailers across North America. We can easily respond to seasonal spikes in demand as well as the reduced cycle time requirements of online retailers. Our customers can call, email, or go online to our 24/7 customer portal (PalTrax™), and order pallets or scheduled pallet retrievals when they need us.
In addition, as an asset-based pallet recycler, 48forty has the flexibility to offer custom solutions because we have control over each step in the supply chain. We believe there is no such thing as a "one-size-fits-all" approach to pallet management. We pride ourselves on creating tailor-made solutions to fit our customers’ needs.
3. Transparency & Convenience
Common customer pain points in the pallet industry are attributed to inconsistencies, pallet counts, and order and billing inaccuracies. Because 48forty owns all the steps in the supply chain, we have mitigated some of those pain points by investing in technologies like e-signature and PalTrax to improve the customer experience.
The PalTrax Difference
Our industry-leading customer portal, PalTrax, can track every pallet a customer sorts, grades, repairs, returns to service, sells, or removes from its supply chain. PalTrax can track by date, time, trailer load, location, pallet spec, and quantity—virtually any metric a customer wants. This data is available to our customers on demand as standard reports.
[Want to manage your pallet program on the go? Sign up for PalTrax today. Just click here.]
We can also provide a deeper-dive analysis as needed. Everything related to a customer’s pallet supply chains, associated costs, and/or income is documented and transparent. In fact, this digital “paper trail” can offer your organization 100% accountability from your supplier and full transparency into your pallet purchases and sales.
4. Solutions, Service, & Quality
As an asset-based pallet supplier, we work to effectively manage our customers’ supply chain and logistics. Given our extensive network, we can ensure a supply where and when our customers need it. Put simply, our goal is to help our customers:
- Increase overall efficiency
- Cut both hard and soft costs
- Decrease errors
- Mitigate risk
- Meet deadlines
We don’t view our offerings as standalone services but rather a customized suite of solutions that aligns with our customers’ goals. We encourage savvy businesses to do their due diligence to understand what pallet providers can bring to their business and suggest touring pallet provider facilities to compare an asset-based operation with a brokered pallet supplier.
As an asset-based company, we have more control over supply, quality, and service, including ensuring on-time deliveries and making nimble corrective actions. This level of control gives us an advantage over a brokered pallet supplier/middleman.
5. We’ve Got Skin in the Game!
Unlike a brokered pallet supplier that mainly manages relationships, our assets are our “skin” in the game! We are proud to own and operate 45 plants in North America and employ over 2,500 people.
The Bottom Line
Our goal is to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement for our customers. We know a lot is at stake when it comes to meeting the expectations of our customers while being good stewards of the environment we all share. 48forty will continue leading the recycled pallet industry with ownership, integrity, innovation, transparency, and hard work.
