Toro Teams Up With Ongweoweh to Manage Aluminum Pallet Pools
By MaterialsHandling.Net Staff
Date Posted: 4/1/2008
Looking to extend beyond traditional markets for aluminum pallets, Toro Pallets LLC of Dallas, Texas has announced an agreement with Ongweoweh Corp. to track pallet assets for customers. Toro is promoting this service combined withs its aluminum and hybrid pallets as a way to green the supply chain and promote reusable packaging.
The Concept
The concept is simple, the more you reuse a pallet, the fewer new ones need to be made. Less production translates into a sustainable solution if the asset can be managed correctly. That is where Ongweoweh comes in to maximize the use of a high-value pallet.
About a year ago Toro Pallets introduced aluminum and hybrid (both aluminum and plastic) material handling pallets for warehousing and closed loop applications. Toro developed a 48x40 footprint pallet that it claims exceed the performance requirements of the "GMA standard." Also, this pallet come RFID enabled. Other benefits include: lightweight, fastener free loading surfaces, true four-way entry design, temperature stable, fire resistant, maintenance free, AS/AR ready, bug free, stackable, rackable, durable construction, and100% recyclable.
A high quality pallet is not enough. You have to combine it with asset tracking and management expertise. Ongweoweh is an established industry leader in the provision of unique customer-centric pallet pooling solutions, with clients such as Eastman Kodak, Coca Cola, E.I. DuPont, IBM, Monsanto, R.R. Donnelley, Johnson & Johnson, and Johnson Controls.
"Ongweoweh Corp., has been providing material handling solutions for over 25 years with their core pallet pooling business," said Tiger Aster, president of Toro Pallets.
Toro's GMA sytle, RFID-enabled pallets provide pooling customers the opportunity to embrace sustainable technologies and maintain a harmonized green supply chain. Ongweoweh's proprietary asset tracking system "NativeTrax" (https://www.nativetrax.com) is already being enhanced to work with RFID technology and provide better tracking & supply chain visibility for customers.
Environmental Impact
Toro Pallets hopes its new relationship with Ongweoweh will help it become a market leader in sustainable material handling solutions. At 40 pounds, Toro Pallets are ultra-light weight and reduce transportation fuel and carbon emissions. In accordance to the EPA-SmartWay (SM) Transportation Program, reducing 1700 lbs from a single truck could add up to fuel savings exceeding $850 and reduce carbon emissions by up to 3.5 Tons a year.
Pallet pooling customers have become more savvy in the quest for sustainable solutions especially now with emerging environmental stewardship mandates from large corporate buyers.
"We'd like to take little steps in this venture with Ongweoweh Corp, by just aiming for 0.5% of the long haul fleets to transport optimal unitized loads on Toro Pallets, that would result in a net carbon reduction of 122,000 tons and saving participating fleet owners $30 Million in fuel costs annually," said . This is the beginning of making a substantial impact," said Aster.
Unique Pools
While people often think of pallet pooling in terms of a one-size fits all approach to pallet selection, Ongweoweh customizes environmentally superior solutions to address the needs of specific customers.
"Ongweoweh's core business is to provide the correct platform for each client's product at the lowest cost," explained Ben Richards, vice president of sales at Ongweoweh. "These platforms can range from plastic, wood, corrugate, composite, and now aluminum. Ongweoweh is pleased to add Toro Pallets as a solution for our clients with unique material handling needs and environmental concerns."
For more information visit www.toropallets.com or www.ongweoweh.com.
