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Worthington Steelpac Systems
York, Pennsylvania
Worthington Steelpac Systems (WSS) is a division of Worthington
Industries (WI) in Worthington, Ohio. Located in York, Pennsylvania, WSS
designs and manufactures steel shipping platforms and provides total reusable
packaging solutions to its customers. WSS currently has approximately
80 full time employees who work with state-of-the-art automated equipment
to produce a variety of steel shipping platform designs.
Example
One such solution was developed for Harley-Davidson Motor Company which was looking for a way to implement reusable packaging for their motorcycles.
A cost effective design was developed that addressed many issues including product protection, ease of packing and unpacking, package performance during handling, moisture in the existing wood package, safety, packaging cost and waste disposal.
The solution included the supply of new steel shipping platforms to Harley-Davidson, coordination of return logistics, refurbishing of returned platforms, and resupply of refurbished platforms to their point of use.
Today, all Harley-Davidson Motorcycles are packaged using this design. Not only has the amount of wood from the old package been reduced to zero, but when the reusable platforms can no longer be used, they are recycled through metal scrap dealers or appropriate recycling programs.
Replacement of Wood Pallets
with Reusable Steel Pallets
The subject of this case study is the replacement of wood pallets used by Worthington Steelpac Systems, a neighboring division within WI, with reusable steel pallets.
Wood pallets have essentially been used to move steel coils since the beginning of the steel industry. Wood has done a reasonable job in this application, but unfortunately, wood pallets used for this purpose generally get thrown out after only one use adding expense for the end user and increasing burden on local disposal operations.
Issues with wood include disposal after one use and the fact that laws are being passed to limit or ban wood disposal, deterioration such as splitting and cracking, and moisture from the wood coming into contact with the steel, causing the steel to rust.
The new design has gone through extensive field trials and has been in production for the past two months. It essentially duplicates the function of the wood pallet, supporting the tremendous weight of steel coils stacked on top of each other, with several advantages over the old wood design.
The new design uses heavy gauge steel stamped and roll formed components which are welded together to form an extremely strong pallet, capable of safely supporting and handling 50,000 pounds of steel or more.
The new pallet is designed to be reused many times, and eventually recycled to make new steel when it is no longer usable. Each time one of the new pallets is reused, there is one less wood pallet to throw away, reducing demands on local disposal processes. The cost of buying a new wood pallet is also avoided with each reuse of the steel pallet.
Why is Worthington Steelpac Systems Changing
to Returnable Steel Pallets?
Returnable steel pallets create less waste for customers to deal with, reduced cost for Worthington Steel Systems, and fewer customer issues with rusted steel.
Impact of the New System
Worthington Steelpac Systems has been looking for a way to address what has become a problem for many customers.
As mentioned above, disposal of wood pallets is becoming increasingly more difficult due to regulations such as those that limit or ban burning and landfilling wood pallets. By using a returnable pallet that gets reused, the end customer no longer has to deal with disposal.
Feedback from customers so far has been overwhelmingly positive in this regard. Customers are also enjoying the benefits of cleaner, safer operations with no wood debris, loose splinters, or nails from wood pallets. Additionally, returnable pallets reduce cost in this application. The average wood pallet for moving steel costs $6.00 and is good for one trip. The new steel returnable pallet averages about $35 but is good for many trips (expected average is 20). Even with return transportation included, the equivalent cost per use for steel is generally less than with wood.
For more information
Contact Bob Mason at Worthington Steelpac Systems 717-851-0377 or email: rsmason@worthingtonindustries.com.
Click here to learn more about Worthington Industries
Company Information
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Example
One such solution was developed for Harley-Davidson Motor Company which was looking for a way to implement reusable packaging for their motorcycles.
A cost effective design was developed that addressed many issues including product protection, ease of packing and unpacking, package performance during handling, moisture in the existing wood package, safety, packaging cost and waste disposal.
The solution included the supply of new steel shipping platforms to Harley-Davidson, coordination of return logistics, refurbishing of returned platforms, and resupply of refurbished platforms to their point of use.
Today, all Harley-Davidson Motorcycles are packaged using this design. Not only has the amount of wood from the old package been reduced to zero, but when the reusable platforms can no longer be used, they are recycled through metal scrap dealers or appropriate recycling programs.
Replacement of Wood Pallets
with Reusable Steel Pallets
The subject of this case study is the replacement of wood pallets used by Worthington Steelpac Systems, a neighboring division within WI, with reusable steel pallets.
Wood pallets have essentially been used to move steel coils since the beginning of the steel industry. Wood has done a reasonable job in this application, but unfortunately, wood pallets used for this purpose generally get thrown out after only one use adding expense for the end user and increasing burden on local disposal operations.
Issues with wood include disposal after one use and the fact that laws are being passed to limit or ban wood disposal, deterioration such as splitting and cracking, and moisture from the wood coming into contact with the steel, causing the steel to rust.
The new design has gone through extensive field trials and has been in production for the past two months. It essentially duplicates the function of the wood pallet, supporting the tremendous weight of steel coils stacked on top of each other, with several advantages over the old wood design.
The new design uses heavy gauge steel stamped and roll formed components which are welded together to form an extremely strong pallet, capable of safely supporting and handling 50,000 pounds of steel or more.
The new pallet is designed to be reused many times, and eventually recycled to make new steel when it is no longer usable. Each time one of the new pallets is reused, there is one less wood pallet to throw away, reducing demands on local disposal processes. The cost of buying a new wood pallet is also avoided with each reuse of the steel pallet.
Why is Worthington Steelpac Systems Changing
to Returnable Steel Pallets?
Returnable steel pallets create less waste for customers to deal with, reduced cost for Worthington Steel Systems, and fewer customer issues with rusted steel.
Impact of the New System
Worthington Steelpac Systems has been looking for a way to address what has become a problem for many customers.
As mentioned above, disposal of wood pallets is becoming increasingly more difficult due to regulations such as those that limit or ban burning and landfilling wood pallets. By using a returnable pallet that gets reused, the end customer no longer has to deal with disposal.
Feedback from customers so far has been overwhelmingly positive in this regard. Customers are also enjoying the benefits of cleaner, safer operations with no wood debris, loose splinters, or nails from wood pallets. Additionally, returnable pallets reduce cost in this application. The average wood pallet for moving steel costs $6.00 and is good for one trip. The new steel returnable pallet averages about $35 but is good for many trips (expected average is 20). Even with return transportation included, the equivalent cost per use for steel is generally less than with wood.
For more information
Contact Bob Mason at Worthington Steelpac Systems 717-851-0377 or email: rsmason@worthingtonindustries.com.
Click here to learn more about Worthington Industries
