18 December, 2020

Pallet Sales Grow as Brexit Deadline Approaches

Posted on 18 December, 202029 July, 2025 by David Priestman

EPAL UK & Ireland has reported pallet sales increases of 13 per cent in the third quarter of 2020, as businesses prepare for the final Brexit cut off on December 31. The open-loop pallet pooler manufactures and repairs all its pallets to an ISPM15-compliant standard, meaning they conform to regulations governing packaging movements that come into force on January 1 next year.

Wooden pallets and packaging that originate within the European Union are generally free to move between member states without having to meet international ISPM15 standards. However, when the UK leaves the EU, regulations state they must be heat-treated and marked as ISPM15-compliant when travelling in either direction between the UK and the EU. This means they may be subject to official checks that may delay shipments for a period immediately after Brexit.

The timber packaging and pallet industry has worked hard with industry and the UK government to build up stocks of compliant wooden pallets and packaging, expanding the country’s kilning capacity and announcing that ISPM15-marked components can be used to repair used pallets, for example. Nevertheless, EPAL’s chairman says some companies have sought out
guaranteed sources of ISPM15 compliancy such as EPAL.

Paul Davidson, Chairman of EPAL UK & Ireland, said: “We have seen a rise in demand from businesses wishing to eliminate completely the risks to their supply chains of the new regulations. When pallets are ISPM15-compliant, they are free to move through customs across Europe, and throughout the world, and won’t be the source of unnecessary details; so business have been looking for established suppliers. As EPAL pallets are kiln dried to ISPM15 specifications as standard, they automatically conform to these regulations.”

Other benefits of using EPAL pallets are that they are: safe for loads of up to 1.25 tonnes; kiln-dried, giving them extra strength and durability; and specified ‘as new’ whenever they are repaired.

Vaccine Packaging Wrapper

Posted on 18 December, 2020 by Keith McKinley

Market leader in the end-of-line packaging sector and technology partner to Pfizer, Robopac will be guaranteeing the vaccine’s packaging and transport safety following its contribution to the
development of ad hoc solutions for the packaging of pharmaceutical products made by the American giant. A significant achievement for everyone, in which Robopac – once again – has
played a leading role in an industrial venture with great humanitarian importance.

The partnership between Robopac and Pfizer is based on a shared philosophy that focuses on collective interest from a global perspective, with a view to providing high-performing products
that are human-centred and environmentally conscious. In line with this approach, Ecoplat Plus is the solution adopted by Pfizer for packaging the vaccine doses due to be distributed in the USA. A wrapping turntable featuring state-of-the-art technology, it uses stretch film that guarantees advanced performance including maximum protection of the goods due to its reliability, strength, and ease of use. Not only that, the Ecoplat Plus technology also keeps film consumption down while ensuring product safety, which means a lower impact of the raw material used.

People and the environment are intrinsically linked and Robopac strivers to protect this relationship through continuous investments in innovation and technology. Demonstrating this, four TechLabs set up around the world offer a unique way of conducting research, concentrating above all on reducing the impact of plastic, and have delivered results including 60% less
consumption and full recyclability of materials.

Robopac is committed to demonstrating its belief in its role as One Global Company that offers high-performance packaging solutions throughout the world. Its particular focus on the end-of-line
equipment is backed by sensitivity to circular economy issues, resulting in a combination of technology, innovation, and sustainability.

At the same time, a widespread presence on international markets allows Robopac to fuel its untiring research and development activities following a tailor-made approach that responds to the most specific needs of each market and each customer. Responsibility and passion are the watchwords at Robopac, accompanied by an ever-growing focus on the environment as a core issue for the company.

With this in mind, Robopac is proud, once again, to be part of a process focusing on the well being of people and to see its technology as part of the fight against Covid-19 and its devastating effects worldwide.

New Mobile Refrigerated Containers with Autonomous Operation

Posted on 18 December, 20207 August, 2025 by Keith McKinley

New mobile refrigerated containers with autonomous operation has been launched by Thermo King®, a leader in transport temperature control solutions. The ColdCube™ Connect Flex is the latest addition to its portfolio of flexible, portable cooling, freezing and heating mobile containers. The nmodels come with an integrated battery, which offers at least 12 hours of autonomous cooling capacity, fully independent from the vehicle battery.

The mobile refrigerated containers are a lightweight, durable, flexible solution available in three sizes that fit a standard van or truck. The containers allow customers to ensure an autonomous temperature controlled environment in non-refrigerated vehicles and fulfill a variety of transport and storage needs including Pharma, retail, catering and last mile deliveries. Bluetooth connectivity enables customers to wirelessly control the temperature set-point and provides full visibility of temperature and status without opening the container. For additional connectivity, ColdCube™ Connect FLEX comes with a preinstalled temperature sensor, compatible with Thermo King telematics systems.

“ColdCube™ containers provide a simple and flexible way to ensure that Pharma, fresh or catering temperature-sensitive products are moved and stored in the right, controlled environment,” said Oscar Sanz de Acedo Pollan, aftermarket engineering leader at Thermo King.” The new FLEX models, thanks to the integrated battery and autonomous operations, give customers even more flexibility. They can now store the container outside the vehicle whenever needed, without looking for an external power source to connect to.”

ColdCube™ Connect FLEX Pharma certified models offer powerful, automatic cooling, freezing and heating operation reaching temperature ranges from -30 degrees Celsius to +30 degrees Celsius depending on the version, and efficient internal ventilation. This meets the stringent requirements for secure transport of biomedical products, like blood bags, blood tubes, vaccines and biological samples in the most demanding environment conditions.

Thermo King announced a new Trailer Refrigeration unit earlier this year. For more information click here.

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