plastic pallets Archives

Living the Circular Economy

Posted on 17 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

ORBIS, international manufacturer of reusable plastic packaging, embody the circular economy. The company has maintained its growth on the European market despite an economically challenging year in 2022.

“We have developed our customer base as well as our organisation”, says Jürgen Krahé, Senior Commercial Director EMEA. “Through regular collaboration with our customers and partners, also at events such as FachPack and The Battery Show, we continue to focus on customer needs. That helps us optimise our product portfolio with the customer in mind.”

With a European presence since 2002, ORBIS Europe is part of ORBIS Corporation and represents the company in the EMEA region. ORBIS’ parent company, Menasha Corporation, is one of the oldest family-owned manufacturers in the United States (since 1849). With a durable and supply chain optimised product design, ORBIS’ customised and standard solutions help streamline product flow sustainably along the supply chain. The plastic foldable large containers (FLCs), pallets and small load carriers are 100% recyclable.

New Packaging Distribution Centre in Belgium

The growth continues: In January, ORBIS has expanded its presence on the European market with a new production and distribution centre as well as new offices in Ieper, Belgium. With a clean environment on 2300 sq.m, the new packaging distribution centre in Flanders is used for sensitive and complex packaging solutions, e.g. for battery transportation, and inhibits contamination during packaging assembly and storage. The new office space provides a pleasant work environment and allows for customer visits on site. Functional areas include customer support, logistics, production planning, purchasing and finance.

A broader, more sustainable product portfolio

One of the goals for 2023 is to introduce proven products to other geographical and vertical markets. Customer-specific packaging solutions are currently in prototyping phase. “We already cover the rising demand for sustainable transport packaging with our existing product portfolio. Additionally, we are working on increasing the percentage of recycled material in our products and evaluating alternative materials”, says Krahé. “In that way, our customers continuously benefit from our sustainable, innovative product portfolio and expertise.”

ORBIS Europe engineers and manufactures durable and sustainable transport packaging solutions. The foldable large containers (FLCs), pallets and small load carriers are produced from recyclable and (partly) recycled plastics. Customised and standard solutions help streamline product flow along the entire supply chain. Therefore, companies from different industries, like industrial, automotive and FMCG, profit from long-term cost savings and CO2 reduction.

Foldable Pallet Box for Bigger Items

Posted on 10 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Goplasticpallets.com, a plastic pallet supplier, has expanded its portfolio of award-winning foldable pallet boxes to help businesses make significant time and cost savings when transporting bulkier items through their supply chains.

Incorporating an innovative design, the CabCube 1612 is the new SleevePack product from Cabka launched exclusively to the UK market by goplasticpallets.com. Measuring 1610mm x 1208mm x 750mm, the pallet box offers an increased base surface area for transporting, storing and picking bigger goods. The CabCube 1612 provides an environmentally friendly alternative to one-time use cardboard boxes and shrink wrap – whilst the robust sleeve pack and strong and secure lid reduces product damage and subsequent costs. All components are 100% recyclable at the end of their long service life.

This new pallet box – which has a load capacity of 350 kg – has been specifically designed for optimal stacking stability, both in the warehouse and during transit. When packed with products, the CabCube 1612 can be stacked four high in a standard 40 ft curtain side trailer, which means the vehicle can carry a total of 64 units. When emptied, it folds flat to a height of just 251mm, enabling 192 units to be loaded on the return leg. This provides a 69% volume reduction and a return ratio of 1:3.25, allowing businesses to significantly reduce the use of vehicles and make key savings on transportation costs.

The CabCube 1612 is quickly folded flat and is stored inside the base with the lid placed on top to ensure that the three components are transported together ready for re-use. The product can also be RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) and IoT (Internet of Things) enabled, for greater transparency and visibility, whilst customised sleeve heights and door configurations are available, to support simpler picking and packing.

In addition to the CabCube 1612, goplasticpallets.com has also added two new folding pallet collars to its product range, to guarantee increased levels of security and protection when unpacking and picking goods in warehouses. The CabFrame 1210 (which fits a UK standard pallet) and CabFrame 1208 (which attaches to a typical Euro sized pallet) can be stacked upon one another – normally up to five high – to create a reconfigurable “pallet box” that offers maximum product retention and protection to items as they move their way through the warehouse.

Jim Hardisty, Managing Director at goplasticpallets.com, said: “In the current climate, businesses must explore new ways to increase efficiencies and streamline operations. The CabCube 1612 is a fantastic product that businesses can use to optimise their supply chains and save on vital warehouse space and transportation costs.

“This strong and robust pallet box will not only reduce stock damages, but it also removes the need for one-time use cardboard boxes and shrink wrap, which benefits the environment. We are already seeing several of our existing customers – including pharmaceutical companies, fulfilment houses and leading supermarkets – embed this product across their supply chains with huge success, including within automated systems.

“We are pleased to further strengthen our long-standing relationship with Cabka by launching the CabCube 1612, plus the innovative CabFrame 1210 and CabFrame 1208, to the UK market.”

Schoeller Allibert appoints Oliver Iltisberger as CEO

Posted on 20 June, 2022 by David Priestman

Schoeller Packaging B.V. announces that it has appointed Oliver Iltisberger (pictured) as Chief Executive Officer of Schoeller Allibert, effective August 1st, 2022.

Until recently, Oliver was President of ABB Smart Buildings Division, a global building automation and services business with revenues of approximately $3bn and 11,000 employees. Prior to this, Oliver held various top executive roles at Landis + Gyr, a global leader in electricity and gas metering and grid solutions. Whilst at Landis + Gyr, he was instrumental in developing the smart metering products, systems and services portfolio for the business and executing the transformation towards smart energy service provision, apart from his responsibility in manufacturing. He executed and integrated several acquisitions and contributed in a team to realize the company’s successful IPO.

Being a German and Swiss citizen, Oliver holds a joint masters degree in Business Management and Mechanical Engineering (Dipl. Wirtschaftsingenieur) from the University of Darmstadt in Germany. He will work out of the Company’s headquarter, located in Hoofddorp, near Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The Supervisory Board is delighted that Oliver has agreed to join Schoeller Allibert as CEO and believes his organisation skills, deep international experience in manufacturing and services and his track record make him well suited to lead the company through its next phase of growth and performance improvement. Pending this appointment, Henrik Akerson from Brookfield Asset Management will continue to act as interim CEO, with the full support of both shareholder groups.

Schoeller Allibert appoints Oliver Iltisberger as CEO

Posted on 20 June, 202231 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Schoeller Packaging B.V. announces that it has appointed Oliver Iltisberger (pictured) as Chief Executive Officer of Schoeller Allibert, effective August 1st, 2022.

Utz Group celebrates diamond anniversary

Posted on 25 April, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The Utz Group, a global market leader for returnable packaging, is marking its 75th anniversary this year. With a special 75-year logo, the company is celebrating its growth from humble beginnings in Switzerland into a thriving, international business that manufactures over 20 million products a year.

“Our 75th anniversary is a great time to indulge in a little nostalgia,” commented Russell Evans, General Manager of Georg Utz Ltd, “and also to look forward to the future. Along with the whole team at our UK facility in Alfreton, Derbyshire, I’m very proud to be a part of such a dynamic and growing company.”

Production of the zigzag device for sewing machines, circa 1955

At this major milestone, the Utz group continues to demonstrate the spirit of innovation instilled by its founder. Even with the foresight and determination that helped him to found the company, Georg Utz could not have predicted that, 75 years later, some 1,500 people would be employed by a company bearing his name.

Founded as a toolmaking firm called ‘Georg Utz Werkzeug- und Apparatebau’ in Zurich in May 1947, the company began to focus on manufacturing a zigzag device for sewing machines that Georg had developed himself. This patented product enabled the fledgling business to flourish, with well-known sewing machine manufacturers, including Singer, among its customers. In 1953 Georg moved the company – now named Georg Utz AG and with 16 employees – to larger premises in Bremgarten.

It is often in challenging times that true character is revealed. In 1958, demand for the Utz zigzag device collapsed abruptly when sewing machines with integrated zigzag stitching came onto the market. Fortunately, Georg had installed an injection-moulding machine to produce the packaging for the zigzag apparatus and he could see its potential to transform the packaging market. With his entrepreneurial drive, he was able to turn his vision into reality, producing plastic products for both household and industrial use.

The RAKO: a game changer in logistics

Using the largest injection-moulding machine in Switzerland, Georg Utz AG began to focus its business on storage and transport containers produced from plastic instead of the traditional metal. The RAKO container – short for its innovative RAhmenKOnstruktion (frame construction) – was launched in 1965 and the product range continued to expand.

In the early 1970s, the development of customer-specific containers was added – the foundation stone for the current core business. Today, close co-operation with customers results in a constant stream of new products to meet their varied logistics requirements.

Another innovation for Utz came when its plastics recycling plant was put into operation in the late 1970s. Sustainability, reusable solutions and recycling at the end of the product life cycle are part of the DNA for Utz. As the company expanded, subsidiaries were established abroad. The first was in Germany in 1971, followed by Great Britain (1990 – pictured), France (1992), Poland (1997), USA (2003), China (2005) and Mexico (2017).

Today, Utz employs almost a hundred times more people than the 16 who worked in the Zurich workshop all those years ago. Despite huge growth, the past and present companies have many similarities: the spirit of innovation, the commitment to supplying the highest quality products and the culture of a family business.

Focus on people drives success for Utz Group

Au Revoir, Wood

Posted on 3 November, 202029 July, 2025 by David Priestman

One of France’s largest food retailers has said goodbye to the wooden pallet in its logistics operations. The logistics company of France’s fifth largest food retail group has said goodbye to the wooden pallet and is now building up its own inventory of plastic pallets. For the internal flow of goods between its 29 warehouses and 1,600 supermarkets in the chain, the freight forwarder has purchased 330,000 Craemer CS1 plastic pallets.

The first pallets were delivered in 2018, and the entire order volume is expected to be in use by summer 2020. The company switched from wood to plastic mainly in order to improve working conditions for warehouse employees as well as to meet the requirements of increasing automation and a policy of sustainability. The logistics company employs 5,000 people and has 1,800 lorries that deliver 700 million package units annually. The freight forwarder uses the plastic pallets exclusively for palletising and transporting mixed picked items (heterogeneous pallets) to meet the supply needs of its supermarkets directly from its own warehouses.

Bye Bye Wood

“The top deck of the CS1 is mostly closed, making the pallet ideal for bagged goods, cardboard boxes and other packaging units,” says Cyril Wahl, Sales Director at Craemer France Sarl. “And the pallet is equipped with three metal reinforcements, which allows it to carry up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) in a high rack. Because the freight forwarder has equipped its lorry trailers with pallet racks, we provided this customer with a CS1 that has special, non-slip runners. This solution ensures that the pallets do not slip on the smooth and narrow shelf support beams when the lorry is moving.”

According to a company spokesperson, the logistics company is pursuing several goals in switching to plastic. “On the one hand, in the future it will be important for us to use only load carriers that work with the automation technology we recently introduced into the company’s warehouses. Deformed wooden pallets threaten to block the mechanical conveyor belts. Having our own inventory of plastic pallets makes us less dependent on wooden pallets and also ensures a seamless flow of goods along the supply chain.

On the other hand, it is important to us to improve the working conditions of warehouse employees and in that way to meet the goals of our corporate social responsibility. Part of that is eliminating
the risk of injury from wood splinters and easing the workload. The CS1 plastic pallet only weighs 17 kg (37.5 lb), meaning it is much easier to handle than the 23-kg (50.7-lb) wooden pallet.”

Read the whole story here

The RAKO: a game changer in logistics

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