Goplasticpallets debut at IntraLogisteX

We will be exhibiting at IntraLogisteX for the first time this July with a variety of our long lasting, recyclable plastic pallets and pallet boxes, as well as a selection of our versatile Euro and stack and nest crates on stand 214.

In this Q&A, Dan Starnes our Sales Manager gives an insight into his long career with Goplasticpallets.com and reveals some of our latest product developments.

Could you please give me a little bit of background about you, your career path in the industry and any notable achievements?

I started working for Goplasticpallets.com as a youngster – it was my first experience of a ‘proper’ job after leaving school. Starting in the warehouse as a forklift driver, I transitioned to sales after a couple of years where I’ve worked my way up within the company over the last 16 years. In my current role as Sales Manager, I manage some of our larger client accounts whilst supporting the internal sales team.

Could you possibly give us some fun facts about yourself?
I’ve been terribly clumsy all of my life! Once, on my office tea round I managed to trip up the stairs with a tray of around 10 teas and coffees, which splattered all up the wall and all over the carpet! Luckily, I didn’t burn myself.

I’m really into sport; I always played football when I was younger but have developed a passion for road cycling as well as table tennis, where I compete in the local Eastbourne and Hastings Leagues.

Last year I set myself the challenge of running 26 miles and cycling 260 miles to raise money for mental health charity Mind. Another charity bike ride saw me cycle 565 miles completing stages eight to 12 of the Tour de France route!

Can you tell is any technical developments that you are working on at the moment, or what can we expect from the company in the foreseeable future?

More than 96% of the plastic pallets we supply are manufactured from recycled materials and this is something we are striving to increase – as well as adding more colour options, still using recycled materials.

We are also working closely with one of our manufacturing partners CABKA-IPS to broaden our range of ‘sleeve pack’ pallet boxes…so watch this space!

What sets your company apart from the competition?

A big USP of ours at Goplasticpallets.com is we promise to offer the ‘perfect match’ for every customer’s application – this is something only we can offer in the UK as we hold the largest range of plastic pallets, pallet boxes and smaller containers in stock.

At IntraLogisteX, will you be launching anything new to the market?

We will be showcasing the new CabCube 3.0 – the next generation foldable large container with a 1200mm (L) x 800mm (W) footprint. This follows on from the huge success of our CabCube 2.0 which we launched in 2016 with a 1200mm (L) x 1000mm (W) footprint.

If you visit us on stand 214, we will give you a live demo and explain all about the features and benefits of our latest addition to the range!

New technologies, growth in e-commerce and sustainability are mega-trends that will continue for some time. What new megatrends do you anticipate and what market demands do you see evolving/changing over the next five years?

Sustainability will continue to be a mega-trend, particularly with the approaching introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax in April next year. At Goplasticpallets.com taking responsibility for the plastic products we put on the market is very important to us. That’s why more than 96% of the plastic pallets we supply are already made entirely from recycled material and we were the first to introduce a plastic pallet recycling scheme that promises to collect and recycle our customers plastic pallets and boxes, regardless of who supplied them.

Advances in warehouse automation and robotics continue to develop at an even greater pace, which is seeing our products being used in ever more complex automated applications. A recent example is GA Pet Food Partners, who we’ve supplied with 24,750 plastic pallet boxes for use in its £80m Ingredients Kitchen – a new, fully automated dark store warehouse operated solely by robots.

Digitisation is another megatrend transforming our warehouses. With the Internet of Things for example, it is predicted that by 2025 the total installed base of IoT will top 30.9 billion units; that is a phenomenal number of ‘things’ connected to the Internet – everything from home appliances and voice assistance to vehicle-to-vehicle communication and robots for surveillance.

With IoT-enabled pallets – which we are seeing increased interest in – comes the ability to ensure better visibility and accurate accounting of exactly where your pallets are. Connected plastic pallets enable smarter inventory management in the warehouse and more accurate tracking and tracing of goods throughout the supply chain.

Come and meet with us on stand 214 at IntraLogisteX 1-2 July 2021 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.