Industry News

To prevent the worldwide spread of plant pests associated with wood packaging materials, on September 16, 2004, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services ("APHIS") issued its final rule on the importation of "Wood Packaging Materials" (e.g., pallets, packing blocks, skids, crates, and dunnage). Implementation of this new requirement has been delayed until September 16, 2005 to give affected parties time to comply with the new requirements.

Effective September 16, 2005, "Wood Packaging Materials" imported into the United States must be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and marked with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and appropriate country code designating the location of treatment. Consequently, these requirements will adversely affect wood packing materials used for traditional packaging methods by:
  • Increasing the cost by having to acquire certification requirements;
  • Reducing the life of a pallet or crate that has been heat treated (becomes more susceptible to cracking because of the loss of moisture);
  • Contamination of cargo that is accompanied with fumigated pallets; and
  • Increasing the number of agricultural exams in the U.S. and foreign countries.

The industry's changing demand continues to evolve from wood to environmentally friendly cost effective alternatives. With new regulations gone into effect in the U.S. and the restrictions placed by over 50 foreign countries that are also banning the importation of untreated wood packing material, alternative packing methods have become an integral part of the industry.

Costs incurred to treat and certify wooden pallets or wooden crates increases your expenses, reduces your profits, and limits your overall efficiency. As an alternative to the problems that shippers will experience with wooden crates, such as high costs for certification and high costs accumulated from the excess weight and size of shipments, we provide reliable solutions for our customers by offering cost effective products such as Hexapack and Hexacrate.