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10 PalletCentral • September-October 2021 palletcentral.com A nnouncing the newest release for the Pallet Design System™ (PDS): Version 6.3 for unit loads of sheet goods. Long items such as house siding, gypsum board, composite decking, or sheet steel can require pallets up to and beyond twenty feet in length. Forklifting such a long pallet represents a more onerous load than most pallets ever see due to the amount of load overhanging the fork tines on each end of the pallet. Fortunately, long products almost always have sufficient stiffness and strength to support some of their own weight. This is analogous to the load bridging seen in unit loads of boxes. PDS 6.3 now includes the capability of taking the strength and stiffness of long products into account when analyzing the pallet. PDS can determine the bending and compression stress in the products as well as the radius of curvature to ensure that the products are adequately supported to prevent damage. This can help reassure the pallet end-user that the unit load will safely survive handling. The pallet design itself can be optimized to ensure that only the necessary materials are used in just the right places to obtain the most economical pallet. PDS 6.3 also includes increased limits for the maximum pallet length & width and the ability to have a partial 4-way stringer pallet with no notches cut in the stringer if the bottom deck is tall enough to permit fork tine entry. Learn more at www.palletdesignsystem.com. NWPCA Releases PDS: v6.3 for Unit Loads of Sheet Goods NWPCA Participates in SEC Board Meeting D r. Brad Gething, Vice President, Science & Technology, participated in the SEC (Softwood Export Council) Board meeting in Santa Fe in late July. Brad is a member of the SEC Executive Committee. His participation supports our efforts on ISPM-15 and expands our global reach with the Pallet Design System™. The SEC partnership with NWPCA has allowed us to gain non-traditional funding to support bilingual Mexican staff Hilary Carr, PhD, who assists with member communications and market exploration. The SEC has also supported industry projects, including developing the NWPCA Spanish microsite and translating NWPCA products, such as the fire code manual. The SEC membership includes representatives from the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) and several industry members of NWPCA, all of which significantly strengthen our network. NWPCA Call for Board Nominations is Open T he call for nominations for the 2021 Board of Directors election is now open. All members are eligible to submit a nomination or to nominate themselves. This year, there are six industry and one Associate Board member seats available for election/re-election. The Nominating Committee will review all nominations received by Friday, October 29, 2021, to determine the slate of candidates presented to the industry and associate membership for a vote later this year. Submit your nominee by COB Friday, October 29 at palletcentral.com/ boardnomination. iStockphoto.com/Mariakray INSIDENWPCA

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