Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1453353
PalletCentral • January-February 2022 17 W e turn another page on NWPCA in 2022. is past year was a record year for this industry, our members, and the Association. Wooden pallets have never before been thrust into the spotlight as they had in 2021. Media channels like Fox Business News, Bloomberg News, Supply Chain Drive, Globe and Mail delivered regular news segments on the wooden pallet industry in cooperation with the NWPCA team. Given the supply chain disruption, wood packaging continues as the sustainability leader and preferred packaging choice, representing over 90% of the market. roughout all the challenges, our people, leadership, and collaboration are reasons to celebrate. Our members and their workforces deserve special thanks and recognition for working overtime to keep our world moving – Pallets Move the World®. At the same time, NWPCA strengthened our future for members with new projects. We believe in strong leadership and collaboration to be instrumental for success and a key reason for this year's achievements. We are proud to lead this industry. ese are highlights from this past year with some insights into 2022. Improving the Way We Connect NWPCA continues to deliver the cutting-edge solutions we all need to keep our industry moving, to strengthen our connections and our knowledge. We do this with technology and in the way we communicate. Technology is powerful and even more powerful when it speaks in another language. Last year, we saw extensive work in translations as staff continues to transform our products and services through innovations and with our partners. NWPCA's Pallet Design System™ (PDS) software had two major releases in 2021. Each release improves our accessibility to global users while improving on features in PDS software. is year, staff enhanced capabilities in PDS for long pallets (side forklift access for four stringer pallets with no notch, as well as a "sheet goods" unit load analysis). e user's guide translation into French and Spanish further supports our international user base. Plans for 2022 include unit load analysis for pails and drums and expanded pallet design capabilities. Staff commitment to training and education in packaging design is unwavering. In 2021, NWPCA's partnership with the Independent Packaging Association and the Packaging School resulted in a new online (on-demand) learning platform. An initial catalog of four courses, both in English and Spanish, is available that covers unit load design and corrugated boxes. Access to these courses is a free benefit for PDS license holders. Plans to expand the course library to complement in-person courses with virtual training are in development. NWPCA co-hosted a PDS "Advanced Pallet Design" in-person course with Virginia Tech, containing a virtual component with much success. More course offerings, in- person and virtual, will continue from basic pallet design to unit load analysis. Unifying Our Global Network Language is a global unifier. NWPCA's network and our voice in the world of wood packaging professionals were substantial in 2021 and on pace for 5% growth this year. French and Spanish translation tools were a welcome addition to websites that NWPCA maintains, including: • e Pallet Foundation (palletfoundation.org) • Nature's Packaging® (naturespackaging.org) • Pallet Design System™ (palletdesignsystem.com) • Global Wood Packaging Forum (globalwoodpackagingforum.org). is site remains very popular and fosters a global exchange of ideas and resources. Mexico has been a growth area of focus over the past year. With multiple PDS users in that region, NWPCA continues to expand its outreach seeing