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Pallet C e nt ral • S e ptem be r- O ctobe r 2 0 24 23 the material. It reduces excess waste and makes our jobs easier," said Justin Kamps. Kamps Pallets is a national pallet company that is known for being an innovative trailblazer among its peers. Beyond the USL, the brothers have also implemented a master recycler machine that can build new or used pallets, go- fast notchers, and a rotochopper grinder that feeds directly into an auger system and drops the parts into van trailers to be delivered to their mulch yard. Humans And Machines: Frenemies? e dynamic between humans and machines is constantly changing, and for some production experts, there's a bit of apprehension surrounding automation in the manufacturing process. For others, automation is recognized as a necessary aspect of growth, an effective way of reducing the physical demand of the wooden pallet industry, and even the key to increasing yield. e push and pull between humans and machines has always existed, so it's up to leaders to strategize about the right ways to incorporate new technologies. "e jobs that we hire people for are such labor-intensive jobs," detailed Vasquez. "We have to monitor the health and well-being of our employees, do our best to reduce workers' compensation claims, and keep our production numbers up, and machinery can help us do that." At Oxnard, as demand has grown, staffing the team to meet demand needs has been a challenge. After experiencing the challenges to organize the staffing needed for a second shift, Vasquez was reminded of how machines can augment the great work that her team contributes every day. Some in the industry might be worried about machines taking job opportunities from humans, but at a leadership level, that's not the goal. "People will still have their jobs, but we'll be using robots to enhance their work, make it easier, boost efficiency, and reduce the chances that they'll get hurt while they're at our facility." At Michigan Pallet, Darrin Hyde has witnessed first-hand how much of a difference augmenting human work with automation capabilities can make. "We have a new tool called the Woodpecker Jr. that is able to build the same number of pallets in a day with one operator as we were getting from two operators hand-nailing the pallets," he revealed. Beyond improved productivity, Hyde noted the role that automation plays in addressing labor challenges. In an industry with a relatively short employee life cycle, pallet manufacturers have to get creative in addressing labor shortages and staffing constraints. Building pallets, lifting them for transport, and tearing them down are all incredibly physically demanding, making it hard for employees to stay in their roles for more than a few years. "Labor challenges are always present," said Jordan Engelsma. "With that reality, having the option to upgrade to a new, operator-friendly, high- volume, automated nailing machine isn't just appealing—it's imperative." Pushing For Innova on Outside Produc on Plants When looking at the industry holistically, the tech-driven advancements shouldn't be confined to manufacturers themselves; suppliers and customers should also be looking at how their processes can be augmented using technology and other innovations. "For the biggest savings over the long term, we need upstream and downstream parts of the supply chain to adopt innovative solutions," said Vrugteveen. From his perspective, one of the best opportunities revolves around transportation. "It takes a lot of effort to load a truck, transport it to our facility, unload it, process the pallets, reload them on the truck, ship them to the point of use, and unload them there." If the supply chain that wooden pallets rely on incorporated as much automation and robotic processing as possible, the entire industry would see notable productivity gains and quality boosts. "My organization is an early adopter, but if our customers can deploy the same tools that we use, the efficiencies will become exponentially more efficient across the board. With collective action, we'll refrain from moving a bunch of pallets unnecessarily, cutting down on labor costs, energy usage, and waste," he explained. e team at Kamps Pallets echoed Vrugteveen with a similar sentiment. "A lot of innovations are external to our customers and the way we deliver pallet solutions to them as well. It's not just in the plants," said Mitchell Kamps. For them, transportation is a major consideration, too. By prioritizing the maintenance of the Kamps Logistics fleet, and the care of tractors, dispatch units, and GPS units, they are able to provide a seamless connection between their warehouse and each customer's loading dock. More Than Tech Unsurprisingly, the flashiest and most exciting conversations around innovation are centered on new tools and technologies that can help automate current processes, but these industry leaders have seen firsthand that innovation is about so much more than fancy new machinery. At Kamps Pallets, they don't