palletcentral

40 Pallet C e nt ral • No vem be r-D e cem be r 2 0 25 Put another way, for a recycler moving five million pallets annually, each nickel of margin equals roughly $250,000 added to the bottom line. Turning Data Into Dollars Turning those nickels into profit takes more than good intentions. It takes hard data you can trust. at's where AI inspection comes in, turning every pallet into a chance to protect margin. By automatically checking pallets for issues like broken boards, nail protrusions, cracks, or incorrect dimensions, AI gives every pallet the same consistent treatment. It separates good cores from those that need repair before they ever hit a bench, or pulls out damaged new pallets before they reach a customer. Inspection proves its value in new pallet production, too. Universal Logic has achieved great success in working with pallet companies to integrate inspection stations into automated assembly lines, thereby catching defects before products leave the plant. is approach locks in quality and flags machines drifting out of tolerance before costly breakdowns hit production. e value of this data shows up in two ways. First, it delivers immediate savings by cutting wasted effort and materials. Second, it builds a record that lets you monitor performance over time. at might mean catching a production trend that signals a machine is beginning to fail before downtime hits. It could also mean spotting recurring defects tied to a certain batch of lumber, or monitoring how repair crews are performing compared to expectations. In each case, AI delivers insights that extend beyond inspection and strengthen overall business management. For customers, the benefit is equally clear. Damaged pallets cause rejected loads, fines at receiving docks, and even product losses that can add up to millions of dollars across the industry each year. Providing data-backed assurance of pallet quality strengthens relationships with customers who demand reliability. For some, it also becomes a selling tool, giving their pallets an edge over competitors. In an industry where contracts hinge on trust, that edge can win or lose the deal. AI-driven pallet inspection systems are transforming the industry, delivering accurate 3D analysis in seconds. ese technologies provide operators with consistent, actionable data—without slowing production. While inspection is the most visible application, the real strength is in the data it produces. Once collected, those insights can support leaner repairs, stronger quality assurance, and smarter decisions across the facility. AI's role in pallet operations reaches far beyond inspection. Data gathered from production lines, equipment sensors, and even supply tracking can uncover patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. It might highlight inefficiencies in lumber usage, reveal trends in supplier quality, or flag wear on machinery before costly downtime. e same data can be fed into inventory systems, providing a clearer TECH TALK CONT. 40 Pallet C e nt ral • No vem be r - D e cem be r 2 0 25

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