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3 2 Pallet C e nt ral • S e ptem be r- O ctobe r 2 0 26 TRENDS T hroughout 2025 and into 2026, pallet manufacturers have been navigating volatility. High lumber prices, changing tariff rates, fluctuating housing demand, and lasting labor shortages have made growth difficult. Rather than focusing on expansion, many businesses have spent the past two years cutting costs, tightening operations, and holding steady. ose challenges aren't going away. But 2027 gives manufacturers an opening to shift from stability to growth, and the businesses finding the most traction are the ones investing in productivity, preparing for advanced technologies, and building relationships that outlast a single purchase order. Here's a look at where that growth is likely to come from. Automation-Ready Design By 2030, roughly 83% of supply chain leaders plan to bring robotics and automation into key processes. For pallet manufacturers, that means more customers will need pallets that move cleanly through automated systems as automation leaves almost no margin for error. A protruding nail or a warped deckboard can jam a conveyor or stop an AGV mid-aisle. Precision manufacturing, standardized production, and tight quality control are quickly becoming table stakes for that work. e manufacturers already investing there are having a different conversation with customers than their competitors: one about uptime and throughput rather than price per unit. at gap is widening. Advanced Tracking And Sensors Smart sensors are moving out of pilot programs and into working pallet fleets. Coherent Market Insights sizes the global market for sensor-equipped pallets at roughly $23 billion in 2026, spread BY JERICA KINGSBURY Pallet Manufacturing Growth Trends For 2027

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