Why speed matters more than it should
An unsorted pallet load is an asset decaying in real time. Rain gets into the stack, the grade mix becomes unknowable, and the repairable units at the bottom get crushed by the ones above them.
Our internal standard is that every inbound load is triaged within four working hours of arriving on the scale. Not fully processed — triaged, meaning separated into pools so nothing is sitting in a mystery pile.
Stage one: the scale and the photograph
Every load is weighed and photographed on arrival. The weight is the basis of the customer's diversion certificate; the photograph is the basis of any disagreement about what arrived.
This takes two minutes and prevents nearly every dispute we have ever had. We recommend customers photograph outbound piles for the same reason.
Stage two: size separation
Before grading, loads are split by footprint. Grading a mixed-size pile is slow because the grader's eye has to recalibrate on every unit; grading 200 consecutive 48×40s is fast because the brain locks onto the pattern.
Odd sizes go into their own bays. Some of those bays move once a quarter, which is fine — an odd-size pallet is worth real money to the one customer who needs exactly that footprint.
Stage three: grade and mark
Two graders work each line. Every unit is flipped, sounded and chalk-marked: A pool, B pool, repair bay or core. Anything questionable goes to repair rather than to a customer, which is the rule that keeps our rejection rate low.
Grading is a skill that takes about a month to acquire and cannot be automated at our scale. We have looked at machine vision systems twice; both times the honest conclusion was that two experienced people are faster and more accurate.
Stage four: stamp, stack, record
Sellable units get a Passport ID burned in, are stacked to height, and are recorded against a pool. Core goes to the de-nailer queue. The customer receives a count by grade, usually the same day.
That count-by-grade is the part customers value most. 'We received 412 pallets: 96 A, 203 B, 113 core' is a sentence that lets somebody plan. 'We received about four tonnes of pallets' is not.