4 Top Facts for Shippers Regarding Wood Pallets

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Tonnes of wood pallets are used for handling and transporting cargo every single day. Being a member of the international community, Australia adheres to standards set by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for pallets meant for international trade. According to the rules, any wood packaging material should be treated to prevent the spread of plant diseases and invasive insect species. For this reason, a safe wooden pallet will bear the IPPC stamp, which identifies the source of the material. Here are some facts for shippers regarding wood pallets.

Why Standardization? -- Wood pallets from dead or living trees are likely to be infested by pests if sufficient treatment and processing is not undertaken. Also, the fact that most wood pallets are remanufactured, repaired, or reused makes it difficult to determine the origin of wood packaging material. Without knowing where a wood pallet comes from, it becomes tricky to ascertain its phytosanitary status. With IPPC standards, countries can reduce quarantine pests associated with raw wood.

How Does ISPM 15 Apply to Shippers? -- ISPM 15, which denotes International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15, is the specific standard that regulates wood packaging material intended for trade between nations. The standard describes phytosanitary approaches designed to reduce the likelihood of pests entering an ISPM 15–compliant nation through wood pallets and other wood packaging materials. International shippers dealing with such materials must ensure that their wood packaging conforms to the set standards.

Certification -- Shippers dealing with wood pallet consignments must only use pallets that have been certified under the Australian Wood Packaging Certification Scheme (AWPCS). The website contains a list of all certified wood packaging manufacturers and treatment providers. The certification scheme helps importers to meet the standards set out in ISPM 15. Therefore, all the wood pallets produced by certified packaging manufacturers and passing through wood treatment providers must have an internationally recognised mark. Shippers must look out for such a mark of quality to enjoy a stress-free shipping experience.

Types of Wood Treatment under ISPM 15 -- Wood packaging materials can be disinfected using methyl bromide. The mark for this treatment code is MB. Such a treatment should be conducted within a minimum exposure time of 24 hours under chemical concentration and temperature set by the standard. Another method of treatment is heat treatment (HT) using kiln-drying, steam heating, microwave technology (dielectric heating—DH), and chemical pressure impregnation. Irrespective of the heat treatment method, all treatment parameters set by ISPM 15 must be observed.

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15 February 2018

Understanding Aspects of Industrial Supply

Gaining a good understanding of industrial supplies can really help a man to get ahead. I'm Jo and while I do not work directly in the industrial equipment or supply business, I have learnt a lot from my brother who works in a large factory in Sydney. I would often spend weekends down there watching the guys at work. Now and again, my brother would ask me to help him out so we could try and find a good deal on a new piece of kit. I did it, and I learnt a lot while I did it. I hope you like my blog.