Pallet and container pooling solution group Chep has opened the doors to its new material-handling simulator in Orlando, US, the world's first testing facility for pallets and customer unit-loads that can measure handling impacts throughout the entire distribution cycle.
According to Chep, the laboratory features testing machinery that simulates distribution and supply chain conditions to measure pallet damage and performance – part of a 63,000ft2 facility to reduce the assessment period and cost for evaluating new shipping platform designs.
Primary benefits of the new simulator for Chep include a reduction in the need for lengthy field trials, lower costs from a 90 per cent reduction in the number of shipping platforms needed for each test, and enhanced analysis for advanced measuring equipment.
'The material-handling simulator is a natural progression of Chep's efforts to meet the growing product movement and storage needs of our customers while making the entire supply chain more efficient and productive,' said Skip Miller, vice-president of quality and customer value. 'We look forward to significant advances in the area of shipping platform design and functionality from the facility.'
Employing some 20 support professionals, the facility is located near to the headquarters of Chep Americas and the Chep Innovation Centre in Orlando, Florida.
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