Getting goods from A to B is hard enough. Finding the right way to carry those goods is another headache. Once, we loaded and unloaded goods item by item - those were the days when labour was cheap. Then the Second World War came. This mother of many inventions brought us the wooden pallet. This, combined with a fork lift truck, enabled goods to be moved quickly and with less labour.
Wooden Pallets
The wooden pallet was a great idea. So good was the idea that it is still going strong to this day. However, things have changed. Pallet pooling can be an expensive business. Rental and purchase costs have risen to reflect the increase in timber costs and the extra burden of fumigation and quality control.
Escalating fuel costs have taken their toll on the inevitable dedicated trips that are made to repatriate empty pallets when imbalances occur in the supply chain. These fuel costs - and driver shortages - have also forced an examination of the space and weight taken up by the ubiquitous pallet.
The pallet is a bit like the air that we breathe. It is all around us yet we don't see it. It is easy to forget the extra cost that the pallet adds to the value chain. Perhaps now the time has come when, in some eyes, the pallet has outstayed its welcome. Rather than being the carrier, is the pallet itself being carried by the value chain? Rather than wait for another world war, a ready solution has been found and is tried and tested. That is the Slip Sheet.
Enter the Slip Sheet
Slip sheets have been around for some time, especially in the
U.S. where the free market has always had the knack of taking the path of least resistance. European countries tend to prefer centrally planned systems and standardization. Slip sheets lack firmly agreed international standards and this may be one of the reasons why they have not been popular in Europe. The greatest reason is ignorance. Many simply have no understanding of slip sheets and how they work - so they don't bother.
So perhaps it's time to right this wrong here and now.
How Slip Sheets Work
1. Slip sheets are durable sheets of material that are designed to carry a uniform load of goods with plan dimensions (or "footprint") of roughly 1 metre square/40 inches square (typically they may be designed to carry a footprint of 40 inches x 48 inches - 1m x 1.2m). The slip sheet is made to these dimensions plus a pull tab - an extension to the sheet - of up to 6 inches/15cm. There may be just one pull tab sticking out from under the load on one side. There could, however be pull tabs on 2, 3 or all 4 sides. Slip sheets can be made of
fibreboard or plastic.
2. Goods are loaded directly onto the slip sheet within the creases that border any pull tabs. A push-pull attachment on a forklift truck is used to drag the load onto the truck by gripping (one of) the pull tab(s). The push-pull attachment has very flat ground-level forks that are designed to go under the
slip sheet whilst it is under load
3. To unload, the forklift truck pushes the load, complete with slip sheet off of itself and withdraws
Pros and Cons
Slip sheets are not the panacea to all distribution needs. For one thing, all parties in any supply chain will need to invest in the push-pull attachments, which are not cheap. The staff training that will be required, especially for forklift truck operators, can also be expensive. Perhaps the greatest factor, though, is the uniformity of the load itself. This exposes the slip sheet's greatest advantage - and greatest disadvantage. Slip sheets may not be able to cope when boxes are awkwardly shaped or where there is a mixed load of different shapes. Conversely, if a company is shipping out large quantities of the same sized box, then slip sheets are ideal. As such, slip sheets lend themselves to operations further upstream of the supply chain. As loads are broken down further downstream, then pallets may be more appropriate. The good thing is that loads of slip sheets can be easily transferred to pallets. A good example of the advantages of using slip sheets is where parts for goods are manufactured and shipped through a long distance sea route. The space and weight saving can result in a significant financial boost for the value chain.
Co-operative Value Chains
Another great factor in all this is uniformity of slip sheet systems. All parties in the supply chain need to be using the same specification of slip sheet and ensure that all staff are fully trained to ensure delivered loads are configured correctly for the receiving party. This requires value chains that are highly co-operative, or, to be realistic, it requires a value chain that has one dominant party who will simply dictate their requirements. The U.S. has pioneered slip sheets and has used them for many years. However, the dominance of the supermarket sector in some European countries may be forcing the change there also. The ability of large supermarkets to influence their supply chains means that they are in a position to take a strategic view of the benefits that slip sheets can bring. They are in a position to arrange for both senders and receivers to be ready to handle products on slip sheets. Things are changing. Perhaps the pallet industry is about to get a jolt.
Watch this space. There are tremendous savings to be made and significant environmental benefits to be gained. Full conversion to slip sheets for any supply chain is not going to happen, but a partial conversion for particular product lines is not only desirable, but inevitable - even in Europe.
Teflon is the trade name for PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a polymer consisting of carbon and fluorine. Teflon was developed back in 1938 by a DuPont researcher named Dr. Roy Plunkett. The development changed the plastic industry forever.
Plunkett and his DuPont team created one of the most slippery substances that exist. PTFE is not only beneficial for its nonstick property; it offers many other great qualities as well. The polymer is resistant to high temperatures, chemical reaction, corrosion, and stress cracking. These traits allow PTFE to be used for many different purposes.
One common household use for Teflon or PTFE is cooking. Many kitchen supply brands market their Teflon pots, pans, and utensils. These products are safe and make cooking a lot easier. The non stick PTFE component guarantees your food will slide right off the pot or pans surface. Cooking sprays and grease are no longer needed when you cook and bake with a Teflon coded product.
Another at home use for PTFE is with beauty products. Nail Polish is commonly infused with Teflon to create a strong, crack free product. Once applied, the Nail polish will stick to your nails longer with chipping. Many hair styling products, like curling irons and flat irons are also made with PTFE. The non stick coating helps the tools glide smoothly through hair, unaffected by the high heat temperatures.
PTFE is also significant in the automotive industry. One frequent use is with windshield wiper blades. Manufacturers coat their wiper blades with Teflon so the well known "squeaky blade situation" does not occur.
A fourth public use of PTFE is as protection for carpets and fabrics. Carpets and fabrics that include Teflon are less susceptible to stains. The PTFE acts as a repellant to liquids so spills can be easily wiped off.
Besides household and personal use, PTFE is widely used in a variety of business industries. The Steel and Chemical Processing Industries are two prime examples. These industries need strong and reliable hoses and tubing to transfer highly caustic and corrosive chemicals. They work with high temperatures to produce their products or services and they have to have a means for withstanding the heat. Teflon is great since it is carries the heat resistant and corrosion or stress free characteristics. PTFE tubing and hoses deteriorates less rapidly than metal piping. Manufacturers are catching on to this cost saving technique.
As you can see, PTFE properties are endless. They assist us with day to day tasks like cooking, cleaning, and driving. They contribute to our beauty prepping. And, PTFE's play a major role in the processes of industries like the Steel and the Chemical Processing Industry. Plunkett and DuPont might not have realized just how far their development would go. They created a product that remains essential to many functions in society today.
Orange County Acrylic Cut To SizePosted in Orange County Acrylic Cut To SizeTagged 10 Mil Plastic Sheets in Laguna Hills, 4x8 Sheet Plastics in Laguna Hills, 8mm Plastic Sheets in Laguna Hills, ABS Sheet Plastic For Sale in Laguna Hills, Acrylic Sheet Near Me in Laguna Hills, Black Sheet Plastics in Laguna Hills, Buy Flat Plastic Sheets in Laguna Hills, Cast Acrylic Sheet For Sale in Laguna Hills, Cast Acrylic Sheets Supply in Laguna Hills, Clear Cast Acrylic Sheets in Laguna Hills, Clear PVC Sheets in Laguna Hills, Clear Sheet Of Plastics in Laguna Hills, Custom Plastic Sheet and Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Cut To Size Acrylic in Laguna Hills, Flat Plastic Sheet Suppliers in Laguna Hills, Flat Plastic Sheets and Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Flat PVC Panels 4x8 in Laguna Hills, Gray PVC Sheet 4x8 in Laguna Hills, Gray PVC Sheet For Sale in Laguna Hills, Gray PVC Sheet Stock in Laguna Hills, Hard Plastic Clear Sheets in Laguna Hills, Hard Plastic Panel and Sheet in Laguna Hills, HDPE Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, HDPE Sheet Supplier in Laguna Hills, Industrial Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Industrial Plastic Supply in Laguna Hills, Large Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Large Polycarbonate Sheet in Laguna Hills, Large Sheet Of Plastic in Laguna Hills, Lexan Plexiglass Sheet and Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Makrolon Polycarbonate Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Natural Polypropylene Sheet in Laguna Hills, Nylon Plastic Sheet and Plate in Laguna Hills, Nylon Sheet Flat Stock in Laguna Hills, Plastic Clear Sheets in Laguna Hills, Plastic Flat Bar Stock in Laguna Hills, Plastic Flat Panels in Laguna Hills, Plastic Round Rod Stock in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Companies in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Distributors in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Material Suppliers in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Materials in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Slab and Panels in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheet Stock Material in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheeting Sales in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheeting Supply in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheets For Sale in Laguna Hills, Plastic Sheets In Clear in Laguna Hills, Plastic Supply Company in Laguna Hills, Polycarbonate Round Rod in Laguna Hills, Polycarbonate Sheet Cut To Size in Laguna Hills, Polycarbonate Sheet For Sale in Laguna Hills, Polyethylene Sheet and Sheets For Sale in Laguna Hills, Polymer Plastic Sheet in Laguna Hills, Polymer Plate For Sale in Laguna Hills, Polypropylene Sheet Supplier in Laguna Hills, PVC Plastic Board Stock in Laguna Hills, PVC Sheet 4x8 Sale in Laguna Hills, Rigid Plastic Sheet and Slab in Laguna Hills, Sheet Plastic Cut To Size in Laguna Hills, Sheet Plastic For Sale in Laguna Hills, Sheet Plastic Material in Laguna Hills, Sheet Plastics Cut To Size in Laguna Hills, Sheets Of Plastic Material in Laguna Hills, Solid Plastic Sheet and Sheets in Laguna Hills, Solid Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Strong Plastic Sheet in Laguna Hills, Styrene Plastic Sheet in Laguna Hills, Thermoplastic Sheeting For Sale in Laguna Hills, Thick Clear Plastic Slab in Laguna Hills, Thick Plastic Boards in Laguna Hills, Thick PVC Sheet and Slab in Laguna Hills, Translucent Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, UHMW Plastic Sheet Stock in Laguna Hills, UV Stable Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Where Can I Buy Acrylic Cut To Size in Laguna Hills, Where To Buy Clear Plastic Sheeting in Laguna Hills, Where To Buy Plastic Sheet in Laguna Hills, Where To Buy Sheet Of Plastics in Laguna Hills, Where To Get Plastic Sheet in Laguna Hills
Plasticsheet.net Copyright 2017 | All Rights Reserved