 |
 |
EPAL CP pallets: Trials at leading global polymer manufacturer, Covestro The first large chemicals company, Covestro, is planning to deploy the new independently tested EPAL CP pallets as their load carriers. Before starting to use them, the newly licensed EPAL CP pallets will be tested in a trial at Covestro’s European locations. The publicly listed company has several sites in Europe, for example in Leverkusen, Dormagen, Krefeld-Uerdingen in North Rhine Westphalia, as well as Brunsbüttel in North Germany and Antwerp in Belgium. The head office is in the CHEMPARK in Leverkusen, where alongside Bayer and Lanxess, more than fifty companies are located. More... |
 |
Blockchain takes on paperchase – EPAL as project participant Currently about 20 companies in Germany are participating in a pilot project together with GS1, to test if and how the exchange of Euro pallets can be managed digitally, transparently and efficiently by means of blockchain technology. The joint aim: To gain knowledge on the pros and cons of the database technology for logistics. At the centre of the initiative is the pallet voucher. The paper-form voucher is still part of every HGV drivers’ daily work and often causes inefficiency and non-transparency in the logistics sector. Goods recipients use it if pallet exchange doesn’t take place directly. It documents number, type and quality of the load carriers. Together with experts from SAP, IT specialists from the participating companies will determine the governance model and system architecture of the blockchain. Building on these, the test environment will be developed for the first test run with a prototype. Then producers, logistics service providers and dealers will carry out the pallet exchange with the help of blockchain technology in a live supply chain. Together with the evaluation, the test will provide the basis for deriving practical recommendations for action. |
 |
|
 |
Pallet Timber price indices The FEFPEB European Pallet timber price indices are an overview of six different price indices compiled by the national pallet and packaging manufacturers’ associations and verified by independent bodies. These are not the absolute prices per m3, but from the indices of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. Comparable pallet wood sizes are taken and given the same base year to show the trend in the development European prices. |
 |
EU Commission wants to strengthen protection of external EU borders in the fight against product and brand name piracy For the EU’s next multiannual budgetary framework (2021-2027), the European Commission is proposing an allocation for migration and border management, that is nearly three times as much as for the preceding period: EUR 34.9 billion compared to EUR 13 billion. With this substantially increased budget, the European Commission wants to strengthen the protection of EU external borders, including intensifying the fight against product and brand name piracy. “The EU's 115,000 customs officials are on the frontline in protecting our citizens from counterfeit or unsafe goods and other forms of illicit trade,” said Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs. “To support them in that vital task, we are today proposing a new fund worth EUR 1.3 billion, for EU countries to acquire the most cutting-edge customs equipment...”. For many years the EPAL ACADEMY has been supporting custom officers on site at EU-external borders with intensive training, so that counterfeit EPAL Euro pallets can be quickly and safely recognised, seized and destroyed. |
 |
|
 |
Fair Pallet Player by GS1 Switzerland & ASTAG GS1 Switzerland and ASTAG, the Swiss Road Transport Association, have together developed guidance on regulating the exchange of Euro pallets. The aim of this “Charta” lead by GS1 Switzerland is a functioning, open pool of Euro pallets in which rights and duties are regulated and the charges are shared between the parties on the basis of the actual use of the pallets. |
|
Portuguese EPAL National Committee at ProWein 2018 For the second time, the Portuguese EPAL National Committee attended ProWein, the world-leading trade fair for wine and spirits, in Düsseldorf. At a joint stand with AIMMP, the Portuguese wood and furniture industry federation, the National Committee advised about EPAL’s portfolio and the advantages of the EPAL system. The target groups at ProWein were growers and retail. |
 |
 |
 |
Futuropalette 2018 – Successful pallet day in France On 5th April 2018, with support from the French EPAL National Committee, the FNB’s Pallet Commission, SYPAL, organised a meeting in Paris of logistics experts on the topic of “The wooden pallet in transition and its meaning for society and the environment”. More than 140 logistics experts from retail and industry discussed possible innovations in wooden pallets, their environmental advantages and the important role of the wooden pallet in the circular economy. |
 |
GPAL presents EPAL CP pallets at ACHEMA For the first time, the EPAL German National Committee, the Gütegemeinschaft Paletten e.V., attended ACHEMA, the leading trade fair for the Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals industries from 11th to 15th June 2018 in Frankfurt. GPAL’s trade fair appearance with the motto, “SAFETY PLUS FOR CHEMICAL MATERIALS” took place in the newly created logistics hotspot in Hall 1.1. The nine CP pallets were presented in a striking tower of EPAL CP pallets. An information file developed by GPAL containing comprehensive information on the new EPAL CP pallets, was available for the press and trade audienc. 3,700 exhibitors from 55 countries were represented at ACHEMA. |
 |
 |
 |
EPAL Board meeting and General Assembly in Ljubljana/Slovenia The Board and the representatives of the National Committees of the European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) met on 28th and 29th June 2018 in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. The Ordinary Board Meeting took place on 28th June, and the General Assembly was held a day later. The meeting of EPAL members takes place annually in one of the member countries of the world’s largest quality assurance association for EPAL pallets. The General Assembly elected two new country representatives to join them: Tatyana Sargsyan from the EPAL Baltic States National Committee and Ruben Hut, representing the EPAL Dutch National Committee, NEDERPAL. The Board and the participants at the General Assembly would like to express their sincere thanks to the Slovenian National Committee, SIPAL, represented by the President, Igor Sep and the Managing Director, Ivan Kerec, for their excellent organisation and professional support. |
 |
 |
 |
Kind regards, |
|
 |
European Pallet Association e.V.
businessnews@epal-pallets.org
|
|
 |