There certainly been occasion where you’ve had to manage slip sheets and you may have wondered the pros and cons between slip sheet and pallet. In this article you will discover also a new solution for managing slip sheets container in a easy and fast way!
In order to make sure that maximum utilization of space is achieved, we usually, provide solutions for moving loads on slipsheets or for storing while handling other materials.
These slip sheets can be either made of plastic, heavy paperboard, or any corrugated, and solid fiber material. Usually, they are thin and pallet-like shaped. A slip sheet is some kind of pallet support device that can help in the vehicle delivery and also transportation of products.
Any flat load-carrying surfaces, pallet boards, or forklifts that are embedded on the slip sheet will facilitate the secure transporting of shipments. Since there will be minimal human intervention, the work will be safer, more efficient, and seamless.
Besides that, it will lead to effective utilization of space, increased cleanliness, and fewer injuries.
What is a slip sheet ?
As mentioned already, slipsheets are a certain flat sheets of any solid corrugated board, fiberboard, or plastic sheet having tabs on one or also more sides. You can deploy a slip sheet container as an alternative to your traditional wooden pallets for combining the load during any warehouse storage and transport operations.
To use it you will need a special hydraulic attachment for push-pull operation.
Once any kind of shipper is going to be stacked with a certain load on the slip sheet, then a tab will be clamped by using a gripper on the hydraulic arms. This will then pull the load onto the machine.
When you will move the load into the machine, the hydraulic arms will push the load together with the slip sheet and the gripper will release the tab.
Generally, slip sheets container is so designed that the coefficient of friction of their top surface will be higher than that of the surface at the bottom. This is needed so that it may not suffer load shifting while loading and unloading operations.
Also, simultaneously the lower coefficient of friction of the bottom surface will enable easy loading and unloading operation when the hydraulic arms are going to pull and push your slip sheet or slipsheets.
Slip sheet vs pallet
The following are a few notable benefits that you can get with slipsheets:
1. Cost-effective and eco-friendly
The affordability of slipsheets is arguably their most notable benefit. Slipsheets are inexpensive enough to be discarded after each use, unlike pallets, which must be tracked and fixed.
So, in some circumstances, you could nearly use them as a substitute. Additionally, they are eco-friendly because they are readily recyclable.
2. Maximize space for shipping and storage
Slipsheets make storage and transit simpler because of how much lighter they are than pallets. The burden is lighter when being transported, making it more economical.
Additionally, because they are thinner when used for storage, you gain extra storage space.
Due to how small they are, you can also conserve vertical space. Shipping is made easier since a pallet can be divided using slip sheets rather than using a considerably heavier pallet.
3. Can keep warehouse cleaner
It gives you the advantage of a cleaner warehouse. The pallets are the primary source of rodent infestations and pollution.
So, you reduce this risk by having fewer things nearby. Rats and mice frequently hide under the pallets. That, however, is not possible because of how thin the slip sheet is.
Additionally, you avoid any long-term contamination buildup because you can easily discard the sheet.
4. Slip sheets can offer safety
Slip sheets enable a safer working environment. Pallets are heavy, so workers won’t have to shift them around, preventing worker injuries.
Additionally, since you are storing fewer wooden pallets outside or in the warehouse, using slip sheets eliminates fire threats.
5. The weight
A slip sheet only has a 650 gr/m² weight. A pallet made of wood weighs 12 kg/m². As a result, you can load the truck or container with more things that are on slip sheets.
Typically, companies try to load 30 (360 kg) or 60 (720 kg) wooden pallets into trucks or containers. However, thanks to pallet less handling, you may substitute it for wooden pallets and load a further 360 kg or 600 kg more goods.
6. The volume
The thickness is 0.8 mm. The thickness of a wooden pallet is 120 mm. Consequently, you are able to pack more cargo inside the truck or container. Double-stacking the items allow you to save about 240 mm/m². Stop shipping wood or using the air, and start sending your cargo more effectively.
7. The loading
You can load a whole container in the same amount of time as it would need to load on any wooden pallets due to pallet-less or slip-sheet handling.
In spite of offering so many of the benefits of slip sheets, so far there is a quite low demand for this product on the market. The main reason for that is that people are not much aware of its benefits.
Another reason could be that few companies are reluctant to make any further capital investments in any push-pull forklift truck in their warehouse.
However, they fail to realize that their one-time investment can offer a return on investment within less than 3 years and also offer several logistical savings.
Just by abolishing the pallet, several companies were in a position to add 2 additional extra layers of shippers within each container and as a result, they were in a position to ship all the shippers just within only 2 containers.
By using slip sheets not only many business companies could save the cost of material by eliminating the pallet totally but also earned certain logistical savings by virtue of the reduction in the number of containers needed for their operation.
A few companies have obtained a substantial amount of savings on their monthly material and logistical expenses and some of the companies think that they can recover their cost of slip sheets within just 8 months.
If you are interested to go for slip sheets for your warehouse operation then contact Top Industries’ experts.
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