How to Choose the Best HDPE Plastic Pallet Manufacturer for OEM Business

Many industries use HDPE plastic pallets to ship or store products. The pallets are popular for their hygiene, durability, safety and weather-resistance, among other features.

However, finding a reliable plastic pallet manufacturer for OEM business has become a perennial challenge for most clients. It is even a tedious task considering there are hundreds of plastic pallet manufacturers at the moment.

In this article, I am going to show you how to choose a reliable HDPE plastic pallet manufacturer. I am going to focus on critical factors that can help you to make an informed decision.

Here are the key aspects you must consider before placing an order for plastic pallets:

1. Do a Google/Bing Search to Find the Plastic Pallet Manufacturers

Assuming you need to import plastic pallets, I will recommend that you do an internet search. Depending on your favorite search engine, you can use either Google or Bing.

For the purpose of this illustration, I’ll use Google. By the way, it is one of the most popular search engines; so definitely, you’ll get the desired results.

Next, it is worth noting that there are many companies in the world that manufacture HDPE plastic pallets. But, where can you get the best prices?

This implies, you need to specify an exact location – this can be country, continent or city.

The truth is; China has become a manufacturing hub for most global companies. In fact, you may buy a plastic pallet from a U.S. company that has an OEM partnership with a Chinese factory.

So, to avoid unnecessary costs and logistics, it is better you source for the plastic pallets from China. Definitely, you will get a better deal.

The question is; how do you go about this process?

Well, you will key search terms on your Google search engine and evaluate the results. Your search terms should specify the product and location.

This way, you’ll see many plastic pallet options in your search results.

You can consider the following possible combinations of words as your search terms:

Plastic pallets in China
HDPE plastic pallets in China
Manufacturer of plastic pallets in China

For this illustration, I used the search term “Manufacturer of plastic pallets in China”, here are my search results:

This is my Google search result for HDPE plastic pallet manufacturers in China.

My search results look interesting as you can see. The top three are actually different news releases from the one plastic pallet manufacturer – WeePallet.

Immediately after you key in the search term, Google provides different ways to access information pertaining to the plastic pallets in different categories such as: All, News, Videos, Images, etc.

For my case I opted for the “news” option.

What is the secret behind this?

Here are some of the key reasons why I believe this an effective approach:

Ability to get up-to-date news on plastic pallet
Helps in knowing the latest trend in the HDPE plastic pallet; for instance, here you can see that WeePallet had just introduced a new generation of HDPE pallets and certified hygienic plastic pallets.
Access information about the company directly
No adverts from online market places such as Alibaba or Amazon about the same product.

So, here is what you need to do:

Sample this information and take contact of 3 to 4 manufacturers
Use other search tools that Google provides

With this information, you can begin to scrutinize these companies, one at a time.

NOTE: Only deal with companies with proof of legal existence.

2. Consider the Types of HDPE Plastic the Company Offers

Let me tell you one secret about Chinese HDPE plastic pallets manufacturers:

The companies strive to have a long-term relationship with their partners. With this you can be guaranteed of better trade deals.

However, you can achieve this if you approach a company that sells many designs of plastic pallets. This is because as the business expands, you may need other designs of plastic pallets.

For instance, you may need:

Cargo plastic pallets
Medium duty plastic pallets
Heavy duty plastic pallets
Super hygienic plastic pallets
Special purpose plastic pallets, etc.

When you have a deal with such a company, there is a high possibility that you may have a long-term business partnership as an OEM client. Here are a few sample designs of HDPE plastic pallets:

These are six different designs of HDPE plastic pallets.

Here is all you need to do:

Request for the company’s catalogues or visit the plastic pallet manufacturer’s official website. Review the plastic pallet catalogue and figure out if they can meet your business expectations.

It should be both present and future prospects.

You should consider if the company offers custom design plastic pallets. Remember, customization is an important aspect of branding.

3. Does the HDPE Plastic Pallet Manufacturer Offer any New Technology?

To remain competitive, you need to source plastic pallets that guarantee unlimited possibilities.

Plastic pallet manufacturer with high-tech equipment have the capability to maintain high quality control (QC) standards.

Here, these are two aspects you must consider:

Plastic Pallet Manufacturing Technology

Over the recent past, quite a number of manufacturers have adopted blow molding, thermoforming or injection molding techniques. With these manufacturing processes, they can produce plastic pallets for different applications.

For example, blow molded plastic pallets are durable and reliable in supply chain process where the temperature is extremely low. On the other hand, thermoformed plastic pallets are cheaper compared injection molded pallets due to the low cost of tooling.

This is a plastic pallet molding machine.

This way, a plastic pallet manufacturer will adopt a manufacturing technique that suits you best. It doesn’t matter whether you need custom made or standard designs; you’ll get plastic pallets that suit your market niche.

The second aspect is the:

Quality testing technology

How does the company control quality during the plastic pallet manufacturing process?

Quality testing is a demanding process where the manufacturer has to verify the quality of HDPE material and test the final product. The video below shows WeePallet technical team inspecting a plastic pallet:

Whether the company has adopted a 100-meter drop test or load tests, it must be within the acceptable quality standards. For instance, the U.S. FDA requires that every plastic pallet in foodstuff and pharmaceutical industries be made from food grade material.

The ISO 8611 requires that every plastic pallet must pass the following 8 critical tests:

Corner drop test
Static shear test
Bottom deck bending tests
Stacking tests
Static wing pallet being tests
Compression tests
Forklifting tests
Static air bag bending tests
Static bending tests

Here is a link where you can learn more about Pellet Testing.

4. Check Any Complaints Online About the Plastic Pallet Manufacturer

There are a number of unprofessional HDPE plastic pallet manufacturers in China who sell substandard items. In fact, this is the main reason why I insist on buying plastic pallets directly from the manufacturer.

I have seen a situation where the manufacturer claims to mold their plastic pallets from 100% virgin HDPE material yet, they are made from recycled plastic.

In this case, you won’t get value for your money. You shall have paid more for a low quality pallet.

I know it can be a difficult process, especially if you’re doing this for the first time.

You need to visit various online marketplaces, websites or forums, to check whether there are any complaints about the company.

The best way to go about this is to conduct a random search about the company. Like in point #1, you will use search terms to check whether there are any mentions about the company.

You can search:

[Company name] plastic pallets
[Company name] complaints
[Company name] customer reviews

In case there are any complaints available online, then you will definitely see them.

Complaints Board provides an effective way to review plastic pallet suppliers.

Here are some complaints thou not on plastic pallets.

You can also check if a plastic pallet manufactured by the company is available on online marketplaces such as Amazon. I don’t imply that you should buy them here if you’re an OEM client.

This will give you a rough idea of the quality of the plastic pallets. You can take a look at this:

These are customer reviews from Amazon. You should focus on verified purchases only since some companies pay people to write them reviews.

In short, you should do business with HDPE plastic pallet manufacturer with good reviews and who can actually prove beyond reasonable doubt that they have high quality products.

5. Evaluate their Terms and Conditions

What are your terms of engagement with the company? A good HDPE plastic pallet manufacturer will give you an opportunity to settle on terms that are favorable for both of you.

This mainly revolves around these critical aspects:

Payment terms; this includes down payment and method of transferring funds.
Signing a non-disclosure agreement for custom made pallets
Price based on the MOQ
Whether the company sends free samples or you pay for it.

You need to approach the entire negotiation process with an open mind. Again, you should be realistic not to push for a low price that is far much below the value of the plastic pallet.

But, before wrapping up this article, I would wish to give you a heads-up. I have been in the HDPE plastic manufacturing industry for over 10 years now.

Whenever you’re importing plastic pallets from China, it is important to note the following:

A number of companies present fake test results and certificates; always verify every document they present to you.
Dishonestly; some may decide to increase prices after you’ve confirmed the order.
For long-term OEM partnership, if you don’t take necessary precautions, quality may reduce over time.
Frequent delays on shipment is prevalent

So, the only way to be safe here is to choose a professional plastic pallet manufacturer who values their customers. You’d rather spend 3 months researching about a manufacturer than to enter into a contract with a dishonest manufacturer.

Conclusion

In short, take your time to evaluate and do a thorough research about every aspect of the HDPE plastic pallet manufacturer. You shouldn’t settle for anything less than a high quality plastic pallet.

How to Choose the Best HDPE Plastic Pallet Manufacturer for OEM Business