Wonderful Pistachios, America's top-selling snack nut, was experiencing frequent damage to its seasonal point-of-purchase displays. The primary cause: unreliable recycled wooden stringer pallets. While these pallets aligned with sustainability goals, they often failed in transit – resulting in broken displays, disrupted retail setups, scratched store floors, and compensation claims from retailers. Exposed nails and splinters also created safety concerns for warehouse and retail staff.
Seeking a stronger, sustainable solution, The Wonderful Company piloted Litco's quarter-size Engineered Molded Wood pallets. These molded pallets are manufactured from recycled wood fibers and resin, compression-molded under high heat to form a seamless, one-piece design free of nails and staples.
Before adopting the molded pallet, Wonderful conducted internal testing simulating real-world shipping conditions. Quarter pallets loaded with POP displays were subjected to repeated impacts. While the recycled wood pallets broke after one or two impacts, Litco's pressed wood pallets consistently withstood five to seven hits before showing signs of wear. These findings affirmed independent testing by Virginia Tech, which showed that Litco pallets are stronger, more durable, and twice as stiff as new and repaired wood pallets.
The molded pallet not only reduced damage but also improved the packaging process. Wonderful adopted a hot-melt glue method for securing displays to the pallet surface, reducing packaging time and injury risk. The result: fewer damaged displays, fewer retailer claims, and a safer, more efficient supply chain.
