Pallet Manufacturers Considered To Be Essential to Nation’s Infrastructure

Many US consumers are faced with conflicting messaging – assurances from suppliers that there is sufficient product to meet demand, yet empty shelves at grocery stores and other retail outlets across the US. For a number of goods, the main issue is getting product from the manufacturer to the warehouse to the retail outlet. While there are a number of factors that can delay the shipment of goods, a shortage of pallets – used to safely carry numerous cargoes across the US – would be disastrous to the logistic needs of the nation.

Cognizant of this, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has included pallet manufacturers and distributors on its list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” that the nation needs to ship food, medical supplies, and other needed goods to consumers across the US. Indeed, as US Food and Drug Administration regulations generally require pharmaceuticals and medical products to be shipped on virgin, or newly made, pallets to minimize the risk of cross-contamination, it is necessary for pallet manufacturers to maintain – if not expand – production over the few weeks as respirators, masks, surgical gowns, and other items are transported across the US.

For more information, see The Freedonia Group’s coverage of the Pallets industry. Freedonia Custom Research is available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.