Industry Served | Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Complete Pallet Management Powers Long-Term Growth and Sustainability for a Global 3PL Leader
“Millwood increases our efficiency by clearing excess pallets, managing facility transfers and providing same-day trailer swaps – all backed by detailed monthly tracking.”
6
Locations Served
300,000+
Pallets Repaired and Returned Each Year
$750,000
in Estimated Annual Savings
SNAPSHOT
Industry Served: Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Products/Services Provided: Complete Pallet Management, Repair-and-Return Programs, Wood Pallets, Pallet Recycling, Wood Waste Recycling
Challenge
Pallet inefficiencies, wood waste and dock congestion were creating costly slowdowns and hindering sustainability progress.
Solution
A complete pallet management program combining on-site expertise, trailer pooling and repair-and-return processes to maximize reuse and efficiency.
Results
Clear docks, lower costs and measurable sustainability gains across six locations, yielding nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in annual savings.
From Dock Backlog to Streamlined Operations
In 2017, a regional contact from one of the world’s top 3PL companies reached out to Millwood with a challenge familiar to many logistics operations: pallets were piling up on their docks faster than they could be processed.
Good pallets were being thrown away – pallets that could be reused immediately for new orders – while broken pallets were left sitting in their warehouse, taking up valuable floor space. Neither situation sat well with the company’s zero-landfill goal – a core pillar of their corporate sustainability strategy.
With other daily 3PL operational challenges to navigate – ranging from visibility and communication around inventory, to supply chain disruptions hindering order fulfillment and the need to adapt to sweeping technological changes – this industry giant recognized that pallet management was not, and did not need to be, their primary focus.
The company recognized that a cost-effective, outsourced solution – one that would not divert time and energy away from their core logistics expertise, instead entrusting pallet management to a partner who could take full ownership of the process – would deliver measurable improvement over time.
A Turnkey Program That Evolved with the Customer
Millwood stepped in to provide a complete pallet management solution built around simplicity, accountability and continuous service. Two full-time Millwood team members were placed on-site in a designated pallet area, sorting and directing every unit:
- Good pallets were returned to the customer or, when surplus to requirements, purchased by Millwood at a discounted rate.
- Damaged pallets were sent to a Millwood-operated repair-and-return facility.
- Pooled pallets contracted through another major pallet provider were consolidated and returned on Millwood trucks, ensuring the customer received direct credit on their account.
To keep the process seamless, Millwood maintained dedicated trailers on-site, so all the customer’s team had to do was bring pallets to the designated area: no bottlenecks, no additional handling.
What began as a localized initiative soon caught the attention of company leadership. The efficiency, transparency and savings achieved at that first location prompted expansion from one site to six across the region, with more opportunities opening up nationally.
Today, Millwood supports those six locations with a flexible model: on-site staffing is no longer required because Millwood trained the customer’s own teams to handle sorting with the same precision. The program now includes new pallet sales and inter-facility pallet transfers, continuing to evolve alongside the customer’s expanding network.
Efficiency, Savings and Sustainability in Motion
By outsourcing pallet management to Millwood, this 3PL leader achieved major wins across operations, costs and sustainability:
- Operational Efficiency: Clear docks and faster turnaround times allow teams to focus on core logistics and fulfillment.
- Cost Savings: Millwood’s optimized process saves nearly $750,000 annually across six locations.
- Sustainability: Approximately 20% of pallets once discarded are now repaired and reused, adding up to more than 300,000 pallets per year and directly supporting the company’s zero-landfill commitment.
- Network Optimization: With Millwood’s trailers and expertise, surplus pallets from one site can easily be redeployed to another, reducing waste and costs systemwide.
A Partnership Built to Scale
From a single local engagement to a growing partnership with national expansion in sight, this collaboration reflects Millwood’s commitment to adapting, innovating and growing alongside its customers as a solution provider.
What began as an answer to dock backlog has become a key pillar of the customer’s operational and environmental strategy — a model of efficiency that now fuels their continued expansion.
By combining responsiveness, expertise and complete pallet lifecycle management, Millwood continues to help this global 3PL leader turn everyday logistics into a platform for long-term profit and sustainability.
Contact Millwood today to turn your zero-landfill goals into measurable results.
Millwood’s complete pallet management solution helps companies from all sizes and industries reduce waste, reuse materials and reclaim efficiency.
Connect With an Expert Today
We understand that time is one of your most valuable assets; that’s why we work hard to provide every one of our clients with a systems-based approach to improving quality and reducing costs while increasing efficiency. Whether you are looking for a single product or need a more comprehensive solution, our business is to support and serve the needs of your business.
We work with each of our clients to:
- Listen to their current and upcoming needs.
- Determine which of our products and services fit their application best.
- Develop an integrated plan to help them succeed.
We look forward to talking with you to learn how our team can serve your business.
Read More Case Studies
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