Industry Served | Plastic Packaging & Containers
Strategic Sourcing Brings Clarity and Consistency to National Plastic Packaging Company
15+
Years of Partnership and Growth
53%
Growth in Pallet Volume Over Time
55
SKUs Managed Across 3 Facilities
SNAPSHOT
Industry Served: Plastic Packaging & Containers
Products / Services Provided: Engineered Pallet Design, Vendor Consolidation, Load Securement, Dunnage, Recycled Pallet Integration
Challenge
A national plastic packaging manufacturer needed to bring order and consistency to its pallet and packaging supply as operations expanded across multiple facilities.
Solution
Millwood partnered directly with the customer’s team to audit and organize their pallet inventory, reduce redundant SKUs and develop standardized designs that now serve as the foundation for their entire packaging program.
Results
Over two decades, the partnership has grown from one facility to several across the region, supporting more than 50 SKUs with a unified, efficient pallet strategy that continues to evolve alongside the customer’s growth.
A Partnership Built on Clarity and Trust
For a national leader in plastics packaging, packaging itself is a core part of production. The company serves demanding food and healthcare supply chains where product integrity, cleanliness and reliability are essential. As operations expanded, the team found itself managing multiple pallet suppliers and redundant designs across facilities.
What began as a simple effort to meet production needs became a complex inventory challenge. Pallets with nearly identical specs filled the yard, occupying space and creating confusion. The company knew it needed greater visibility and a consistent standard across all locations.
That clarity began more than two decades ago when the manufacturer partnered with Millwood. The collaboration started small – with recycled pallets – and quickly deepened into a trusted relationship built on experience, responsiveness and a shared focus on problem-solving.
Hands-On Help Brings Order to the Yard
Millwood’s representative approached the problem differently. Instead of replacing everything, he offered to help the customer make sense of what they already had. He spent two full weeks on-site, walking the pallet yard, studying material flow and working directly with the operations team to bring order back to the supply inventory.
Together, they cleared obsolete pallets, repaired what could be reused and labeled rows by size and specification. During the process, they discovered seven overlapping 48×40 pallet SKUs, many performing the same function.
Through a combination of observation, collaboration and practical design work, the team consolidated those seven SKUs into two standardized designs. The result was a simpler, clearer system that saved time, reduced waste and improved reliability across every line of production.
“Once we mapped the yard together, the team could finally see where every pallet belonged, and where their specifications could be simplified. From there, everything became easier to manage.”
The success of that effort set the tone for everything that followed. It wasn’t just about pallets – it was about partnership.
Expanding Support as the Customer Grows
Over the years, that first project evolved into a comprehensive, long-term partnership. What began in a single location has expanded to multiple facilities across the region, each relying on the same trusted collaboration and standardized design approach.
Whenever the company acquires a new business or launches a new product line, they call Millwood first to review pallet and packaging designs. The relationship has never contracted—only grown. Today, Millwood is viewed as an extension of the customer’s packaging team, consulted before new projects move forward to ensure every specification aligns with production goals.
This collaboration now extends well beyond pallets. The customer relies on Millwood for:
- Load securement solutions, including stretch bands and airbags that protect products between processing and storage.
- Dunnage and custom blocking, engineered to stabilize roll stock and finished goods in transit.
- Lumber and recycled pallet programs, which provide flexibility and sustainability.
By bringing multiple product verticals together under one trusted partner, the customer has simplified procurement, reduced variability and ensured consistent performance across its growing network.
Sustainable Efficiency Through Simplicity
The partnership’s foundation – reuse, repair and right-fit design – also supports the customer’s sustainability goals. The first project began with recycled pallets, and that same resourceful approach continues today.
Rather than discarding old material, the team focuses on repairing viable pallets and reusing existing inventory, reducing waste and avoiding unnecessary new production. Simplifying SKUs and consolidating vendors also cuts down on transportation and administrative waste – small changes that collectively deliver meaningful environmental impact.
A Broader Lesson for Packaging Manufacturers
In manufacturing, clarity is often the first step toward efficiency. For this plastics packaging leader, the decision to organize, simplify and standardize their pallet program unlocked more than operational improvements: it created the foundation for lasting partnership and trust.
Over time, the company’s own packaging engineers came to view their Millwood representative as an essential part of the team. His decades of experience, practical insight and willingness to walk the floor with them have become a steady resource they rely on for every new product line and facility. Together, they have developed processes that remove guesswork, eliminate hidden costs and keep production moving smoothly from plant to plant.
That kind of relationship doesn’t happen by accident. It grows through consistency, follow-through and a shared commitment to doing what’s right for the operation.
This story reflects a principle Millwood strives to model with every customer:
When you work together with people who take the time to understand your challenges, collaborate on real solutions and build systems that last, long-term success follows, and unexpected opportunities open up as you journey together.
Reach out to Millwood to start journeying together today, in a strategic sourcing partnership committed to meeting your unique needs.
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
When a fast-food giant faced a packaging error that threatened its automated distribution center, Millwood’s Packaging Science Lab stepped in to redesign, test and validate new pallet configurations- saving 136,000 boxes of product and ensuring an on-time launch.
Millwood’s repair-and-return program restored 3,473 steel-reinforced pallets for a regional aerospace manufacturer, reducing waste, cutting costs by over $1 million, and securing a three-year sourcing partnership.
Millwood validated a new pallet system for a leading solar manufacturer, providing engineering-backed design verification and pre-cut lumber to ensure consistent production across multiple facilities, supporting 3 million board feet of lumber delivered monthly.
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