At a total of 4 production sites in Germany and the Netherlands it produces well in excess of 1 million m3 of blocks annually.
PARTICLE BOARD BLOCKS AND PACKAGING TIMBER TESTED
How EUROBLOCK turns its products into market leaders
Quality is no matter of chance. Instead, it's the result of an interplay between materials, manufacturing competence, quality assurance and customer orientation that make up the excellent reputation of EUROBLOCK products. But what characterises good components for wooden pallets and how are their high quality standards secured?
Splintered or broken panels. Blocks are missing, twisted or split so badly that the nails are showing. All those are reasons for a pallet to no longer be exchangeable at the European Pallet Pool. However, flawed pallets are not just a safety risk – they also cause economic damage.
Our customers are pallet manufacturers that expect to receive dimensionally stable, long-lasting blocks and suitable packaging timber to turn them into sturdy pallets. Together with Presswood International B.V. the Pfeifer Group established the EUROBLOCK distribution company in 1998 and both produce EUROBLOCK pallet blocks that are marketed via EUROBLOCK. No effort is spared by the company to meet the requirements for the products.
Particle board blocks score points with quality and quantity
EUROBLOCK pallet blocks made by the Pfeifer Group are based on natural softwood shavings. Presswood International B.V. also uses recycled wood shavings. Both materials are dried, glued and pressed at high pressure and temperature. This yields a high-quality homogeneous wood material that can be further processed into various sizes and is suitable for export as an IPPC non-timber product.
With its wide range of sizes as well as light and dark blocks EUROBLOCK helps the dynamic pallet industry respond quickly to the market’s requirements.
Putting its performance into numbers: At a total of 4 production sites in Germany and the Netherlands it produces well in excess of 1 million m3 of blocks annually. However, quantity alone is not enough to score points in tough daily logistics activities. Whether a block will withstand loads in the long term depends on criteria such as dimensional stability, density, nail pull-out resistance, swelling properties and friction. All those are features that can be positively influenced during the production process.
© Pfeifer Holding GmbH – Uwe Mühlhäuser
Trial and innovation:
EUROBLOCK improves its products
In Lauterbach, the Pfeifer Group runs a test facility used for regular planned product tests. In order to specifically evaluate test series for the further development of the product, there are laboratories at the various locations. Here, the blocks are tested with regard to quality properties such as nail pull-out, transverse pull and swelling. In-house tests offer the advantage of being able to evaluate tests promptly.
The testing systems comply with the relevant guidelines (UIC/EPAL/CHEP) and are regularly maintained and calibrated. The tests regarding the qualitative properties of the pallet blocks are carried out, documented and evaluated by trained personnel at all locations.
Internal and external production reviews
Throughout the entire production process, the employees pursue the goal of selling only blocks of standardised quality. All processes are subject to strict specifications and are constantly monitored and controlled. For online monitoring, control units are attached to each press so that these parameters are continuously recorded.
The laboratories of the Pfeifer Group and Presswood International B.V. ensure follow-up production reviews at all block production sites. In addition to the online monitoring of block production, they also check their dimensional stability, among others. The respective production management is responsible for quality and regularly checks whether quality is monitored and met. The particle blocks meet the specifications of all pooling systems (EPAL/CHEP) and are regularly sent to accredited testing institutions for external quality inspection.
Packaging timber combines high-tech with know-how
The second important aspect of a wooden pallet is sawn timber – a product that EUROBLOCK sells in many sizes and cuts for all common pallets as well as custom variants. A major advantage for customers: At EUROBLOCK, they can purchase blocks and packaging timber from a single source and thus optimise their purchase management. The raw material for the packaging timber is round timber that is cut in the German sawmills of the Pfeifer Group and then divided into different quality classes according to its qualitative appearance. State-of-the-art equipment allows for order-related as well as yield-optimised cutting planning. Timber defects are precisely detected and evaluated in the sawn timber sorting process.
Customer orientation: Mutual exchange leads to success
Apart from offering premium products, EUROBLOCK is highly service oriented and has been listening closely to the demands of the European pallet industry for more than 20 years. All customers have their own direct contact persons within the company, but can also opt to contact us any time via the website or our B2B service portal.
Experience with the product and feedback are actively obtained and showcased in success stories. After all, our distribution company not only sees itself as a supplier, but also as a partner, companion and initiator for the industry. As such, EUROBLOCK stages its EUROBLOCK-Forum – an important industry meeting – every three years, takes part in trade shows and is actively involved in associations. Together with its customers, EUROBLOCK also engages in talks with end customers, promotes standardisation, certification and product development, for instance the intelligent EPAL pallet iPAL.