Pallet handling is often overlooked in manufacturing, until it becomes a bottleneck. Supplier pallet variations, internal handling rules, and operational constraints can make moving materials between pallets repetitive, labour-intensive, and slow, increasing both risk and cost.
As manufacturers seek practical ways to improve efficiency, engineered pallet handling solutions are gaining traction across industries.
The Hidden Cost of Manual Processes
Manual pallet transfers using forklifts, vacuum lifting, or restacking are still common. In operations handling 20–50 pallets per day or more, this can lead to:
- High labour demand
- Slower processing times
- Operator fatigue
- Increased risk of injury
These challenges are universal, seen wherever products need to be moved, reconfigured, or transferred between pallets.
Solutions That Improve Productivity
East West Engineering offers a range of pallet handling equipment to address these inefficiencies. The TPQ20 Pallet Inverter clamps and rotates fully loaded pallets, transferring goods onto a new pallet quickly and safely, eliminating manual restacking.
For operations requiring pallet exchange without full rotation, the TPQ15B Pallet changer is the ideal solution. It’s backward tilt system ensures products remain upright and stable during pallet change and floor-flush loading enables easy access with pallet trucks.
Other solutions to safely move, position, load and unload pallets include:
- Multi pallet handlers – allow forklifts to handle multiple pallets at once, increasing movement efficiency and reducing travel time
- Telescopic forks – extend and retract to access double-deep loads or reach into racking and trucks safely during loading/unloading
- Fork positioners – adjust fork spacing hydraulically to suit different pallet sizes without leaving the forklift
- Sideshifts – provide lateral fork movement for precise load positioning and reduced forklift manoeuving
- Push pulls – handle slipsheeted loads without pallets, reducing pallet costs and improving storage density
- Pallet cage – secure loose or irregular items for safe transport and storage on standard pallets
- Pallet hooks – simple crane lifting solution for occasional lifting tasks or handling non-standard and irregular pallet loads
- Pallet lifter – safely lifts palletised loads by overhead crane where greater load stability and level lifting are required.
Selecting the right combination of equipment can significantly streamline material movement.
Proven Across Industries
“We’re seeing strong demand for pallet handling solutions across industries, highlighting how common these challenges are,” says Craig Gilmour, General Manager at East West Engineering.
A recent installation involved a customer receiving raw ingredients on CHEP timber and Euro pallets. With timber pallets prohibited due to hygiene and contamination risk, ingredients must be transferred onto plastic pallets before entering production. The TPQ Pallet Inverter now handles this efficiently, reducing manual work, improving safety, and creating a repeatable process without major changes to existing plant layouts.
A Practical Step Toward Smarter Operations
Even small improvements in pallet handling can unlock measurable gains in productivity, safety, and workflow reliability. For manufacturers facing repetitive handling challenges, investing in engineered solutions is a practical, high-impact step toward smarter operations.
For guidance on the right solution for your facility, speak with the material handling specialists at East West Engineering.
Call 1800 061 998 or email [email protected]