According to the European Pallet Association e. V. (EPAL), since the market launch in January 2024 four million EPAL Euro pallets with a QR code have been produced. According to the company, this variant is currently establishing itself in the market and is being manufactured by a growing number of licensed producers
Four million QR pallets in the EPAL pool
According to EPAL, more and more licensees are choosing to produce Euro pallets with a QR code. According to the company, the growing awareness and acceptance of the system is reflected both in strong production growth and in increasing availability and demand along the entire supply chain. The QR-coded Euro pallets are, according to the association, fully compatible with the existing open EPAL pool and can be used and exchanged like classic EPAL Euro pallets.
Individual
labeling for traceability and lifecycle
Each EPAL Euro pallet with QR equipment carries, according to EPAL, an individual QR code and a serial number. This labeling is intended to enable tracking of the pallet's location and of the goods on it in the supply chain and to document the entire lifecycle of the pallet. The codes can, according to the company, be scanned both automatically and manually, without the need for additional labels or separate labeling systems.
EPAL emphasizes that the serial number can store information about usage and the entire lifecycle of the pallet, among other things. Michael Brandt, Head of Logistics and Innovation at EPAL, is quoted in the press release with the statement that the EPAL Euro pallet with QR code transfers the idea of open pallet exchange into the digital age while
also building on the existing characteristics of the EPAL pallet.
Michael Brandt, Head of Logistics & Innovation: “With the EPAL Euro pallet QR we bring the idea of open pallet exchange into the digital age and at the same time preserve the many proven properties of the EPAL Euro pallet, from the raw material wood and international standardization to high quality, reliability and durability. The speed at which the EPAL Euro pallet QR is establishing itself in the market shows the expectations of industry and trade for more transparency, efficiency and digital networking in pallet logistics.”
Digital tools for data along the supply chain
The organization also points to additional digital tools. According to EPAL, the data of the pallet with QR code can be used in connection with a Digital Pallet Passport and the EPAL
Pallet App. Users can, according to the company, access information such as production site, repair history and sustainability data by scanning.
EPAL regards the milestone of four million produced Euro pallets with QR code as an intermediate step on the path to the digitization of the EPAL pallet pool. In the release it states that the EPAL Euro pallet with QR code has established itself as the new standard for digital processes in the EPAL pallet pool.
Serialization of further pallet types planned
Parallel to the QR-code Euro pallet, EPAL has, according to its own statements, begun to equip additional pallet types with individual QR codes. This includes, according to the release, among others EPAL industrial pallets and EPAL CP pallets. The aim is to serialize these pallet types as well and to integrate them into
