1. Pallets Move the World Sculpture on the campus of Virginia Tech The Center for Unit Load Design, a research center in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products in the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech, develops systems-based technologies to optimize materials handling efficiency. Understanding the interactions of packaging, pallets, and unit-load handling equipment is the first step toward increasing your competitiveness. The center's team includes experts in packaging, palletization, material handling, and unit load design, who serve on national and international industry committees, and frequently conduct presentations, seminars, and short courses.

2. Contract Testing Contract Testing Education Education Research Research Center Mission

3. The Packaging Science Program at Virginia Tech

4. Study in our option includes: Required Courses Principles of Packaging Paper and Paperboard Packaging Wood Pallet, Container, and Unit Load Design Packaging and Materials Handling Packaging Dynamics for Distribution Outside the Dept Courses Intro to Food Science (FST) Food Processing (FST) Materials and Processes (IDE)

5. RESEARCH With our graduate students, we have been able to expand our research efforts Compression Stress Interaction: examines interactions between corrugated packaging and pallets during warehouse stack storage Unit Load Stabilization Techniques: the effect of stretch wrap stretch hood, vertical stretch wrap, and strapping on unit load movement during transportation Corrugated Packaging: Improved Bliss Box Compression Equation Load Bridging: how the bridging effect influences box design Unit Load Coefficient of Friction: examines the frictional interface between corrugated packaging and pallets

6. Wax Replacement Alternatives in the Corrugated Industry Waxed boxes - 5% of the corrugated volume Mainly used in produce, meat, poultry Three main types Wax Impregnated Medium – meat, poultry Curtain Coated – one side only Cascaded – wax drains on both sides and through flutes Increases box weight by 35% Approximately 384,000 tons of paraffin wax

7. Wax Replacement Alternatives in the Corrugated Industry Waxed boxes are not recyclable Development repulpability test Published by AF&PA/FBA in 2005 New coatings to repel water but will repulp Several different companies now offer coatings Michelmann – Texcoat Spectra-Kot – WAM Many of the corrugated companies market under a brand name