EPAL Euro pallet pool – The market has already decided

European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)

PRESS RELEASE

EPAL Euro pallet pool – The market has already decided

The end of the exchangeability agreement means the greatest possible safety for users

Düsseldorf, 13th March 2017 – Due to the recommended action of the European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) to stop the exchange of EPAL Euro pallets with UIC/EUR pallets from 01/05/2017 (press release dated 01/03/2017), the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) and the association ARGE Palettenpool are trying to paint a bleak scenario for the future of pallet exchanging. In this respect, critical reactions to EPAL’s recommended action have so far only come from Austria. In practice, a large share of the market has already made its decision in the last two years: Roughly 90% of the Euro pallets used in the highest turnover markets are “EPAL in oval”. In many companies, UIC/EUR pallets have for a long time been separately sorted, precisely because their quality is often not up to standard. It’s for this reason that users from around the world in the fields of industry, retail and services support EPAL’s recommended action.

Martin Leibrandt, CEO of EPAL, comments that “WKÖ’s sabre-rattling, even though they presented themselves as neutral mediators, is in my opinion, out of proportion. WKÖ’s arguments are unsubstantiated and only serve to unsettle the market and spread panic.”

Quality and safety need structure and reliability

In contrast to the arguments given by the spokesperson of ÖBB, the parent company of Rail Cargo Austria (RCA), licensor of the UIC/EUR brand, the UIC has not been successful in taking measures to protect the UIC/EUR trademark. The UIC has delegated quality assurance to various railways, which in turn have outsourced it to private companies. No consistent structure for quality assurance or any systematic prosecutions of trademark infringements exist.

As an association, EPAL is not profit-making, but rather makes all its decisions in the interests of its industry, retail and logistics partners

The unannounced quality inspections of EPAL licensees are carried out globally by the renowned inspection company, Bureau Veritas, in accordance with consistent guidelines. All processes are open and transparent. Furthermore, a price increase due to the recommended action, as forecast by ARGE Palettenpool, is not accurate. The prices of Euro pallets are dependent on many factors and are regulated first and foremost by the raw material prices, and by the supply and demand of active competition.

The EPAL team in Düsseldorf and the National Committees are available to answer all your questions about the EPAL pallet pool. You can find answers to the most important questions on exchangeability on the EPAL website: www.epal-pallets.org/eu-en/news/news/details/article/the-most-important-questions-on-exchangeability/