A Better Alternative To Fumigation & Heat Treatment
The Latest Cost-Saving & Eco-Friendly Shipping Alternative
Which should you opt for, for your next export: a wooden crate that requires fumigation or a heat treated option? Is there another alternative in the market that will help you save fumigation and heat treatment cost? Before we get to it, let’s learn the differences between the common options.
What is Fumigation?
Wood Fumigation (source: 123rf.com)
Fumigation, as it commonly denotes, is a method of killing pests, termites, and harmful organisms in wooden crates to ensure that there is no transferring of exotic organisms across borders. The process involves suffocating the pest in the wooden crates using forty-eight grams per meter cube of methyl bromide. The gas is monitored during the exposure period, within special covers that enclose the packing crates, to ensure that the concentration is of the right amount. After twenty-four hours, the covers are removed and the wooden crates are aerated.
What is Heat Treatment?
Heat Treatment Machines For Wood
Unlike fumigation, heat treatment is a wood sterilization process where the wooden crates and shipping pallets are heated at 56°C—a minimum core temperature—for a minimum of thirty minutes. The process is done using a dry kiln or a heat treatment chamber, without the need of any chemicals which makes this process environmentally friendly.
Which is better?
Wood Pallets (source: 123rf.com)
The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPOs) conducted studies revealing that untreated wood packaging materials can harbour pests which may cause environmental harm when travelling across borders. Since it had to be stopped, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) developed regulations that all solid wood packaging materials are to be either heat treated or fumigated before importing into any of IPPC’s member countries. And, for a long time, these were the only two options available.
Both fumigation and heat treatment incur extra cost and time, with heat treatment being a little better as it is environmentally friendly. However, a new alternative has arrived and it doesn’t require fumigation or heat treatment—it is called the OSB pallet.
What is the OSB?
At Finopeous, we have developed the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) Pallet which is made from engineered wood free from fumigation. As the OSB is made of thin wood strands, bonded together with adhesives under high heat and pressure, it does not contain pests. Since it doesn’t contain pests upon production—adhering to IPPC’s regulation—the OSB pallet is able to meet urgent shipping demands. This means that it is great for industries that require immediate pallets, while still requiring a strong and durable pallet similar to plywood or wooden pallet.
Finopeous Oriented Strand Board
As manufacturers of cost-effective and eco-friendly shipping alternatives, we believe that our OSB alternative is the future of shipping. Not only does it lower the exportation cost and duration without sacrificing on durability, it protects our environment at the same time.
Interested to learn more about our Oriented Strand Board Pallet? We offer FREE samples! Get in touch with us now and we will have your ready-to-use samples delivered to you soon.