Summary of our market study

The pallet market was worth 842 million euros in sales in 2019. In France, over 50 million of all types are manufactured every year.

The global pallet market has been growing, particularly favoring plastic pallets due to their recyclability and operational advantages. It is estimated to reach $60.3 billion by 2022.

In the United States in 2018, only between 10% and 22% of respondents prioritized pallet recyclability and end-of-life management.

In 2020 and beyond, the plastic pallet market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 8% to 2022, as industries such as grocery, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals and e-commerce drive demand.

France is a key player in Europe, with significant activities in pallet manufacturing and refurbishment, closely linked to the health of the transport market. The market was worth 824 million in 2019, with 128.5 million pallets

Major global players such as Brambles Ltd. and Rehrig Pacific Company dominate the competitive landscape.

Demand for pallets is evolving, with a focus on eco-design and recyclability.

evolution and ecological awareness in pallet demand in France

While pallets continue to be appreciated for their versatility, affordability and ease of replacement, customers have begun to prioritize environmental concerns. They are increasingly demanding guarantees on the sustainable development practices involved in pallet production, particularly with regard to timber sources and product recyclability.

Emphasis is also being placed on improving pallet recovery logistics systems. The aim is to increase pallet reuse rates.

The degree of adoption of this ecological approach seems to vary from region to region, and often the urgency of ecological considerations is overshadowed by traditional economic concerns of price, availability and durability.

Market players

  • Brambles Ltd: one of the major players in the international pallet market
  • PGS Group: a French giant in the sector
  • Rehrig Pacific Company: state-of-the-art handling solutions.
  • Schoeller Allibert: reusable transport packaging solutions
  • LOSCAM: strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region
  • CABKA Group: versatility and environmental management

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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1. Pallet market overview

Pallets are horizontal platforms that support goods and help transport them with a front-end loader or forklift (used in materials handling and warehouse management) from one place to another. They are one of the most commonly used bases forstacking goods. They can be made from a variety of materials depending on the application, such as wood, plastic, metal, etc.

Today, the pallet is the keystone of product and goods handling and storage systems the world over. The global pallet market has been growing steadily in recent years, and is expected to register a CAGR of 4. 8% over the 2023-2028 forecast period. This global market is made up of powerful players, but also a number of smaller players who help secure local markets[Technavio].

The French market is one of the most dynamic in Europe, as France is one of the leading producers. The market is primarily driven by pallet manufacturing , to which are added, in particular, reconditioning and industrialpackaging .

One of the market's particular features is its close link with the healthy transport and agri-food markets, since in France, the vast majority of volumes transported by road are on pallets.

While volume and price strategies used to dominate the market, players are gradually turning to research and development to offer innovative solutions such as ecological and digital solutions, as well as the use of RFID/NFC chips to better optimize pallet transport.

1.2. a favourable trend in the worldwide pallet market

Market size and key figures

In terms of value, the global pallet market, which was valued at $**.* billion in ****, is expected to reach $** billion by ****, posting a CAGR of *. *% over the period ****-****. This global market growth is driven by increasing urbanization, industrialization and the volume of goods traded worldwide. In ...

1.3. The French market

The last known sales figure for the pallet market was *** million euros in sales in ****. That year, ***.* million pallets were sold[***]:

** million new pallets, **% of which were produced in France, **.* million reconditioned pallets collected in France, **.* million of which were resold.

EUR or EPAL pallets are a type of pallet ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1. A market dependent on freight traffic

The main driver of pallet manufacturers' business in France is goods traffic, particularly road haulage. In France, **% of transported volumes are carried on pallets. This is why variations in the volume of goods transported by truck can have a significant effect on demand, and therefore on sales generated by the French ...

2.2 Target companies

Pallets can be used to transport all kinds of goods, but are particularly widespread in thefood industry, theautomotive and maritime industries, because of their ability to support heavy loads, and in large logistics companies, and increasingly in thechemical and pharmaceutical industries.

It's important to understand which companies are present in France, ...

2.3 E-commerce benefits the pallet market

The development of e-commerce has accelerated since the covid** crisis, with online purchases and deliveries exploding in response to health measures. According to Kantar, *.* million new consumers shopped online. In the first half of ****, online purchasing grew by +**% compared to the first half of ****. In the food segment, this growth amounted ...

3 Market structure

3.1. A drop in French production

Wood packaging manufacturing

We can consider the data provided by INSEE for companies registered under NAF code **.**Z, entitled "manufacture of wooden packaging". The scope of activity covered by this NAF code is broader than the scope of this study, but it is nonetheless worth considering these data, as they indicate ...

3.2. Pallet production

Pallet origins

The sawn timber used to make wooden pallets can come from softwood species (***). In France in ****, almost **% of the species used will come from softwoods, compared with just *% from hardwoods. Since ****, the share of softwoods has risen by * percentage points.

Tree species used for pallet production France, ****/****, in % Source: ...

3.3. marketing and distribution

Local marketing

The wood pallet market is relatively local.localin the sense that **% of new pallets and **% of reconditioned pallets are sold less than *** km from their production site.

In the majority of cases, pallets are solddirectly between the manufacturer and the end customer,without any intermediaries, even thoughsome resellers and ...

4 Offer analysis

4.1. product ranges

Today, there are three main types of wooden pallet, plus pallet boxes (***):

Two-way pallets: These are herringbone pallets that allow handling forks to pass only on two opposite sides of the pallet. Four-way pallets: These are diced pallets, allowing forks to pass through on all four sides of the pallet. Backsplash ...

4.2. production costs

The production cost of wooden pallets depends on the same indicators as the production cost of other wooden packaging. The cost of wood, the main material used in pallets(***), represents **% of the cost of manufacturing a pallet.

There has also been an increase in the price of pallet production in France. ...

4.3. Pricing structure

Wooden pallets sell in France for between €** and €** each, depending on quality, brand and size. Cardboard pallets vary in price from €* to €**. Prices for plastic pallets are much more variable, ranging from €** to €***. Metal pallets are more upmarket, selling for between €*** and €*** . The table below summarizes prices according to production ...

4.4. A mature market for innovation

Over the past ** years, players in the French pallet industry have mainly competed on the basis of volume/price strategies, as the market is highly price-sensitive. As a result of this price competition, players have tended to neglect R&D expenditure, and have consequently failed to develop innovative solutions. This phenomenon ...

4.5 Pallet rental

Pallet rental can be a cost-effective choice for many companies. Starting at the manufacturer or distribution center, rented pallets move in one direction along the supply chain. Palletized loads are delivered to the end-user, and pallets are collected by rental companies when they are no longer needed. It's a closed-loop management ...

5 Regulations

5.1 Regulatory aspects

Pallets are subject to strict sanitary constraints, as they come into contact with products that may be destined for food consumption. The treatment of wooden pallets is therefore regulated to guarantee zero risk of contamination of goods. ISPM** treatment, a chemical-free heat treatment, meets national and European phytosanitary requirements[***].

For pallets ...

6 Positioning the players

6.1. Player segmentation

  • Palette Gestion Services (PGS Groupe)
  • Epalia
  • Euro Pool Group (La Palette rouge)
  • Josso
  • Rotom
  • Montbrisonnaise des bois Loire Palettes (Gallien)
  • Palettes Artois Services
  • Destampes Emballages
  • Livra Bois (Gallien)
  • Barbarie Groupe
  • Scierie et Palettes Blanc (PGS Groupe)
  • Celle Etablissements
  • Francepal (Archimbaud Groupe)
  • Burban Palettes
  • CHEP (groupe Bramble)
  • Faber Halbertsma group- IPP France
  • Soflog Telis (CGA Supply Packing)
  • Enviris

List of charts presented in this market study

  • The pallet market
  • Pallet market breakdown by material
  • Pallet production trends
  • Development of inland freight transport
  • Establishments registered under code 16.24Z
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Latest news

France's leading pallet manufacturer acquires competitor Hoekman Houtindustrie - 20/01/2024
  • PGS, a French group specializing in wooden pallets, recently acquired the Dutch company Hoekman Houtindustrie.
  • Hoekman Houtindustrie achieved sales of €14.7 million in 2022.
  • Hoekman Houtindustrie employs 34 people.
  • PGS now has two sites in the Netherlands, one in the south near the Belgian border and the other in the northeast.
  • PGS claims to be the European leader in new and reconditioned wooden pallets.
  • PGS has forecast sales of 482 million euros for 2022.
  • PGS currently employs 900 people. PGS is present on 50 sites.
PGS strengthens its vertical integration - 10/01/2024
  • PGS, founded in 1993, is Europe's leading provider of reverse logistics services and new and reconditioned pallets.
  • The company has 50 sites in 10 countries.
  • It employs 900 people. PGS achieved sales of 482 million euros in 2022.
  • The company acquired a 50% stake in Ide Group, a Belgian sawmill.
  • Ide Group, founded in 1984, is based in Zulte, Belgium.
  • The company employs 65 people.
  • Ide Group has sales of 28 million euros.
Wood: Enviris expands to custom pallets - 21/11/2023
  • The Enviris group, based in Villeneuve-lès-Bouloc (Haute-Garonne), has just acquired Société toulousaine de palettes de manutention (STPM)
  • This 34-employee SME manufactures customized pallets for transporting seeds, glass, woodwork and aircraft parts
  • STPM, based in Capens (Haute-Garonne), achieved sales of 7.2 million euros in 2022
  • The group employs 450 people and has multiplied acquisitions, raising its sales from 33 million euros in 2018 to 78 million in September 2023.
  • In 2021, the group acquired the Mourlan sawmill in Lavazan (Gironde), which cuts maritime pines in forests to manufacture standard pallets and packaging crates.
  • Purchase in 2023 of MG Granulés, a pellet manufacturer with 10 employees in the Yonne region, which transforms pallet residues into firewood pellets.
  • Opening of a repair unit in Valencia, Spain, to supply a pallet rental company in the agri-food sector.
  • Enviris, France's fourth-largest pallet manufacturer, handles all aspects of the sector. It sorts 22 million pallets a year, repairs 6 million (a pallet is repaired five times on average) and manufactures 2 million new pallets at sixteen sites in France and one in Spain.
  • Manufacturing accounts for 40% of sales, repairs for rental companies and end-users for 30%, the purchase and resale of used pallets for 23%, and wood pellets for 7%.
  • The group has launched a tree-planting business with the Mourlan sawmill
  • Objective: to double sales in five years by acquiring companies in a French market split between 400 reconditioners and 200 pallet manufacturers.
PGS: Jean-Louis Louvel is Entrepreneur of the Year - 21/10/2023
  • Year PGS was founded: 1993
  • PGS position: European leader in new and reconditioned pallets
  • Number of PGS employees: 900
  • PGS annual production: 25 million new pallets
  • PGS annual pallet repairs: 20 million
  • PGS sales in 2022: 482 million euros
  • Number of PGS sites: 40
  • PGS is present in 9 countries.
Enviris acquires STPM and strengthens its presence in the pallet industry - 12/10/2023
  • Christophe Bénéton took over the group in 2018
  • Toulouse-based Enviris believes it is the only company on the market to be present in all areas of the wood pallet life cycle.
  • The group is aiming for sales of 66 million euros in 2022, with a forecast of 78 million euros for 2023
  • The group, which employs 450 people, produces 2 million pallets a year and repairs 6 million.
  • Sorting, storage and reconditioning services on behalf of major rental companies This activity accounts for around a third of revenues, with a total of 22 million pallets sorted per year, including 19 million for rental companies and 3 million for the trade
  • Acquisition of Société toulousaine de palettes de manutention (STPM), a specialist in made-to-measure pallets, also active in wooden crates, trestles and desks.
  • Based in Capens, Haute-Garonne, STPM employs 34 people, and has sales of 7.2 million euros in 2022
  • Takeover of Mourlan sawmill, in 2021
  • Takeover of pellet producer MG granulés, early 2023.
  • Pallet production accounts for 50% of business
  • Wood accounts for 80% of the cost price of a pallet, and has risen steadily since the pandemic.
  • Enviris has seventeen pallet production and reconditioning sites in France, including one in Spain.
  • Most of its supplies come from its sawmill, which produces some 50,000 m³ of wood a year.
  • The group produces 12,000 tonnes of wood pellets a year.
  • Enviris aims to double in size within five years, mainly through external growth.
Emissions from single-use pallets: IPP survey - 05/06/2023
  • IPP is a Faber Group subsidiary specializing in the rental and management of pallets and box pallets.
  • IPP's network comprises 61 service centers and tens of thousands of collection points across Europe.
  • IPP collects, sorts, repairs and manages over 60 million pallets a year.

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Palette Gestion Services (PGS Groupe)
Epalia
Euro Pool Group (La Palette rouge)
Josso
Rotom
Montbrisonnaise des bois Loire Palettes (Gallien)
Palettes Artois Services
Destampes Emballages
Livra Bois (Gallien)
Barbarie Groupe
Scierie et Palettes Blanc (PGS Groupe)
Celle Etablissements

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