EPAL, the European Pallet Association e. V., has now sounded the starting signal for the first international EPAL ACADEMY within the framework of an opening ceremony. The objective of the unique pallet institution is to provide further training to the licence holders, users and suppliers in the form of a broad-based seminar and training programme covering the uniform high quality of EPAL Euro pallets, as well as their use on the open exchange pool. At the same time the academy will facilitate a cross-border experience exchange between the National Committees, of which there are currently 14. Furthermore, the event also witnessed the introduction of Euroblock Verpackungsholz GmbH as a premium partner of the EPAL ACADEMY. Academy manager Alexander Becker welcomed over 100 national and international guests from trade, industry and logistics. He elucidated that with the training centre in Düsseldorf, EPAL has created a point of contact for all users of Euro pallets, whilst there is also a desire to consolidate the expertise of the National Committees. “Our National Committees possess extraordinary specialist knowledge regarding wooden Euro pallets – ultimately it is the most widely used cargo carrier in the world”, underlined Robert Holliger, president of EPAL. Martin Leibrandt, CEO of EPAL, emphasised the advantages of the academy for the industry. “Changing employees, technical innovations and legal amendments regularly result in an increased demand for training. With us, new and long-serving employees alike can expand their knowledge base in a compact and practice-orientated manner”.
Within the framework of the academy opening ceremony, EPAL introduced Euroblock Verpackungsholz GmbH as its premium partner. The company from Swabian Unterbernbach boasts a production capacity of well over one billion pallet blocks per year. Furthermore, Euroblock – as a leading international company in this segment – supplies more than 500,000 cubic metres of sawn pallet timber per annum. “As a supplier, we know that the manufacturing quality and the right handling are decisive for a long service life of the pallets. With the new academy EPAL is underlining that highly qualified and well-trained users are extremely important to it”, sales manager Andreas Hager explained the cooperation in his speech.
The EPAL ACADEMY, with its diverse programme of conferences, further training and seminars, is aligned in particular towards users of EPAL Euro pallets from trade and industry. However, logistics experts and suppliers also benefit from the spectrum on offer. “With the academy we now have a knowledge centre, in which we can consolidate the international expertise of the EPAL National Committees”, said Alexander Becker. The training centre lies at the heart of the EPAL ACADEMY. The modular seminars are tailored to the individual needs of the users. For example, the one-day “basic EPAL Euro pallet training” provides participants with a greater understanding of the most important subjects relating to EPAL pallets – themes examined include questions of pallet use and pallet exchange. This encompasses material testing and sorting, as well as detecting hidden damage, the right use of materials and correct labelling. Further workshops and seminars examine areas such as RFID chips and further future technologies – not only in the training centre but also in-house on the premises of users or licence holders. “Our programme is highly practice-orientated. We wish to offer training participants real added value for their daily work. Here we are able to utilise the comprehensive know-how of our experts, who have been working with Euro pallets and the optimisation of logistical processes for many years”, Alexander Becker explained the concept, which has already enjoyed a positive response following the first practical training sessions.
