BRAPS Forum 2024 and China Pallet International Conference in Ningbo on 27-28 November 2024

BRAPS Forum 2024 and China Pallet International Conference in Ningbo on 27-28 November 2024

 

EPAL has been present in China for many years and has seen steady growth in the number of licensees and the number of EPAL pallets produced in China. On the occasion of the BRAPS Forum 2024 and participation in the China Pallet International Conference, Pascal Holliger, President of EPAL Suisse, and Bernd Dörre, CEO of EPAL, were able to see for themselves the good development of EPAL in China.

EPAL, together with the Chinese association China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP), organised the BRAPS Forum on 27 Nov 2024 in Ningbo (China). EPAL and the CFLP Pallet Professional Committee have been working together on the Belt and Road Action of Pallet Sharing (BRAPS) project for several years and have been organising the BRAPS Forum, an annual conference for the pallet industry, since 2022. The BRAPS Forum 2024 focused on the topics of sustainability and digitalization of pallet logistics.

The EPAL Innovation Lab reported on the advantages of EPAL pallets with QR code. This is attracting great interest in Chinese logistics, as the digitization of all areas of economic and private life is accelerating at an enormous pace. The first EPAL licencees in China are already starting production of the new EPAL Euro pallet QR. There is therefore also great interest in the new EPAL Pallet App, which will make it easier for many users to exchange EPAL pallets from 2025 onwards, and which EPAL presented to the public for the first time at the BRAPS Forum.

Pascal Holliger, President of EPAL Suisse and Member of the EPAL Board:

“ As part of the BRAPS Forum and the China Pallet International Conference, many suppliers of plastic pallets presented their digitalisation projects alongside EPAL. This shows how important it is that EPAL also develops digital solutions for the wood packaging industry and in particular for the wooden pallet industry by digitising EPAL pallets and working closely with IT service providers.”

The China Pallet International Conference on 28 Nov 2024 was attended by around 400 representatives of the pallet industry from China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and numerous other Asian countries. The Asian pallet industry is very interested in the regulations and effects of European legislation for the use and exchange of pallets (PPWR and EUDR). This topic, which has dominated discussions in Europe for months, is also being watched very closely in China and Asia in order to avoid disadvantages for the export of goods on pallets. In his lecture at the China Pallet International Conference, Bernd Dörre presented the regulations of the EUDR and the PPWR and answered the numerous questions on this topic in discussions and conversations.

Bernd Dörre, CEO of EPAL:

“EUDR and PPWR are associated with many challenges for almost all companies in industry, trade and logistics. This applies not only to Europe, but to companies from all over the world, as many provisions of EU regulations must be observed when importing goods on pallets into the EU and also when importing wood and other products. In addition, the requirements of European importers will change so that they can meet their legal obligations regarding the sustainability of products and the reuse of pallet packaging in Europe. The use of exchangeable EPAL pallets is therefore attracting growing interest not only in Asia but also in North and Central America.”

As part of the BRAPS Forum 2024 and the China Pallet International Conference, EPAL gathered the Chinese licensees in Ningbo on 27 Nov 2024.

EPAL's representative in China, An Xiaowei, presented EPAL's activities in China in 2023 and 2024. After the Corona years also led to a slowdown in growth in Asia and China, EPAL recorded significant growth in China in 2024. An Xiaowei expects a production of more than 1 million EPAL Euro pallets in China in 2024. At the EPAL Licensees Conference, many of them were honoured for their special commitment to EPAL.

To Xiaowei, EPAL Representative in China:

“The interest of Chinese manufacturers of wooden pallets and wooden packaging in the production of EPAL pallets remains high. More and more companies from industry and trade are appreciating the standardised quality of EPAL pallets – not only for the export of goods, but also for use in highly automated intralogistics processes. This is why the marking of EPAL pallets with QR codes is also attracting enormous interest in China.”

Before and after the conferences in Ningbo, Pascal Holliger and Bernd Dörre, together with An Xiaowei, visited the factories of various EPAL licensees in China and convinced themselves of the excellent quality of the EPAL pallets produced there. The repair of used EPAL pallets also meets all quality requirements, so that the exchange and reuse of EPAL pallets is also guaranteed in China.

The BRAPS Forum 2025 will take place in Germany. Date and place will be announced shortly.

The date and location of the China Pallet International Conference 2025 are also not yet known.

 

Addition from 17 Dec 2024

Shortly after the China Pallet International Conference 2024, the Chairman of the CFLP Pallet Professional Committee, Mr. Cai Jin, was elected President of the CFLP on 16 Dec 2024. EPAL congratulates Mr. Cai Jin on this appointment and wishes him good luck and success in his new job. The election of Cai Jin as President is also an award for the cooperation between the CFLP and EPAL that has been developed under his leadership to promote the use of standardised exchange pallets in the movement of goods between Asia and Europe.