Background
Perry Pallet is a custom pallet manufacturer based in Washington. Founded by Max Perry in 1994, it maintains a staff of just under 50 employees and produces both new and recycled pallets for sale in the wholesale and retail pallet industry. During production, Perry Pallet uses grinders and wood waste recycling equipment to turn their waste into useful mulch products.
In 2008, Perry Pallet established a relationship with Rotochopper when Geoff Broersma, Perry Pallet’s general manager, met Nick Korn, Rotochopper’s West Coast Sales Manager. By partnering with Rotochopper, Perry Pallet was able to optimize their existing mulch production setup and meet the increasing demand for pallets and mulch in the following decade.
Challenge
Due to issues with the international pallet supply chain, demand for pallets increased steadily throughout the 2010s. In response, Perry Pallet upped production of both pallets and mulch, but they found their existing wood waste recycling equipment was not enough to keep up with incoming pallet waste.
Ideally, Perry Pallet was seeking a versatile, industrial, horizontal grinder capable of producing high-quality colored mulch products without sacrificing efficiency, size consistency, and end product quality.
Solution
In 2017, Perry Pallet reached out to partner with Rotochopper and purchased an MC-266 diesel grinder. The MC-266 can grind large amounts of feedstock while simultaneously coloring it using Rotochopper’s patented colorizer system, which allows operators to easily produce high-quality colored mulch without the need for treatment after grinding.
In addition to the MC-266’s efficiency, Perry Pallet owners were drawn to Rotochopper’s screen change system. With the ability to switch screens in 15 minutes or less, they saw an opportunity to minimize downtime and maximize profitability. This increased versatility also meant Perry Pallet could produce mulch at different sizes for different applications, as industry demand dictated.
The MC-266 features a wheeled design, increasing the grinder’s versatility and portability, so Perry Pallet can even use its grinder off-site for custom grinding jobs.
Results
Since choosing Rotochopper for their horizontal grinding needs, Perry Pallet has been extraordinarily satisfied with the products, maintenance, and service Rotochopper offers. The MC-266 grinder has increased the amount of wood waste Perry Pallet can manage—so much so that their team has even begun expanding their custom grinding jobs to include more types of wood waste, including wood from sawmills and scrap trim wood.
When they first purchased the MC-266, very few Perry Pallet operators knew exactly how the machine worked, however, as part of Rotochopper’s factory-direct approach, a trained service team member was sent to train them on proper safety and operation.
Perry Pallet was so impressed with our instruction that they sent several of their operators to Rotochopper University, Rotochopper’s proprietary industrial grinder training program.
“Rotochopper has been great about training us even after the purchase. They have stood behind the product. It was more than a sale, I look at it as a long-term relationship.” –Geoff Broersma
To this day, Rotochopper continues to support Perry Pallet by providing regular preventative maintenance, spare parts, and overall grinder expertise. “Rotochopper has perfected the ‘Perfect in One Pass’ idea,” says general manager and owner Geoff Broersma. “The fact that we can go from pallets to colored mulch in one shot…we do it all the time.”