19fbtechreview.comDEC 2019 - JAN 2020significant necessities to ensure product freshness and food safety. The coating is embedded with antimicrobial and antifungal features to kill any bacteria or fungus within 24 hours. A one-of-its-kind pallet in the market, Lightning pallet holds a national sanitation foundation (NSF) certificate, which tests and certifies products to verify they meet public health and safety standards.Bringing Variance in the MarketWhat differentiates Lightning from its competitors in the marketplace is its focus on an in-house integration of every part of the offering. The company has taken a centralized approach to the engineering and purchasing of the plywood, the whole assembly, CNC router, polyurethane spraying, as well as software and hardware development. Lightning pallets' lightweight is due to the plywood core. In addition, Lightning follows verified carbon standard to help its clients reduce carbon footprints. As these pallets are 30 pounds lighter compared to existing pallets in the market, they can generate carbon credits for the pooling vendors and retailers. When vendors achieve a full carbon offset on their sustainability reports, they can fine-tune their operations to achieve higher efficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously. Jeffrey OwenThe real beauty of Lightning pallets is the data gathered through the smart sensor called lightning intelligent module (LIM), which transmits a signal to multiple wireless Bluetooth networks to help clients track the location of every single pallet. Team Lightning puts up a series of network gateways in the buildings of their clients. The sensors gather real-time data from the pallets and store it on a cloud. "LIM also provides clients with metrics such as temperature, humidity, stock, and vibration data of the food products in the pallets as they move through the supply chain," says Owen. Lightning provides clients with a dashboard to deliver these real-time metrics seamlessly on their devices, from tablets to PCs. Lightning also offers an effective API for easy integration with the clients' existing systems and business intelligence to assess the parameters of the trucking firms and the food handlers. Effective Pallet Delivery ProcessLightning offers the pallet as a complete assembled solution with the coating, wood, sensor, and carbon savings. "We lease the pallet just as the previous wooden design, the only exception being that our clients get a much higher value in terms of services as we have a much longer life on our new product," highlights Owen. Lightning's client onboarding process begins with the distribution of the pallets to the pooling vendors via trucks. The vendors then bring the pallets into their incoming inspection area, where they keep all of the packaging materials. The pallets are also taken through a processing area, where the food products are packaged and shifted to the pallets. The pallets are then moved to the cold storage area, where they are prepared for shipment.The Promise of a Better FutureLightning stays focused on enhancing its existing hybrid pallets by adding more features and functionalities. The company aims to continue flourishing in this niche area on a global scale. The blueprint of its second plant in the US is getting ready, and the future looks exciting for Lightning.
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