Practices
Pallet pools have been implemented as a way to overcome traditional problems of disposal and exchange. High-quality pallets are expensive and are difficult to retrieve once they leave the owner’s control. When transfer to an external organization occurs, warehouses routinely exchange poor quality pallets and keep the higher quality ones.

Pros
A pallet pool eliminates the setups between jobs and creates a queue of jobs to feed the machine and keep the spindle cutting.

Another advantage of a pallet pool is a reduced number of parts made for inventory.

Transporter’s benefits:
· Improved vehicle utilization
· Ends pallet exchange disputes
· Faster turnaround times

Manufacturer’s benefits:
· Consistent high quality pallets and containers
· Reduced pallet expense
· Reduced transportation costs
· Reduced product damage

Distributor’s benefits:
· Faster load/unloading
· Reduced product damage
· Reduced pallet expense
· Reduced disposal expenses
· Improved safety


Features
Pallet pools consist of several components. These include:
* A device to move pallets inside the system. This can be a chain-type carrier that moves all the pallets around the system at the same time like a small train. Or, it can be a device that rotates and extends to reach any pallet on a random or sequential basis. Another example is a rail-guided vehicle moving up and down the row of pallets, picking a new pallet or delivering a finished pallet.
* Some form of storage to hold the pallet in a known location. Without the ability to identify the location of a pallet, the transporter isn't able to pick up pallets or place them reliably.
* At least one station where an operator can load unfinished parts and remove finished parts.
* A cell controller that manages the movement of a pallet to and from machines, initiates the machining sequence for the parts on the pallet, and keeps records of pallet pool activity.

Durability
Probing cycles are relatively short