100093 - Wood Pallet Design and Performance

Overview

This will be a 2.5-day, in-person course and will inform attendees about the advanced principles of pallet design, how to conduct material handling audits, the basics of packaging and pallet design as well as material handling systems. They will learn about the interactions between material handling equipment, packaging, and pallets, as well as how to go about diagnosing and solving material handling problems.

While this course is designed to be delivered in-person, we will also be offering a virtual option for this course, with live participation, over the same 2.5-days. Webcams and virtual meeting softwares will be used to include all online attendees in live assignments and discussions. .
CPULD and NWPCA members contact Kate Bridgeman jasmit29@vt.edu for discount codes.

Location Information

Brooks Forest Products Center
Virginia Tech, MC 0503
1650 Research Center Drive 

See program website for suggested travel and lodging.  https://www.unitload.vt.edu/education/continuing-education/pallet-design-and-performance.html.

Agenda/Schedule

Speaker(s)/Instructor(s)

Dr. Laszlo Horvath - Associate Professor, Virginia Tech
Director, Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design
In 2010, Dr. Horvath received his Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials from NC State. He is one of the few packaging professionals who have received the "ISTA CPLP – Professional Level" certification. He is the chair of the ASTM D1185 working group, a U.S. delegate of TC 51, and a voting member of ANSI MH1 and MH 10 committees.

Dr. Brad Gething  - Vice President of Science and Technology
National Wood Pallet and Container Association
Brad Gething became a member of the NWPCA staff in July 2013, taking on the role of Technical and PDS Manager. Brads role includes participation in various standards bodies, promotion of research and development, and support on other technical issues related to the wood packaging industry. He also serves as a point of contact for PDS design support.

Kristen DeLack - Professional Engineer
National Wood Pallet and Container Association
Kristen DeLack is a 25-year veteran Structural Engineer who joined NWPCA in 2016.  She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Virginia.  Kristen graduated Summa Cum Laude from VA Tech with two Bachelor’s and one Master’s degrees, concentrating in multidisciplinary and structural engineering. Prior to joining NWPCA, Kristen worked in the offshore oil and gas industry as a structural engineer and engineering project manager.  During this time, she developed design and analysis software tools that helped engineers around the world efficiently design and build safe subsea structures.  She is widely recognized as an expert in finite element analysis, which serves as the backbone for calculations performed by PDS. In her spare time, Kristen is an avid woodworker and historic preservation enthusiast.