In the world of warehousing, many things have changed since the Great Depression. Electronic tracking and GPS systems are standard parts of the giant warehouses run by companies like Amazon and Walmart. But one thing hasn’t changed – the merchandise is still being stacked on wooden pallets. As Matt Richmond reports, that’s largely because of two 75-year-old inventions from a company based in Greene, New York.
On November 7, 1939, George G. Raymond received patents number 2 million 1hundred seventy eight thousand six hundred forty seven and forty eight. The patents were titled: ‘lift truck’ and ‘pallet’.
Or, in engineering speak:
“Two-faced pallets are used in connection with power-forked-tiering trucks. These power-forked-tiering trucks, we call them fork lifts today, not only transport the load but tier one load on top of the other. The bottom face of the pallet serves as a base for resting upon the load beneath.”
