Lightning Technologies
High-Tech Pallets for Seamless Shipping

In today’s business world, most organizations use pallets for seamless shipment of products. But the loss of any pallet may lead to various challenges such as stock-holding (which causes a bottleneck in the supply chain), theft by individuals and organized crime gangs, accidental misdirection to the wrong customer, and inadvertent disposal. Of late, tracking systems built using new technologies are revolutionizing the shipping arena. Adding value to this trend of tracking-enabled pallets is Michigan-based Lightning Technologies, a company that offers a lightweight, hygienic, easy to repair, and skid-free pallet with cloud-enabled active BLE chips called LIMs (Lightning Intelligent Modules) that can share tracking information continuously. The company upgraded its traditional wood pallet to a more efficient and sustainable one with tracking facilities for enhanced safety, durability, and sustainability in shipping.

In this interview with CIO Applications, Jeffrey Owen, Founder, President, and CEO of Lightning, explains how the company’s pallets are disrupting the food and beverage market with a proprietary polyurethane hybrid coating that increases durability and fire-resistance. These pallets inhibit the growth of bacteria on pallet surfaces and keep food items fresh. Lightning is proud to be the only pallet manufacturer with superior antimicrobial and antifungal protection in each of its pallets.

Give us an overview of Lightning, and the value it brings to the food and beverage industry.

We developed Lightning pallets for specific industries tthat include produce, proteins (meats, fish and poultry), pharmaceuticals and electronics Our main goal was to assist our clients in tracking and tracing the pallets which not only carried products but also provided necessary information on temperature, humidity, and impact of the load on the pallets in real-time.

It is crucial for retailers who ship products like eggs, vegetables, and fruits to know the g-force (including temperature, humidity, etc.) to ensure the product freshness throughout. Our offering is a boon in such cases. We have developed Exobond, a proprietary polyurethane hybrid spray that prevents fungal and bacterial growth, keeping any food and beverage item safe. We also have a worldwide license for antimicrobial and anti-fungal technology with Microban – a pioneer in the world of antimicrobial—to leverage the only pooled pallet with a worldwide license to antifungal technology, which is unique in the industry.

The food and drug administration’s food safety modernization act (FSMA) has declared the combination of Lightning’s pallet and Microban’s technology disruptive to food-related supply chain logistics.

What are the latest trends in the food and beverage tech industry, and how has Lightning Technologies evolved in the last few months?

We have recently added the antifungal and antimicrobial feature to our offering. In addition, we have further upgraded our track and trace technology to cater to our clients cost-efficiently. To know the trends of the global food and beverage market, we are undertaking proper research programs and continuously partnering with various market leaders.

Recently, we have partnered with firms in Sweden and Ireland and are planning to start production in both of these countries from next year.

Let us discuss the benefits that your pallets are bringing into the marketplace.

With pallets coated in Exobond, we are the only pallet manufacturing company in the market to be certified by the national sanitation foundation (NSF). We can readily resolve the critical factor of food safety in product shipment ‘from farm to fork’ by identifying the location of the products in real-time. Besides, Lightning pallets’ track and trace as well as monitoring features ensure product safety. This capability also aids clients in easily determining end-user in case of any miscommunication.

Is there a particular approach to make clients understand your solution’s benefits?

When we approach a client, instead of having a meeting with their logistics partner, we directly contact their food safety and sustainability personnel who ensure the safety of the food products. Later, we get in touch with the client’s logistics partner to effectively ship the products.

How is the connection between your pallet chain and IoT monitoring beneficial to clients?

Our Bluetooth low energy (BLE) product named LIGHTNING INTELLIGENT MODULES (LIM) continuously transmits a signal to multiple wireless Bluetooth networks that help clients to track the location of every single pallet, ensuring its correct path toward the destination. With LIM, clients can monitor location, temperature, humidity, the impact of motion, and display those readings through a dashboard. Based on the collected data on these variables, clients can make accurate decisions on their supplies with the assurance that they have products with the highest quality on the shelf. Lightning is also partnering with Nodle, a connectivity provider for IoT—to offer customers worldwide data through a chip embedded in each pallet to track location, globally.

What does the future have in store for Lightning Technologies?

We are planning for territorial expansions across Europe. Accordingly, we are evaluating the European customers’ needs and adding new functionalities and features to our offering. We strive to be at the forefront of innovation in the food and beverage technology space and continue serving our clientele with our high-tech pallets.