We operate as the final part of a supply chain, where our customer will send us a pallet of goods, we prepare the components, re-stack these on the same pallet they came in on, and send it back. The customer also sends us crates, so we stack the components into these crates, secure the lid back on and send them back.

The customer demanded quite rudely, with reference to Pallet Safety guidance note PM15 (fourth edition) that we must include the SWL on the packaging for them. I have noticed this has not been the case when they send the components to us. We don't do anything significantly to the compoenents that causes the weight of the load to alter, but they're just neatly rearranged, so the weight of the load will be the same coming in, as it is going out. This is not required by any other customer who send components a lot heavier.

We have also worked with this customer for years, but now suddenly we have received an abrupt email. Is it a legal requirement as such? Should they be doing the same sending us the components? Should all our customers be doing the same, or should we be doing the same for all customers?

All thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.

As with all such assertion ask them to point out where this is written in black & white.

A quick flick through PM15 finds reference to BS EN ISO 8611-3:2012 Pallets for materials handling. Flat pallets. Maximum working loads.

All other matters place design duties firmly upon the supplier as consideration of materials, stacking etc.

I am however suspicious where you mention crates arriving separately - as soon as the load alters the design should be re-considered but there is still no SWL required.

Get them to justify their assertion backed up with demonstrable fact - as you have seen PM15 fails to mention SWL in any manner let alone who must mark it.

The SWL for the actual pallet will be a constant so long as it remains in good condition - if it is designed to carry 750Kg then that is what it can carry. It will not magically be able to support 1000Kg just because the day has changed, but with wear and tear it could reduce.

The problem is that in the UK we don't use a standard pallet...some places provide information and some mark it on the boxes for integral palletts...find out if you have a reliable design pallett and work from there...you can make a judgement to what you mark on the pallett from that...there are all forms of compliance...if it is s Euro then use that design basis and mark it accordingly to its max swl..

As you are the final part of the supply chain the pallets of goods will presumably be going to your customer's customer in the form you have packed them.

It seems reasonable to me that the customer's customer may want to know the weight of the load they will be receiving and that they have asked their supplier (your customer) to put this on the packaging.  They would in turn pass this request on to you as you are doing the final packaging.

So in short I don't see this as to do with legal requirements but to do with customer requirements, and perfectly reasonable customer requirements at that.