South Korea's AL Pallet has been selling its lightweight aluminum pallets to Asia-based customers like Samsung and LG since 2003 but is just now entering the North American market.

The pallets have been engineered to carry the same or greater load capacity as conventional pallets with less material. One model that's designed for one-way airfreight shipments weighs just 9.6 pounds and is priced at about $40. The pallet is some 50 pounds lighter than other aluminum pallets, allowing users to save a significant amount of money on airfreight charges, according to Executive Director Young Lee. In addition, the pallet has a high scrap value when recycled, he said.

AL Pallet's other products include heavier pallets for closed-loop systems and an aluminum, lightweight box mounted on a pallet that protects high-value shipments from theft. The company also will produce extremely short-run customized pallets.