Advanced Pallet Design
Unit Load Design and Performance, Short Course
Who should attend:
- Packaging suppliers
- Packaging and pallet designers
- Pallet and packaging sales professional
- Procurement professionals
- Packaging engineers
- Unit load designers
Topics covered in this short course:
- Learn the fundamentals unit load design and performance
- Learn to specify industrial packaging materials and conduct supply chain audits
- Learn how the stiffness of pallets affect the strength of corrugated boxes
- Use the state-of-the-art package design modules in PDS to determine the strength of plastic pails and corrugated boxes supported on wooden pallet
- Learn to design long pallets for flexible products such as shingles using the new sheet-goods model in PDS
- Learn about load bridging and how it can reduce your pallet costs
Prerequisites for this short course:
- Attendees MUST already be familiar with the Pallet Design System (PDS) software.
- Preferably, attendees should have already taken the short course titled "Wood Pallet Design and Performance."
Instructors:
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.
Brad Gething
Dr. Brad Gething
Vice President
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
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.
Cost:
There are three types of tickets for this short course, detailed below. Tickets cost the same for in-person or virtual attendance of this short course. All attendees will participate in three days of lectures, laboratory tours, and coursework. They will be served breakfast (all three mornings) and given lunch breaks and multiple daily snack breaks. All participants will receive a certificate of completion within two weeks of successfully finishing the course:
- Attendee (In-Person or Virtual): $1,500.00 (registration after Oct. 4th, 2025 increases to $1,600.00)
- CPULD Member (In-Person or Virtual): $750.00 (registration after Oct. 4th, 2025 increases to $800.00)
- NWPCA Member (In-Person or Virtual): $750.00 (registration after Oct. 4th, 2025 increases to $800.00)
Time & Location:
This course is being held November 4th-6th, 2025. It will consist of 2.5 days of lectures, assignments, and laboratory tours.
Attendees are expected to get themselves to the correct starting location each morning.
All activities on Tues. Nov. 4th and Wed. Nov. 5th will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Blacksburg VA.
Courtyard by Marriott
105 South Park Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24060
- Tuesday, November 4th, 2024: 8:00am-5:00pm
- Wednesday, November 5th, 2024: 8:00am- 5:00pm
All activities on Thurs. Nov. 6th will be held at the Brooks Forest Products Center, near the Corporate Research Center, in Blacksburg, VA.
Brooks Forest Products Center
Virginia Tech, MC 0503
1650 Research Center Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Thursday, November 6th, 2024: 8:00am-12:00pm
Remote Attendance:
Although this course is designed for in-person delivery, we have decided to also offer the opportunity for a completely online attendance.
Remote attendees will have access to the unit load design software. They will watch the live presentations and have the chance to communicate and ask questions of the instructors during the class sessions. Due to technical limitations, the laboratory visit cannot be offered to the remote attendees. You will be asked during registration whether you plan to attend in-person or virtually by Zoom.
Hotels:
The Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design works with the Courtyard by Marriott to make sure there are rooms available at a discounted rate for anyone attending this short course.
We will reserve a room block for this short course. As long as you reserve your room thru the link provided, you will receive the discounted group rate.
Click here to reserve your room at the Courtyard by Marriott for $123 per night!
The Courtyard by Marriott is located less than two miles from the Brooks Center building, where our short courses are held, and it offers many amenities including an indoor pool, exercise room, business area with free WIFI, and a delicious cafe on the premises. They also offer a shuttle service to and from the hotel that short course attendees have found helpful in the past.
Please contact John Hale, john.hale@marriot.com, or Marriot directly at 540-552-5222, or register online using the direct link, for your hotel room at the Courtyard by Marriot. If you call, be sure to mention the short course you're in Blacksburg to attend in order to receive the discounted rate on your hotel room! Remember, you must reserve your room before Oct. 24th, 2022 to receive the discounted rate!
Other Local Hotels:
The Inn at Virginia Tech
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn Blacksburg
Transportation:
The closest airport is the Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA), which is approximately 35 miles from Blacksburg, VA.
There are multiple car rental agencies as well as cab services located at the airport to transport visitors to Blackburg, VA.
The other nearby airports used by short course attendees are:
- Dulles International Airport, IAD (approx. 5 driving hours from Blacksburg, VA).
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport, CLT (approx. 3 driving hours from Blacksburg, VA).
Contacts:
Course Content Information:
Laszlo Horvath, Director, Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design
Phone: (540) 231-7673
Email: lhorvat@vt.edu
General CPULD Information:
Angie Riegel, Secretary
Phone: (540) 231-7107
Email: ariegel@vt.edu
Registration Questions:
Erich Sawyer, Virginia Tech Outreach Program Development
CPE Enrollment Coordinator, Virginia Tech Outreach Program Development
Or Registration Questions via phone: (540) 231-4084