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Research & Development Request

[EUROSTARS] French SME producing unique machines enabling on-site pallet manufacturing is looking for a partner to develop a fully-recyclable polypropylene pallet

Country of Origin: France
Reference Number: RDFR20200629001
Publication Date: 4 August 2020

Summary

In the framework of an Eurostars proposal, a French SME which has invented a unique machine to produce cardboard pallets on the client's site, is looking for industrial and research partners from countries eligible to the Eurostars programme. The proposal's main objective is to break a technological barrier to assemble two surfaces of polypropylene in order to adapt the machine to produce fully recyclable plastic pallets. The company is looking for laboratories and companies as end-users.

Description

The volume of international trade is constantly growing, as is the number of transport pallets used worldwide. The attention is increasingly drawn to environmental impacts of logistics including those of pallets. 



In this context, the young and innovative SME has created, developed and commercialized a unique  solution to produce  transport pallets directly on user's site thanks to compact machines (less than 30 square meters). This system allows to avoid 500kg of co2 emissions every 1500km travelled. At the moment, the pallet is made of cardboard, fully recyclable and tailor-made. 



As within the pallet market, the highest growth rate is detained by the plastic pallet and it is gaining significant market share, the company wants to develop an on-site plastic pallet. Moreover, the prospects and clients have expressed this need.



The project's global purpose is to develop a fully recyclable tailor-made alveolar POLYPROPYLENE (thermoplastic polymer) pallet and to adapt the current machine so that it is able to produce cardboard AND plastic pallet according to the user needs.  This second version of the machine shall be commercialized in the two years following the project's end.



Technological Challenge to be tackled: 

The pallet contains two parts: the deck and the cubes. To achieve the goal, the company has one main concern which is the assembly of both parts. It doesn't know how to assemble two surfaces of alveolar polypropylene. Therefore, the company is primarily looking for one (or more) partner able to find a technical solution to this issue. It will be open to any suggestion and idea. The assemble system shall be adaptable to the machine at a reasonable cost.



The innovative French SME is looking for:

- a laboratory for research and development activities

- a company for testing the outcomes as potential end-users



The call's deadline will be in January 2021 (to be confirmed by Eurostars)

The partners will be actively involved in the consortium lead by the French SME under a research cooperation/consortium agreement.

This partner request is open for receiving expressions of interest until the 15th September 2020.

Expertise sought

Knowledge useful to find a solution to assemble two parts of alveolar polypropylene material and to adapt the machine accordingly.

Stage Of Development

Proposal under development

Stage Of Development Comment

prototype

Requested partner

In the framework of this Eurostars proposal the French SME is willing to create a consortium. These future partners shall participate actively in the creation of the new on-site machine for polypropylene pallets manufacturing by bringing complementary know-how. 



The following structures and competences are sought:

- One laboratory that would be willing to work on the problem of assembly of the two polypropylene parts with fully recyclable capacity.

- One company that will be the end user of the machine developed within the framework of this European project, and that will participate in the definition of this machine from a potential user's point of view. The problematic of environmental impacts of pallet logistics shall be sufficiently important within the company so that the tests' results will be significant.



The partners must come from a country eligible to Eurostars. They have to be interested in reaching a research cooperation/ consortium agreement.