Pallets in Wayne
The city of Wayne is a two-plant Ford town: Michigan Assembly, built in 1957, and Wayne Stamping and Assembly.
What is here
- Plants
- Ford Michigan Assembly Plant (1957) and Wayne Stamping and Assembly
- ZIP
- 48184
Stamping is the first step in a vehicle's body, and its freight is distinctive: large flat panels and formed parts that go to assembly in racks or on specialized pallets, and incoming steel coils on skids. Not every pallet at a stamping plant is a standard one.
What spills out of the plants
- Standard pallets that carry fasteners, trim and small parts into the building.
- Heavy, oily skids that are not worth recycling as pallets.
- Returnable steel racks that never enter the used-pallet market.
The suppliers around the plants fill in the rest, and that is where most reusable stock is. The 48 x 45 and 48 x 40, on block or four-way builds, are the sizes to expect.
Selling a Wayne dock
Separate the plain wooden pallets from the specialized ones before you call. Photos of both piles help a buyer see what is worth the trip, and the specialized ones can be named as such.
Questions from plant-side shops
Are stamping racks pallets?
No. They are returnable steel and belong to their owners. Only the wooden pallets that came with parts and supplies are for sale.
A pallet carried steel coil and has a dent. Is it a core?
A dent in a stringer is. A scuff on a board is not. Look at the load-bearing members first.
How do we split a mixed pile quickly?
Stand the sound ones in one stack and push the rest aside. The sorter walks you through the rest.
Long-running plants
Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant dates to 1957, and the buildings around it are as old. Older docks tend to have more varied stock: pallets of many ages and sizes, some from suppliers long gone. A careful count by size is worth the time.
The two Ford sites
The Michigan Assembly Plant opened in 1957, and Wayne Stamping and Assembly sits nearby. Between them they anchor the city's economy, and the small suppliers around them are the pallet sources a buyer can reach. A plant has its own contracts for waste and reuse, so approach the shops around it.
Describe the dock in plain terms: the street, the door, the count, the size. If your company supplies either Ford site, say which, because buyers recognize which sizes each requires and can plan accordingly.
The older industrial grid
Streets in Wayne's industrial area were laid for smaller trucks, and some corners are tight. Say whether a full-length trailer can turn into your lot.
Trade-offs
Older plants have more varied stock but also more room to stack. Use that room to sort.
Two Ford plants
Wayne has two Ford plants, Wayne Stamping & Assembly and Michigan Assembly Plant, which was built in 1957. The Lower River Rouge bisects the city, whose borders are Glenwood on the north and Van Born on the south.