palletdesign.ai

Glossary

LoadSync

Also called: NWPCA LoadSync

Reviewed

Definition

LoadSync is a free desktop tool released by the NWPCA (now Woodpack Global) in 2013 that let pallet users record their requirements (load, storage, stacking and handling) rather than a design, and send them as a file to a PDS-licensed pallet manufacturer, who returned a read-only viewer file with the spec, drawings and analysis.

On this page
  1. How LoadSync worked
  2. What LoadSync captured
  3. Why it matters

How LoadSync worked

  1. The buyer filled in requirements in LoadSync: load type and weight, rack storage, stack storage and shipping, and lifting and handling.
  2. LoadSync saved them as an .lsr file, which the buyer emailed to a PDS-licensed manufacturer.
  3. The manufacturer designed the pallet in PDS and returned a viewer file with the specification, drawings and analysis. The buyer had to accept a copyright notice, and printing could be disabled.

What LoadSync captured

Area Examples
Design options general load type or specific unit load
Load weight, variability, containers, stacking pattern, stabilizers
Storage racked across length or width, beam support, span, stack height
Handling forklift end or side entry, fork dimensions, pallet jack, sling

Why it matters

LoadSync showed that buyers think in requirements, not board sizes. Its field list is still a good checklist for a pallet RFQ. palletdesign.ai takes the same requirements-first approach in plain language. See RFQ.

Questions

Is LoadSync the same as PDS?
No. LoadSync captured the buyer's requirements; PDS is the design and analysis software the manufacturer used to answer them.

Sources