Success Story
CHEP
One of the cornerstone facilities in Kilgore’s Synergy Park is also an essential link in the movement of goods worldwide: "We are what I like to call, 'the invisible backbone of the global supply chain' because we play an important role in connecting doctors with supplies and people with groceries, diapers and other life essentials," says CHEP's Kilgore plant manager, Angie Runyon.
The largest company of its kind on the planet, CHEP owns approximately 353 million pooled pallets, crates and containers which are shared, repaired and reused. The massive supply includes CHEP’s signature blue pallets, and the company’s operations are spread throughout a sprawling global network of 750-plus service centers across 60 countries as part of the 60-year-old Brambles Group.
One of the cornerstone facilities in Kilgore’s Synergy Park is also an essential link in the movement of goods worldwide: "We are what I like to call, 'the invisible backbone of the global supply chain' because we play an important role in connecting doctors with supplies and people with groceries, diapers and other life essentials," says CHEP's Kilgore plant manager, Angie Runyon.
The largest company of its kind on the planet, CHEP owns approximately 353 million pooled pallets, crates and containers which are shared, repaired and reused. The massive supply includes CHEP’s signature blue pallets, and the company’s operations are spread throughout a sprawling global network of 750-plus service centers across 60 countries as part of the 60-year-old Brambles Group.
Kilgore Economic Development Corporation helped land the worldwide pallet leader in Synergy Park more than a decade ago. After years of growth – in staffing and production, too – the facility ships over 2 million pallets per year.
CHEP’s North American headquarters is in Alpharetta, Ga.: "Many people don't realize how essential a pallet is until you don’t have them, which is why CHEP worked diligently during COVID to fulfill increased demand,” Runyon said. CHEP collaborated across the supply network and partnered with new organizations and in new ways with established partners to help keep essential supplies moving.
To meet the growing and evolving consumer demand from one corner of the globe to the next, CHEP employees are actively involved in solving complex challenges facing the supply chain. One of the ways to ensure seamless problem-solving is to retain employees who understand their customers and the overall supply network. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that internal promotion is a key focus for CHEP around the world and goes hand-in-hand with the company's commitment to employing more women in its workplace.
Leading the local team, Runyon's excited to share her story as an example – she ‘bleeds blue’ and stands tall amid the stacks of pallets in the facility, eagerly championing CHEP's attitude to "believe in the power of collective intelligence through diversity, equity, inclusion and teamwork."
In fact, Runyon started out as a short-term worker.
"This was a two-day temp job that turned into 10 years." Starting at the facility about six months after it opened, Runyon was promoted from temp to office manager then regional manager (and beyond) over the years before her current role as plant manager for the last almost five years. "The promotion opportunity is here. I started in the most junior role and have held every position at the Kilgore plant.
"I really love the company I work for," she added, noting a call she'd received just a few hours before from CHEP's global vice president, checking in on the team's well-being. "The culture is very hands-on."
"The organization’s goal is to attract and retain talent passionate about the supply chain. Part of that drive is to help more women learn about CHEP and the career opportunities it offers. It seeks people with various backgrounds and perspectives to join the team and make a difference,” she said, underscoring longevity and diversity. CHEP is on track to meet its goal to represent 40% of women in management roles globally by 2025, achieving 36% representation in 2023.
Everyone matters, and the company empowers its leadership to lift them up: "We do a lot of kaizen – continuous improvement. The company invests a lot in training. CHEP as a whole is really good at keeping us informed and making sure we’re doing right by the employees.
"It’s really a people-driven business instead of just business. Leaders are always asking and evaluating if their employees are happy. Especially in today’s challenging labor market, I’m proud to say that my turnover rate is less than 1% year-over-year."
It goes beyond the company itself, Runyon added.
"CHEP’s ambition is to create a positive impact on the planet and on society," she said. "It truly wants everyone involved to put people first, to make sure we operate ethically and contribute to the greater good," every step of the way from sourcing lumber to distributing pallets. CHEP strives to create a nature- and people-positive economy, and it walks the walk through annually-measured and third-party validated sustainability targets.
And that is consistent with how CHEP approaches safety. In fact, safety is the first thing that greets a visitor to CHEP's Kilgore facility.
Even before a visitor sees one of its signature blue pallets, they're going to be welcomed by two mannequins carefully clad in bright Personal Protective Equipment, flanked by safety signage and tips.
Globally, the company has about 11,500 employees, and it takes their safety seriously, Runyon says. "We're a fully automated system at Kilgore and have incorporated automation in other facilities to aid in repair and free our teams up to focus on less repetitive work," Runyon noted. "Before it was a very manual process," and CHEP invested in new technology and practices to increase safety, employee satisfaction and attrition.
Runyon continues, "A lot of companies just say that they’re safety-first. CHEP truly means it. I think that’s what sets CHEP apart from most companies.” CHEP has created a Zero Harm culture that seeks to understand how mistakes happen and how they can be avoided.
Kilgore Economic Development Corporation helped land the worldwide pallet leader in Synergy Park more than a decade ago. After years of growth – in staffing and production, too – the facility ships over 2 million pallets per year.
CHEP’s North American headquarters is in Alpharetta, Ga.: "Many people don't realize how essential a pallet is until you don’t have them, which is why CHEP worked diligently during COVID to fulfill increased demand,” Runyon said. CHEP collaborated across the supply network and partnered with new organizations and in new ways with established partners to help keep essential supplies moving.
To meet the growing and evolving consumer demand from one corner of the globe to the next, CHEP employees are actively involved in solving complex challenges facing the supply chain. One of the ways to ensure seamless problem-solving is to retain employees who understand their customers and the overall supply network. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that internal promotion is a key focus for CHEP around the world and goes hand-in-hand with the company's commitment to employing more women in its workplace.
Leading the local team, Runyon's excited to share her story as an example – she ‘bleeds blue’ and stands tall amid the stacks of pallets in the facility, eagerly championing CHEP's attitude to "believe in the power of collective intelligence through diversity, equity, inclusion and teamwork."
In fact, Runyon started out as a short-term worker.
"This was a two-day temp job that turned into 10 years." Starting at the facility about six months after it opened, Runyon was promoted from temp to office manager then regional manager (and beyond) over the years before her current role as plant manager for the last almost five years. "The promotion opportunity is here. I started in the most junior role and have held every position at the Kilgore plant.
"I really love the company I work for," she added, noting a call she'd received just a few hours before from CHEP's global vice president, checking in on the team's well-being. "The culture is very hands-on."
"The organization’s goal is to attract and retain talent passionate about the supply chain. Part of that drive is to help more women learn about CHEP and the career opportunities it offers. It seeks people with various backgrounds and perspectives to join the team and make a difference,” she said, underscoring longevity and diversity. CHEP is on track to meet its goal to represent 40% of women in management roles globally by 2025, achieving 36% representation in 2023.
Everyone matters, and the company empowers its leadership to lift them up: "We do a lot of kaizen – continuous improvement. The company invests a lot in training. CHEP as a whole is really good at keeping us informed and making sure we’re doing right by the employees.
"It’s really a people-driven business instead of just business. Leaders are always asking and evaluating if their employees are happy. Especially in today’s challenging labor market, I’m proud to say that my turnover rate is less than 1% year-over-year."
It goes beyond the company itself, Runyon added.
"CHEP’s ambition is to create a positive impact on the planet and on society," she said. "It truly wants everyone involved to put people first, to make sure we operate ethically and contribute to the greater good," every step of the way from sourcing lumber to distributing pallets. CHEP strives to create a nature- and people-positive economy, and it walks the walk through annually-measured and third-party validated sustainability targets.
And that is consistent with how CHEP approaches safety. In fact, safety is the first thing that greets a visitor to CHEP's Kilgore facility.
Even before a visitor sees one of its signature blue pallets, they're going to be welcomed by two mannequins carefully clad in bright Personal Protective Equipment, flanked by safety signage and tips.
Globally, the company has about 11,500 employees, and it takes their safety seriously, Runyon says. "We're a fully automated system at Kilgore and have incorporated automation in other facilities to aid in repair and free our teams up to focus on less repetitive work," Runyon noted. "Before it was a very manual process," and CHEP invested in new technology and practices to increase safety, employee satisfaction and attrition.
Runyon continues, "A lot of companies just say that they’re safety-first. CHEP truly means it. I think that’s what sets CHEP apart from most companies.” CHEP has created a Zero Harm culture that seeks to understand how mistakes happen and how they can be avoided.
Initially, the Kilgore operation had 25 employees on one shift. Today, the facility boasts 85 employees, running a three-shift operation maintaining and producing CHEP's bright blue product and its iterations. The local Kilgore plant is proud to contribute to CHEP North America’s unmatched operational network, which shipped more than 300 million pallets in 2022.
Just glancing around her office at 6001 Alliance Way in Synergy Park is an easy reminder for Runyon of how her employees and her facility are essential to the local economy and its people.
"Everything in this office was probably shipped on a pallet," she said. "Our clothes, water bottles, everything. It really puts our work into perspective for us."
Importantly, keeping goods and pallets flowing is essential to keep the circular business model functioning as efficiently as possible. CHEP works to educate partners throughout the supply network on how to easily return its pallets so they can be repaired and issued back into the supply chain expediently. The timely return of assets enables suppliers, manufacturers and retailers to reliably move their goods.
Granted, there is one small obstacle between clients and collection – the unauthorized use of pallets.
"Unfortunately, there are bad actors where unauthorized pallet use occurs," Runyon said, and pallets go astray before they return home. "When pallet misuse occurs, it disrupts the circular loop," but CHEP's Asset Recovery teams are active, tracking pallets using modern means and collecting them when they're ‘repurposed’ out in the wild.
"When pallets are damaged, our customers and supply chain partners return them, we repair them and then we ship them back out for the next journey through the supply chain. If we can't repair a pallet to our quality standards, we search for alternate, sustainable uses for it at end-of-life."
Notably, CHEP's a very sustainable operation, Runyon said, it’s ranked the most sustainable company in its category by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. ‘Share, repair and reuse’ is a constant mantra alongside targets to be Forest Positive, Climate Positive and Waste Positive.
"We do not have a big waste stream," she added. CHEP, through Brambles, has set a target to send zero product materials to landfill across all CHEP locations by 2025.
"We are actively trying to get more involved in the community, too," Runyon said, adding to current efforts like Meals on Wheels support, toy drives, and more. "Another really good thing about CHEP is it encourages employees to volunteer — we actually receive paid volunteer days each year.”
"My focus this year is to get more involved," with plans to participate in the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Parade and to attend its Women in the Workplace event (in a group costume as Rosie the Riveter, no less).
It's all part of a bigger picture, looking both inward and outward.
"A lot of people, they just see a blue pallet," Runyon said, "but there’s so much more to CHEP than that."
Initially, the Kilgore operation had 25 employees on one shift. Today, the facility boasts 85 employees, running a three-shift operation maintaining and producing CHEP's bright blue product and its iterations. The local Kilgore plant is proud to contribute to CHEP North America’s unmatched operational network, which shipped more than 300 million pallets in 2022.
Just glancing around her office at 6001 Alliance Way in Synergy Park is an easy reminder for Runyon of how her employees and her facility are essential to the local economy and its people.
"Everything in this office was probably shipped on a pallet," she said. "Our clothes, water bottles, everything. It really puts our work into perspective for us."
Importantly, keeping goods and pallets flowing is essential to keep the circular business model functioning as efficiently as possible. CHEP works to educate partners throughout the supply network on how to easily return its pallets so they can be repaired and issued back into the supply chain expediently. The timely return of assets enables suppliers, manufacturers and retailers to reliably move their goods.
Granted, there is one small obstacle between clients and collection – the unauthorized use of pallets.
"Unfortunately, there are bad actors where unauthorized pallet use occurs," Runyon said, and pallets go astray before they return home. "When pallet misuse occurs, it disrupts the circular loop," but CHEP's Asset Recovery teams are active, tracking pallets using modern means and collecting them when they're ‘repurposed’ out in the wild.
"When pallets are damaged, our customers and supply chain partners return them, we repair them and then we ship them back out for the next journey through the supply chain. If we can't repair a pallet to our quality standards, we search for alternate, sustainable uses for it at end-of-life."
Notably, CHEP's a very sustainable operation, Runyon said, it’s ranked the most sustainable company in its category by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. ‘Share, repair and reuse’ is a constant mantra alongside targets to be Forest Positive, Climate Positive and Waste Positive.
"We do not have a big waste stream," she added. CHEP, through Brambles, has set a target to send zero product materials to landfill across all CHEP locations by 2025.
"We are actively trying to get more involved in the community, too," Runyon said, adding to current efforts like Meals on Wheels support, toy drives, and more. "Another really good thing about CHEP is it encourages employees to volunteer — we actually receive paid volunteer days each year.”
"My focus this year is to get more involved," with plans to participate in the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Parade and to attend its Women in the Workplace event (in a group costume as Rosie the Riveter, no less).
It's all part of a bigger picture, looking both inward and outward.
"A lot of people, they just see a blue pallet," Runyon said, "but there’s so much more to CHEP than that."
