48forty is the largest pallet management services company in North America, with a national network of over 259 facilities, including 69 company-owned and operated pallet recycling plants and more than 850 partners.
We also operate our own fleet of more than 8,200 trailers and tractors, servicing customers from coast to coast. We provide end-to-end pallet solutions, from supply to retrieval, onsite services, and reverse logistics. 48forty Solutions is truly Pallet Management Made Simple™.
Our story began in 1996, with the founding of PalEx, a pallet recycler with a national footprint of 62 plants in the US and Canada.
IFCO acquires PalEx
In March 2000, PalEx merged with IFCO, the largest global reusable plastic container pooling company based in Germany, forming IFCO Systems. Over the next decade, IFCO Systems’ pallet management services division grew to become the largest pallet recycler in North America, handling more than 200 million pallets each year.
Brambles acquires IFCO
IFCO Systems was acquired by Australian-based Brambles Ltd. As a result, the reusable plastic container business retained the IFCO brand, while the recycled pallet business was folded into CHEP USA and became known as CHEP Recycled Pallet Solutions.
48forty launches
CHEP Recycled Pallet Solutions was purchased from Brambles Ltd. by Grey Mountain Partners and rebranded as 48forty Solutions.
48forty accelerates growth
48forty Solutions partnered with Audax Private Equity to further grow product and service offerings, and continue to expand the company's reach across North America.
48forty continues to enhance the customer experience
48forty Solutions continues to enhance the customer experience through growth. In March, the company announced a growth equity investment from Summit Partners. Also that year, 48forty acquired IPS Canada, Nazareth Pallet, Bo's Pallets, Pallet Consultants, Recycling Division of Girard Wood Products, CALco, Pallet-Ops, and Innovative Data Systems.
