'Perfect storm': Minn. pallet makers hit by supply shortages as demand takes off
Copy shortlink: Just about everything in your home traveled on a wooden shipping pallet. In our worldwide economy, the humble pine pallet is the way that goods move around the globe. Demand for pallets is so great that American manufacturers — including many in Minnesota — churn out nearly 1 billion of them every year. And right now, it's not enough. A worldwide shortage of pallets threatens to put a crimp in the flow of consumer goods, from tomatoes to toothpaste to toasters. Prices have doubled in the past year, and makers can't keep up with demand. "I think it's...