The Pally - a unique combination of a pallet and a dolly was developed for use in a variety of markets to increase the ease and efficiency with which goods are moved through the supply chain, eliminating the reliance on mechanical handling equipment. It converts from a stable, immobile pallet to a mobile wheeled dolly with one pedal depression, and vice versa.

Loadhog first identified the opportunity whilst working with Royal Mail, who were seeking alternatives to the traditional roll cage. They required a wheeled solution that could be made secure and stable for transit. The Pally concept was born, and is now becoming a standard in the mail industry, providing an all-round solution when used with the Loadhog lid.

The physical development of the Pally ran in parallel with the research of the project. Feedback from users and specifiers within the target industries was sought and factored into further iterations of the design.

The ability to drive the mechanism with a foot pedal from either end of the unit, was identified early on as being an important benefit to the user, and many designs and test models were trialled to address this need.

Initial ideas for mechanisms were sketched and mocked up as simple models before progressing to refined, functional prototypes.

ProE CAD was used extensively, both to model the prototypes and to refine the finished components.

CAD development and the use of Finite Element Analysis allowed the components to be tested in a virtual environment before tooling was produced. This changed the shape and structure of the components to perform better with less material.

Regular meetings and trials with potential specifiers and users were held to review the product and to trial prototypes in real situations. This impacted the finished product considerably, and resulted in a solution better suited to its intended use.

Originally conceived for use with mail, it was realised along the way that the Pally was also the perfect solution to a problem in the UK grocery industry. Suppliers often prefer pallets which fit well in highly automated production environments and with mechanical handling equipment, whereas retailers like wheeled solutions for efficient handling in-store.

Throughout the entire development process, the core project team consisted of a product manager and a lead designer. At various times in the project a wider team of people were heavily involved in the design input, the business modelling and the manufacturing of the finished article.