Following a ribbon cutting by Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin, iGPS' new 8000-ft² center was officially opened for guests to tour the facility. iGPS' business partners include: Alien Technology, Belacon, Egemin Automation, Enfora, EPC Solutions, Motorola, Ryder System, and Schoeller Arca Systems, a global injection molder of pallets and other industrial packaging.

"By opening our new National Sales and Innovation Center, we are demonstrating our commitment to remaining at the forefront of supply chain technology," said Bob Moore, iGPS chairman and CEO. "Each of our partners is a world-class provider and, together, we offer the marketplace a paradigm shift in pallet rental by delivering the world's most advanced pallet together with leading-edge technology backed by 24/7 customer support. "

Moore is a battler for plastic pallets and has been involved in more than a few fracases with the more established wood pallet industry. Moore was, for seven years, the CEO of CHEP, the Goliath of the pallet business, with wooden pallets its primary product, before he formed iGPS (HQ: Orlando, FL) in March 2006. The company has recently launched a new feature on its website that displays a running total of cost savings its customers have realized by switching from wood pallets to iGPS' plastic pallets with embedded RFID tags. "iGPS customers have saved nearly $68 million in operational costs, and the number is growing by the minute," claimed Moore. Hs company reckons that businesses that switch from wood pallets to iGPS realize savings of as much as $2 per unitized load thanks to lower transport costs, reduced production downtime, reduced product damage and fewer rejected loads. —[email protected]