Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS

What Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS does

Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS (NLP) operates a circular pooling system for reusable transport items (RTIs) — plastic pallets and crates plus EUR wooden pallets — exclusively serving the Norwegian grocery industry. Founded in 2006 and jointly owned 50/50 by the trade associations DLF (supplier side) and DMF (wholesale/retail side), NLP is structured as a non-profit industry solution rather than a profit-maximizing commercial enterprise. Its product portfolio includes three plastic pallet sizes (full/halvpall/displaypall), three plastic crate heights (360/185/106), EUR wooden pallets handled within the same return system, and category-specific EPS crates for Coop suppliers; all plastic units are RFID-tagged (4 chips on full pallets, 2 on smaller units and crates) for full traceability through the supply chain.

NLP monetizes through a usage-based model: customers pay a daily rental fee per RTI in their possession (NOK 0.045–0.210 depending on unit type) plus per-transaction sender and receiver fees on each load carrier movement. Additional revenue streams include rush and small-quantity surcharges, EUR pallet balance settlement fees, replacement values for lost/damaged units, and consultant fees. Customers self-manage orders, transactions, and balance reporting through a web-based customer portal (next.nlpool.no), with ERP integration available to replace manual pallet receipting. The operating footprint comprises a high-automation central warehouse at Langhus (AGVs and specialized washing equipment), a secondary facility at Melhus, and over 50 locally rented warehouses at wholesalers across Norway, enabling short delivery routes and typically 2-day delivery for orders placed before 13:00.

NLP serves four primary customer segments: suppliers/manufacturers (large-scale delivery operators such as Maarud, Sørlandschips, Kims, and Kolonial/Oda), wholesalers and distribution centers, grocery retailers (in-store display and handling), and — through the 2020-launched NLP LIGHT sub-brand — small businesses that receive but do not dispatch goods on NLP load carriers. A 2020 cross-border interoperability agreement with Swedish counterpart Svenska Retursystem (SRS) allows the same standardized plastic pallet to circulate between Norway and Sweden without extra handling, extending the effective operating footprint into a Scandinavian standard. The company employs roughly 20–25 named staff across warehouse operations, administration, sales, IT, and management, with Rune Myrmel serving as CEO since 2021.

Name

Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS

Legal name

Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS

Website

https://nlpool.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS operates a non-profit, industry-owned pooling system for RFID-tagged reusable transport items — plastic pallets, crates, and EUR wooden pallets — serving the Norwegian grocery supply chain through daily rental and per-transaction fees, with a self-service web portal and over 50 distribution locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reusable Transport Item Pooling

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (493110)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Pallets, Bins, Totes & Returnable Transport Packaging (RTP) (IMAHABAG)

Keywords

• Plastic pallet pooling
• Returnable transport items
• Grocery supply chain
• EUR pallet pooling
• Pooled packaging services

Headquarters

HQ city

Langhus

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Daily Rental (Døgnleie): Customers pay a per-day rental fee for each load carrier they hold. This is the primary ongoing revenue stream. The daily fee varies by product: full plastic pallet NOK 0.210/day, half pallet NOK 0.180/day, 1/3 pallet NOK 0.105/day, 360 crate NOK 0.070/day, 185/106 crate NOK 0.045/day. Wholesalers receive a grace period before daily rental kicks in (15 days for half pallets, 45 days for 1/3 pallets).
2. Sender and Receiver Fees (Trippavgifter): Fees charged per transaction when load carriers are sent or received. Sender fees: EUR pallet NOK 12.33, NLP plastic pallet NOK 8.35. Receiver fees: EUR pallet NOK 6.67, NLP plastic pallet NOK 3.93. Trip fees for plastic half pallet NOK 7.37, 1/3 pallet NOK 9.10, 360 crate NOK 3.41, 185 crate NOK 2.89, 106 crate NOK 2.73. For NLP LIGHT, North/South regional pricing applies.
3. NLP LIGHT Daily Rental: NLP LIGHT customers (small businesses receiving but not sending load carriers) pay only daily rental starting 30 days after receipt, providing a simplified and affordable entry point.
4. Additional Fees (Rush, Small Quantity, Cancellation): Rush delivery fee NOK 3,000, small quantity order fee NOK 2,000, cancellation fee for orders cancelled within 24 hours, quality deviation fee, consultant fee NOK 1,500/hour, dispute fee, balance settlement NOK 45/month for EUR pallets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Operates a shared pooling system for returnable transport items, including plastic pallets, plastic crates, and EUR wooden pallets, used by participants in the Norwegian grocery supply chain. The company manages the circulation, tracking, and reverse logistics of these pooled units between manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers, and is jointly owned by the trade associations DLF and DMF.

Product overview

Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS operates a pooling system for reusable transport items (load carriers) in the Norwegian grocery industry. The product portfolio includes plastic pallets in three sizes (full/ Helpall, half/ Halvpall, and 1/3 display pallet), plastic crates in three heights (360, 185, and 106), EUR wooden pallets, and EPS crates for Coop suppliers. All products are supported by RFID tracking technology and a customer web portal for order management and balance tracking. The NLP LIGHT sub-brand provides a simplified return system for small businesses. Products circulate between NLP's facilities, suppliers, and wholesalers, with customers paying daily rental fees for the time they retain the load carriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NLP LIGHT: A simplified return system designed for small businesses that receive goods on NLP's load carriers but do not use them for deliveries to their own customers. Customers only pay daily rental fees starting 30 days after receiving the load carrier.

Products and services

• Plastic pallet pooling
• Plastic crate pooling
• EUR wooden pallet pooling

Quantifiable outcome

• Plastic pallets weigh 14.8 kg vs ~23 kg for wooden pallets, saving approximately 140,000 tonnes of freight weight on Norwegian roads annually if adopted market-wide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Svenska Retursystem (SRS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020NLP and SRS (Sweden's equivalent pooling organization) have a cross-border cooperation enabling plastic full pallets to flow between Norway and Sweden without extra handling. Customers of both NLP and SRS can use identical plastic full pallets for deliveries across the border. Balances are handled separately by each country's system. The pallets share the same manufacturer (Shuert Industries) and are identical in dimensions and specifications.
• DLF (Dagligvareleverandørenes Forening)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006DLF is the non-profit trade association of Norwegian grocery suppliers and owns 50% of Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS. NLP was established as an industry solution by DLF and DMF to standardize load carriers and manage the pooling system for the Norwegian grocery industry. DLF represents the supplier side of the industry partnership.
• DMF (Dagligvarehandelens Markedsføringsorganisasjon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006DMF is a trade organization in Norway's grocery sector and co-owns NLP 50/50 with DLF. DMF represents the wholesale and retail side of the industry. Together DLF and DMF founded NLP as an industry-owned, non-profit pooling solution for reusable transport items in the Norwegian grocery supply chain.
• Shuert IndustriescoreTechnology or IntegrationShuert Industries in Detroit, USA manufactures NLP's plastic pallets using proprietary Twin-sheet technology. This technology ensures consistent dimensions and specifications meeting industry standards. The pallets have been the chosen standard for the Norwegian and Swedish grocery industries since 2010.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brambles: Parent company of CHEP and global logistics platform operating pooled supply chain assets across 60+ countries. Represents the largest scaled pooling operator globally and the natural benchmark for NLP's industry-ownership governance model.
• CHEP: Global leader in pallet and container pooling, owned by Brambles, operating across multiple industries beyond grocery. Represents the dominant incumbent pooling model NLP competes against for any cross-industry expansion or potential market entry.

Direct peers

• iGPS Logistics: US plastic pallet pooling provider offering RFID-tagged pooled plastic pallets with similar asset-tracking and rental economics. Operates as a direct alternative to wooden pallet exchange in North American grocery and retail supply chains.
• Schoeller Allibert: European manufacturer and pooler of returnable plastic packaging (crates, containers, pallets) for grocery, automotive, and retail supply chains. Operates reusable packaging pooling solutions with comparable circular-economy model in European markets.
• Contraload: European pooled pallet and container specialist serving grocery, FMCG, and retail supply chains. Operates a similar circular pooling model with reusable RTIs across multiple European countries, providing a relevant benchmark for pooling economics and network operations.
• Tosca: US-headquartered reusable plastic packaging and pooling provider serving grocery and food supply chains. Comparable business model focused on reusable RTIs (pallets, crates, bulk containers) with daily rental economics for retail and consumer goods customers.
• Svenska Retursystem: Swedish national pooling system for plastic pallets and crates in the grocery industry, and NLP's explicit cross-border partner since 2020. Operates an identical Shuert-manufactured plastic pallet pool, making it the closest functional peer in Nordic grocery pooling.
• Euro Pool System: Largest European pooling system for folding and rigid plastic crates in grocery retail, jointly owned by Edeka and REWE Group. Operates in similar grocery pooling space but at pan-European scale, representing a major competitive and benchmark reference for NLP.
• LPR (La Palette Rouge): European pallet pooling specialist focused on FMCG and retail, operating across multiple European countries. Provides pallet pooling for blue-chip FMCG manufacturers and retailers with comparable daily rental and trip-based revenue economics to NLP.

Regional players

• Loscam: Asia-Pacific's leading pallet pooling provider, serving FMCG, grocery, and manufacturing customers across 10+ APAC markets. Offers similar daily rental and pooling economics, but in a different geography than NLP's Nordic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pallepool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norsk Lastbærer Pool AS