As part of a corporate strategic planning process, 333 fruit and vegetable processors were surveyed concerning their use of wooden pallet bins. A total of 150 processors responded to the survey. Forty percent of the respondents used bins and the average ownership was 16,369 bins per firm. Bins cost a average of $36.53 each. Fifty percent of those firms using bins reported useful bin lives of more than 7 years and 30 percent reported lives of less than 4 years. Most managers considered bins a troublesome part of their operation. This attitude clearly presents a marketing opportunity.