Foldable plastic bins cut transport costs and reduce carbon footprint

11th June 2020

     

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A simply designed foldable plastic bin has shown the importance of platform design and logistics in the supply chain space – slashing the transport costs of clients and boosting profitability in the highly competitive fresh produce sector.

The innovation has seen two major produce companies achieving increases in efficiency as well as profitability in their respective businesses.

In doing so, the foldable plastic bins – rented by CHEP as part of their share-and-reuse approach to building a circular economy – minimise environmental impact, while delivering savings for customers.

The foldable bins fold down to a third of the size of a similar rigid-style bin, reducing the storage and transportation space required for bulk agricultural distribution and making for substantial savings.

The bins assist in reducing the number of trucks used at the beginning and the end of the produce transport operations, when empty bins must be moved between distribution centres.

Agricultural business Dutoit Agri reports that the foldable bins are an innovative logistics platform that makes a significant difference to the company’s bottom line.

Dutoit Agri produces, distributes and markets 250 000 tons of fresh produce every year. The company harvests, packs, cools and stores produce at its own facilities and markets it to local and international clients. In the domestic market, Dutoit Agri supplies fruit and vegetables to all major retail outlets. 

Dutoit is based in Ceres in the Western Cape, and has a depot in Johannesburg. They have a large grower network across the country. It can ship around 420kg of onions in every foldable bin.

“We have seen the most benefits at our project in Limpopo,” said Pieter du Toit, Director: Vegetable Packing at Dutoit Agri.

“The farms in question are 400-500km north of Johannesburg,” he said. “Using foldable bins allow us to make significant savings at the beginning of the transport run, when moving the empty bins up to the farms. We save on transport again at the end of the harvest too, when the compact, foldable bins are returned to the CHEP depot.”

Another produce company, Habata, has also reaped the benefits of using the foldable bins. Habata produces citrus, melons and butternut in the Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, supplying both national and international retailers.

“We save between 40 and 50 per cent on transport,” said Habata Financial Director Jurgens Steenkamp. “The size of the bins allows for fewer trucks to move the empty units.”

“During the harvest period, we transport about 40 000 bins of watermelon and 10 000 bins of melons using these bins,” Steenkamp says.

“The sturdy, inter-locking design allows forklifts to enter the bins from all four sides and can pick up the bins more efficiently in the distribution hub. We can also load bins from their narrow sides, and this also allows more bins to fit into a truck, bringing down transport costs.”

“With rising fuel costs, transport costs started going through the roof. We started using the plastic foldable bins and saw a one-third reduction in our relocation costs, which increased affordability.

“Every bin that goes to Johannesburg or Cape Town needs to come back to the distribution centre here. Now, we can utilise space in a truck to maximum capacity, because we can fit more bins into a single truck.”

Gerhard Stander, CHEP Agricultural Director says, “Through the plastic foldable bins, we help our customers save money. We also contribute to sustainable business through our principles of share and reuse, and by the elimination of empty miles and reduced CO2 emissions.”

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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