Crate ideas really stack up Steco UK Plastic Logistic Solutions Ltd Electra House Crewe Business Park Crewe, Cheshire CW1 6GL Tel: 01270 212458 Fax: 01270 586 857 E-mail: steco@evnet.co.uk Web-site: www.steco.at key personnel Managing director Frans van de Schootbrugge Commercial Director John McCormick key brands · STECO Box2000 folding crate · STECO Dairy tray Supply chain efficiency. It's the buzz phrase in retailing and there can be no weak links. Packaging can be, says Frans van de Schootbrugge, md of Steco UK. It needs to be standardised, modular and compatible. "There will be many packaging manufacturers and pool operators offering solutions using the standard footprint, but with different technology, making it difficult to impossible to inter stack them. Compatibility between various packaging solutions therefore is a key issue," he says. With work on the Institute of Grocery's vanguard solution, the ECRate, appearing to have ground to a halt, the UK doesn't have to be stuck in the packaging ark, says Schootbrugge. But as straight sided folding containers rapidly become the world standard, only the UK persists in clogging the supply chain with slant walled nesting trays. "Folding containers used to be considered inferior to rigid and nesting crates," says Schootbrugge. "Our latest innovation, the Box2000, is now superior to most crate solutions as it is designed to be used in fully automated environments, supporting supply chain efficiency improvements." Taking a fresh look In the fresh produce department the battle is hotting up between expensive re-usable boxes and one way packaging. Increased efficiency soon pays for the extra investment in returnables in this fast-moving environment, claims Schootbrugge. "Once the crates or containers have become compatible, other solutions like the dolly and a plastic pallet could complement a totally modular and standardised solution. "Fresh produce is normally handled in dedicated chilled warehouses and once all packaging is standardised, these could be changed into fully automated, extremely fast cross-docking centres. With many retailers starting to feel the pressure of a tight labour market, that's a welcome solution." Stuco UK's 60x40cm standard sized folding container is the first ­ and so far only ­ crate that has a fully automated handling capacity of over 1,200 containers an hour, at packing, cross docking, sorting and washing. It also offers a cross stacking facility which is particularly useful when 100x120cm pallets are used. "The biggest challenge in the UK remains convincing retailers that the folding box has now overtaken nesting crate developments and offers greater efficiency, more global perspective and is also easy to use on a national scale," says Schootbrugge. As the major multiples re-engineer the supply chain, inventory has been dramatically reduced, cross docking significantly increased, and demands for shorter time from order to shelf stepped up. All of which has led to a major change in packaging design. "Standardisation and modularity of packaging supports fast handling," says Schootbrugge. "So far solutions have been individually developed, hence the lack of compatibility. Producers and manufacturers have been confronted with handling an enormous range of packaging designs. Modular they often are, compatible they are certainly not. This will have increased logistics costs at production, whereas retailers have reduced theirs," he points out. Thinking big, thinking global Globally there has been enormous growth in the use of returnable folding containers, says Schootbrugge. Box2000 went one step further by offering producers an opportunity to erect them in a fully automated fashion, solving the retail issue of labour intensive hand folding and returns. Cross stacking gives improved stability during transportation and it can be de-palletised, de-stacked, stacked and palletised in a fully mechanised environment. Sanitation and sorting are also automated. "Again, ease of use supports supply chain efficiencies and reduction of costs," says Schootbrugge. "Box2000 is manufactured by our parent company Steiner, but we came up with the design based on our experiences with our previous folding crates. "Steco probably used to have one of the worst folding crate designs in the market. It taught us some hard lessons and probably because of that we did not want to be the Citroen 2VC of the crates ever again. But not a Ferrari either. Box2000 is probably the Mercedes of folding crates as a result." {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}