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Tag: boxes

Craemer box ideal for meat processing company

Posted on by David Priestman

Proving to be extremely robust even at high trip rates, the CB3 pallet box is a combination of pallet and box made by Craemer. A large German-Polish meat processing company discovered this plastic pallet box by chance. It left such a good impression that the company immediately placed an order with the Craemer group’s German headquarters via its representative office in Poland.

Besides being durable, these resistant boxes have to meet the highest hygiene requirements of the kebab producer: They are used to transport animal by-products which are converted into animal feed. After successful test runs, the company is now gradually replacing its entire stock of containers from a competing company whose boxes were previously used and have proven inappropriate for this demanding task.

The Craemer Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of durable logistics and waste disposal solutions with over 60 years of experience in plastics processing. Established in 1912 and now in its fifth generation, this family-owned company operates its headquarters in Germany as well as three other plants in Europe. As a further business field, plastics processing was added to metal processing at the end of the 1950s. Craemer initially manufactured large plastic injection-mould containers. In 1967, the Group obtained a patent for the world’s first one-piece pallet. The portfolio now comprises plastic pallets for a wide variety of requirements as well as a wide range of transport and storage containers – from stacking boxes, round containers and tubs to pallet boxes.

All Craemer products are made of high-quality polyethylene fulfilling the most stringent requirements and excel with their tried and tested quality. Since 2014, the Craemer Group has been operating a representative office in Poland named Craemer GmbH Przedstawicielstwo w Polsce. The daily business consists in the sales promotion of Craemer pallets or pallet boxes as well as plastic containers for storage and transport.

Booming exports

Established in 2008 as a German-Polish joint-venture, the kebab company produces various types of doner kebab – poultry, beef and veal, depending on the customer’s wishes. The founders have years of experience with this grilled meat dish that originally comes from Turkey and which has taken most of Europe and half of the world’s countries by storm. Approved for intra-community trade, the manufacturer also cooperates with many member countries of the European Union.

The company – which boast to be one of the best producers in the industry, striving for the top position in the domestic as well as in the European market – is booming and growing fast. In western Poland, a new production facility has now been opened for processing chicken meat into kebab dishes which are then exported to the Central and Western European markets.

“Our new customer came across Craemer and their plastic pallet boxes in an astonishing way,” explains Arkadiusz Michal Wissuwa, Area Sales Manager Poland. “Another Polish meat processor, whose category 3 abattoir waste goes into animal feed, had already been using several hundred of our light grey CB3 for this purpose. This company was one of our first CB3 customers in Poland, by the way.”

Replacing unstable boxes with CB3

“This customer then systematically replaced the boxes they were using at the time with our CB3,” Arkadiusz Michal Wissuwa continues, “because the pallet boxes are returned empty from the animal feed manufacturer to the meat processing companies every time, sometimes boxes accidentally end up not with the original owner but with other producers of abattoir waste.”

This is how this kebab producer came across Craemer boxes. “They were looking for very stable and hygienic pallet boxes because the competitor’s boxes they had been using broke quickly,” Wissuwa explains. “They soon realised that the CB3 box is much better, very stable and durable, even at high trip rates.”

On the new customer’s part, the requirements concerning the boxes are also very demanding: “Filling them, transporting them over a distance of 100km and more to the next processing site, where they are emptied. The Craemer pallet boxes proved to withstand these challenges, whereas the competitor’s boxes broke quickly during usage.”

Since the market launch of the Craemer pallet box CB3 in 2017, the stable combination of pallet and box made of food-safe polyethylene has been a success. The fact that the load carrier is integral part of the container makes the logistics processes in many industries considerably easier. The CB3 box with the industrial pallet dimension of 1,200mm x 1,000mm and a height of 720mm is made in one piece with three longitudinal runners and has a capacity of 610 litres.

Thanks to its sturdy construction and features, it offers many advantages for daily operations: Additional ribs above the entry openings provide increased impact protection against forklift tines; its smooth inner surfaces ensure easy emptying, simple cleaning and good drying properties; thanks to the three robust runners the box runs smoothly on automated conveyor systems; integrated locking devices at the four corners ensure safe stacking of boxes (stacking cams); optional retrofitting with RFID transponders for tracking the transport and shipping route via radio frequency identification is possible thanks to a special retaining device; a strippled area allows easy attachment and removal of temporary stickers; various fields for prints provide space for individual hot stamping, and the space-saving three-in-two stacking permits efficient use of space during empty transport and storage.

Tried and tested in food industry

Craemer pallet boxes are mainly used in the food processing industry, especially for transporting and storing meat, as well as poultry and fish. Numerous other industries profit from the advantages of CB3, among others the waste disposal and trade sector.

The German-Polish kebab producer needed reliable transport containers in its new plant to transport abattoir waste – chicken bones from its production of grilled poultry – to an animal feed manufacturer. Category 3 waste (animal by-products; ABPs – not suitable for human consumption with the lowest risk level) is subject to high safety and hygiene requirements, even though it may only be processed as ingredient in animal feeds. Searching for a sturdy, high-quality alternative to the currently used more fragile boxes, the management finally found what they were looking for at Craemer.

Easy cleaning and drying

“The CB3 pallet box fully meets the criteria of the kebab producer and also fulfils the legally defined hygiene regulations, of course,” confirms Wissuwa, who is responsible for the sale of Craemer products in western Poland. And what is more, the material prevents chemical reactions when it gets into contact with fats and acids, which is an essential quality feature given the often very fatty animal by-products. Thanks to the smooth inner surfaces, CB3 boxes can be easily cleaned using high pressure with hot water and food-safe chemicals.

Since March 2022, the German-Polish company has been using a few dozen CB3 boxes in basalt grey, which is one of seven standard colours in addition to optional special colours. To distinguish deliveries from different companies, each pallet box was hot-printed with the word “BEST” to identify the owner.

“This imprint is appropriate: Our pallet boxes are simply the best,” says the sales expert from Craemer’s representative office in Poland. Since the CB3 pallet box has continued to prove itself as a safe and sturdy all-rounder in use, the second delivery already took place in autumn 2022. In future, the “best” solution will systematically replace the former boxes until the poultry kebab producer works exclusively with the reliable CB3.

 

Adding value through smart solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

Business, and indeed industry itself, is constantly reacting and evolving, driving the race to discover new ways to gain a competitive advantage. While the focus is often on the ‘what’ — the physical products that come to market — Big Box Group Director Iain Gillard says the way technology is integrated is equally as vital in helping businesses achieve a more profitable future.

Automation has seen strong growth over the last 18 months and its advantages are obvious. Picking, moving and sorting with robotics can help improve efficiencies and, ultimately, the bottom line. But there’s more to it than that, says Iain.

“Businesses face challenges every single day. Often, they want quick, cost-effective solutions to solve it. Depending on what the challenge is, racking, handling equipment, a robot or even an entire building can plug that gap. However, we pride ourselves on delivering smarter solutions — making sure they are fit for purpose but also designed to improve the situation beyond what’s in front of the client.”

Big Box Group has been providing innovative solutions to a variety of businesses, from SMEs to blue chip companies, since its formation over twenty years ago. Its ability to solve complex issues is driven by an analytical and technological approach that is both proactive and creative.

With a wide range of cutting-edge and high-performing products to hand, Big Box Group can integrate exactly what’s needed, allowing any type of business — from manufacturing and warehousing to online fulfilment — maximise their return on investment.

Iain says: “We see the challenge, which we can solve, but we also see the opportunity by looking at the bigger picture. The opportunity to help our clients achieve a better return on investment can often be found in analysing the way they do things, how they use their space and the technology they already have.

“We can deliver market-leading technology. We can give our clients the solution they’re looking for. But the real difference is felt in how it’s all integrated. We look at the bigger picture, and look deeper at the operation, which means we strip things back and examine the challenge from different angles. That’s often when we discover areas where a client can make further gains.”

When a client came to Big Box Group requesting more racking, Iain and his team analysed the existing racking within the warehouse and proposed they reconfigure the space by making their aisles narrower to create a more streamlined and efficient operation, which maximised the footprint of the entire building.

“Sometimes, the solution isn’t as complex or as expensive as the client believes,” says Iain. “It just needs a bit of smart thinking. We’ll take the time to listen, to really understand the issue at hand. That’s how we can deliver an effective solution while also creating opportunities the client never knew they had.”

This approach allows Big Box Group to provide a unique take on a challenging situation. Everything they do is to add value and offer an advantage — all the while making their clients lives easier and simpler.

Iain says: “The tech and the products are one thing, but the creative approach and the integration to know they’re exactly what’s required is the thing that really drives efficiencies and long-term profit. Ultimately, it’s all about getting the right fit and, through our trusted partnerships and innovative approach, we’re perfectly placed to create smart and efficient integrated solutions.”

Toy Story for Packaging

Posted on by David Priestman

Constraints to business expansion, presented by manual packing, lead one international logistics business to invest in fast, fit-to-size automated packaging technology. Established in 2015, Global Freight Management Hersden Ltd is a highly successful international logistics business. Having at the outset secured the Warehousing and Logistics Contract for iconic toy and hobbies brand, Hornby Hobbies, the business has gone on to win a steady stream of clients across the mobile phone, sports equipment and organic food sectors.

From a 120,000 sq ft warehouse in Hersden, Kent, the global logistics services company picks, packs and despatches orders to both trade customers and direct to consumers, across the world. However in 2020, with the explosive growth of ecommerce, the management team quickly came to realise that their highly manual packing operation was a constraint on further expansion of the business.

“We were limited by the fact that there were only so many people that you could get to work in a given space, for so many hours, to pack product,” says, Will Todd, Director and part owner of Global Freight Management Hersden. “We realised that we needed to introduce a level of automation to our packing processes if we were to gain the additional capacity required to take on new clients and develop the business.”

But, for their largest client, Hornby Hobbies, the integrity and quality of the outer packaging was of critical importance, as many of their highly sought after toys and models are purchased by enthusiasts and discerning collectors that seek to retain the original product packaging in mint condition for twenty years or more. A crumpled corner or a scratch to the varnish can be a big issue.
Important considerations for the business were: Could automation deliver the precision and care needed to ensure full protection of the product? And would automation deliver the speed, throughput and productivity levels required to future proof the business?

The solution came in the form of Quadient’s CVP Impack; an advanced automated fit-to-size packaging system, capable of tailor making 500 individual cardboard packages per hour. Will Todd explains: “I read about the CVP Impack in the trade press. It sounded impressive, so I went to see one in operation and realised it was the way to go.”
At the end of July 2020 Quadient’s engineers delivered and installed a CVP Impack automated packaging system, complete with a twin feed for both 600 and 1000 mm cardboard to minimise off-cut waste – the first application of a twin feed CVP Impack in the UK. Will Todd says, “Quadient gave us a delivery date earlier than we were expecting. The machine was unloaded and installed, and within a day perfect boxes were being produced.”

Quadient’s CVP Impack is unique in that it has the potential to construct bespoke individual cardboard boxes to the exact size of an ordered item at the rate of up to of 500 boxes per hour – combining multiple items, as required.

The CVP Impack measures, constructs, tapes, weighs and labels each parcel in one seamless process. The operator simply places the item(s) to be packed onto the machine and scans the order. The system identifies the order and automatically conveys the items to a 3D scanner to measure and calculate the minimum box size required. The cardboard is then cut and folded to create a snug fit around the goods and tape is applied on just two sides to secure the box. Then an in-line scale checks the weight against the order and, finally, the box is automatically conveyed to a label printer where a carrier compliant label is created and applied. The whole process, from start to finish, takes just thirty seconds with a custom made box configured every seven seconds.
“It’s a fabulous piece of kit. It does exactly what was promised. It packs products in the most economically, environmentally friendly and protective way – at high speeds. The packages are perfect for shipping around the world,” says Will Todd.

He points out that although their key reason for investing in the CVP Impack was extra packaging capacity to expand the business, there were several other important benefits too.
“As we are shipping out every order as a box made precisely to the optimum size for the order, we are now using less cardboard – probably around 30% less – which is good from both an environmental and cost view point,” says Will Todd. “And as the boxes are right-sized, that means fewer pallets of boxes being shipped, less lorries on the road and lower emissions – which again brings cost savings.”

The CVP Impack has also freed up labour resources for other tasks, giving greater flexibility across warehouse processes – all part of the business expansion plan.
Will Todd is enthusiastic about the machine’s capabilities and the potential it offers the business. “It’s performing brilliantly. You can’t get much faster in terms of packaging performance and that gives us the capacity to take on more clients.”

More on Quadient’s fit-to-size automated packaging solutions at https://packagingbyquadient.com

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