IPL Smartcrate Offers Collapsibility, Better Protection Of Eggs
IPL Material Handling has developed the egg industry's first reusable, collapsible plastic container for transporting eggs from egg grading stations to retailers or food service users. The SmartCrate for Eggs marks the first innovation to egg containers in decades.
Although there are some returnable containers in the market - including wire baskets, plastic baskets and metal wheel carts – none of them offer the innovations that have evolved in returnable containers for other markets. These include collapsibility, offering an excellent return ratio when empty (5:1) and easier storage inside the store; improved cleanliness; and display-ready capability to reduce handling at the retail level. The new crates also offer benefits over traditional single-use containers. The benefits include better ventilation for extended product life; better protection for less breakage of contents; and reduced package waste. The SmartCrate also is compatible with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that can be embedded in future crates for cold chain monitoring and tracking.
"IPL has been very successful in developing state-of-the-art returnable containers for other retail products, such as produce," said Eric Fredrickson, IPL marketing and US sales manager. "We have applied these innovations to the egg industry to create a container that eliminates the cost and labor associated with single use containers, while minimizing handling, storage, freight and maintenance costs for a rapid return on investment."
The crate was developed in collaboration with Veer, a distributor of eggs and other dairy products to the Quebec province. Veer enlisted IPL's help to develop a crate that would reduce breakage by reducing handling at the point of sale and by providing better protection during transportation. "Overall, the program is more cost effective because it reduces breakage and optimizes the pallet," said Jerome Veer, controller and owner of Veer.
The display-ready capability of the SmartCrate reduces handling at the retail level. A removable wall transforms the crate into a counter-ready display, providing excellent presentation and easy access to egg packs for customers and for rapid product rotation.
The SmartCrate also is benefiting those who transport the eggs and employees in the retail stores. "Our first distributor to use the SmartCrate liked it so well that he will not accept any other crates," said Veer. "At the retail stores, the crates are reducing the workload of the dairy clerks."
Veer currently has 2,000 crates in use. The company plans to eventually replace all 15,000 of its current crates with the SmartCrate.
Like all other IPL products, the SmartCrate optimizes the space available on a standard 48" x 40" pallet. Unlike other crates that hold 15 dozen eggs, the SmartCrate holds a total of 18 dozen eggs. In addition, the SmartCrate permits all styles of packages, including dozens, half dozens, 18-egg, 8-egg and 30-egg trays, to be shipped in the same crate, thus optimizing unit load handling. These configurations can be mixed within a single crate. A tight fit within the crate prevents egg breakage while the open top design permits contents to be identified at a glance. The crate meets the OSHA standard of 40-pound maximum weight.
In addition, the rigid plastic walls of the SmartCrate carry all the weight of the load to protect eggs in transit and storage, ensuring better protection of its contents.
"The SmartCrate creates the optimum unit load," said Fredrickson. "It holds the maximum number of eggs, in a variety of configurations, at an optimum weight."
The handles of the SmartCrate are located between cartons so employees can easily pick up the crates without disturbing the contents. The plastic composition of the crates eliminates the rust and potential injury risks associated with wire baskets. The injection molded collapsible container complies with the Canadian Food Agency's HACCP standards.
SOURCE: IPL