"At least once in your life you will need a doctor, policeman or priest. But every day, three times a day, you need a farmer."
This famous saying emphasises the importance of agriculture. Did you know that it is a source of income for 60 percent of people all over the world? The constantly growing population poses enormous challenges to agriculture, which are becoming more and more efficient and specialised. This means that farms are constantly transforming, specialising and working more and more often using modern agricultural and logistic solutions.
The constant development of farms is conducive to the fact that the crops are more abundant, and the work itself is more effective and less tiring. At the same time, the costs of transporting the produced food and the method of its storage must be taken into account, so that it meets high quality standards.
With increasing government regulation of food products, proper food packaging has become crucial in the processing of fruit and vegetable materials as well as other food applications. In Rotom, we have been cooperating with companies from the agricultural sector for years and we are constantly trying to improve the quality of packaging to meet the needs of producers. Let's take a look at the benefits of using packaging specifically adapted to agricultural use.
Wooden pallets together with collars form practical boxes
Pallets are the basic logistic carrier necessary in every industry. The most common Wooden Pallets are 1200x800mm and 1200x1000mm. Used together with wooden pallet collars, they create practical wooden boxes in which you can safely store the transported vegetables and fruits
On the other hand, independent used wooden collars can be used in horticulture for forcing and growing plants. You can use them on a discount or on their own. Wooden extensions can be folded, so they take up less space in transport or storage
Wooden boxes and extensions can also be used as containers for storing root vegetables and apples. The collars and wooden pallets are IPPC-certified, which makes them suitable for export and guarantees heat treatment.
Openwork wooden boxes, i.e. structures built specifically in a 1: 2 ratio, are frequently used containers for storing vegetables or fruit in cold rooms. You can transport them from place to place using special platform trolleys, which greatly facilitate the work due to the quick transport of small loads within the warehouse.
Openwork containers are a guarantee of good ventilation
The packaging used in the fruit and vegetable sector must guarantee the freshness and quality of products that are transported from the field straight to the stores. Food producers and processors certainly see the enormous potential of this product range. Euro plastic stacking containers can be successfully used in trade between producers and chains, as well as for export.
With the transport of vegetables and fruit in mind, it is worth knowing the advantages of a perforated plastic container. The super light openwork fruit container is equipped with a ventilated base and walls, which ensures better air access - making it easier to transport the fruit from the field to the cold store. Made of polypropylene, it has a reinforced base and straight-sided walls that are designed to hold the fruit baskets securely in place without crushing delicate fruit. Moreover, it is easy to clean and dry, and the ventilated walls increase air circulation around the stored products.
Folding perforated boxes come in many sizes. They are practical, and this is due to the fact that the materials used can be quickly cleaned and, at the same time, are resistant to friction and detergents. Their great advantage is that they are foldable. This feature offers huge savings when shipped back from store to manufacturer for reuse.
The perforated structure ensures excellent air flow, which guarantees quick drying of the box after cleaning, but also prevents the formation of moisture dangerous for food inside the container. These containers also have comfortable handles and smooth edges, which promotes comfortable work. Small containers can be used both during harvesting, storage and transport to processing plants or distribution points, as well as as part of the display at the point of sale.
Plastic containers are very often used in agriculture due to the fact that the plastic has a smooth surface that does not absorb liquids, which reduces the risk of contamination by pests and bacteria. On the other hand, the ventilation slots, which improve air flow and reduce heat absorption, keep the products cool and fresh. They are recommended in cold stores and freezers and wherever high air circulation is required.
The containers are designed to meet the unique requirements of farmers, packers and retailers in approved and high-quality plastic and a wide range of functions. Thanks to their standard dimensions, Euro containers adjust to the dimensions of the pallet on which they are transported. For example, 36 perforated containers can be placed on a Euro pallet, stacking up to 2400mm high.
Plastic pallets can withstand a heavy load
Agricultural equipment has to withstand quite difficult and very changeable conditions all year round, regardless of the weather. This is one of the main reasons why plastic boxes are so often chosen as containers for transporting vegetables and fruits. The boxes are made of durable HDPE plastic, so the 1200x1000mm plastic fruit boxes are completely resistant to weather and environmental conditions. They also guarantee stable dimensions and constant weight.
The purchase of these products is a profitable investment because thanks to their durability, the box-pallets can work in difficult conditions for many years. The box can have a full or openwork structure, which ensures constant access of fresh air and adequate ventilation of the transported products. Perforated boxes are most often used in the transport of food products, including vegetables and fruit.
The main advantages of the fruit crates:
- Savings in storage space thanks to the possibility of stacking.
- The material from which the containers are made is not conducive to the growth of fungus on plastic crates, so it prevents fruit rotting.
- Automated smooth emptying process and sorting system
- When the need arises, empty fruit boxes can be stored outside, creating additional free space in the warehouses.
Many growers prefer the 1200x1000x760 mm container type for harvesting larger fruits such as grapes, apples and pears, as well as vegetables that are harvested in the fall. Providing an impressive capacity of 610 liters, this type of box is a perfect solution for collecting unwanted products, the so-called discards or waste.
Maintain the right temperature by using refrigerated containers
If you are involved in food distribution, you certainly know how important it is to keep your products in top condition. To take care of products sensitive to temperature changes during transport and unloading, isothermal refrigerated containers are used. These products are often necessary in food supply chains from warehouses and cold stores to delivery points or any other logistics networks. They are ideal for keeping cold chains in transport, avoiding exceeding the temperature during delivery. Additionally, cooling inserts (passive cold) for containers can be used to keep the temperature low.
Refrigerated containers enable the simultaneous transport of chilled, frozen and dry products (food or non-food products); integration of frozen foodstuffs in vehicle refrigeration. The design complies with the ATP sanitary requirements.
Practical and safe transport of plants
Danish Plant Container Trolley
Do you have a greenhouse or a flower shop? You will appreciate the advantages of the Danish plant trolley. This mobile flower rack is widely used in many European countries as an excellent trolley for transporting flowers and potted plants.
A solid structure built on a durable base has 3 shelves for plants. The wheels are specially prepared for heavy loads. Both the frame and masts are made of electroplated metal to prevent rusting, while the shelves are laminated wood panels. If necessary, the unused flower rack can be folded up for transport or storage.
A double-walled roll container with a flexible solution for the transport of vegetables and fruits.If you want to transport agricultural products packed in both disposable cardboard packaging and plastic boxes, it is worth using a 2 sided roll container. This mesh trolley with wheels has side walls on only 2 sides of the support platform. This facilitates the loading of heavy and bulky products and facilitates the unloading of stacked boxes. This trolley has a nesting structure that favors the storage of the container one into the other so as to save on the storage place.
React flexibly under changing conditions
Agriculture is a unique industry in which fluctuations in demand and supply are frequent and depend on various factors such as harvest or lack thereof, market prices, harvest seasonality, etc. Given this, it is important to have available stocks of products in the right place and time in a systemic way to react quickly to changes. If you don't want to make expensive purchases of pallets, containers or roll containers right away, consider rental of the packaging. It guarantees flexibility in the supply chain and relieves you from the cost of keeping empty packages off season. If you would like to learn more about the rental service, our specialists will be happy to answer your questions.
