Reducing the total cost of every product load wrapped
Qualipac is a leading, Australian owned farming business specialising in growing, packing and supplying quality produce throughout Australia and overseas. Started in 1906 by Albert Qualischefski, the business initially had a diverse operation including dairy, growing onions and with a butcher store. Today, the business is run by Russell Qualischefski and his two sons, fourth generation farmers Troy and Bradley. Their product range has been refined over the years and now focus on growing onions, broccoli, and pumpkins.
Qualipac’s facility includes grading and packing equipment, cold storage, ice making and a state of the art 640 tonnes onion drying system. With these facilities, they provide a complete solution, with produce delivered chilled, graded, packed and stored safely every time.
Troy Qualischefski, Director / Owner at Qualipac, said, “Our business is driven by a passionate team of 120 staff in our farming and packing operations. As a team, we pride ourselves on delighting our customers with consistent supply, quality, and service. We are focused on utilising the best, most efficient and sustainable farming methods and practices.”
The Opportunity
Qualipac has over 1,000 hectares of fertile land growing vegetables in South East Queensland, specifically in the Lockyer Valley and Eastern Darling Downs. The company’s operations include harvesting crops by hand and their supply chain is vital to delivering the highest quality fresh produce to family plates across Australia and overseas.
The business utilises a mix of CHEP platforms, including reusable plastic containers (RPCs), bins and wooden pallets to maximise the efficiencies in moving produce between farms, pack houses, and supermarkets.
Focusing on continuous improvement in their operations and unlocking further efficiencies, Qualipac with the support of CHEP identified an opportunity to move from a hand wrapping operation to a machine pallet wrapping solution. This solution helped improve load stability, reduce damage, unlock cost savings and improve safety performance.
The Solution
To progress this opportunity in their supply chain, Qualipac and CHEP worked together, going through the following phases involved in the development of a tailored load containment and pallet wrapping solution:
+ Learn – Working together, CHEP evaluated Qualipac’s current load containment system to understand their needs and desired outcomes.
+ Analyse – The CHEP team provided comparisons of Qualipac’s current equipment and processes with recommendations.
+ Implement – CHEP supported the planning and deployment of Qualipac’s preferred solution.
+ Maintain – Once the system was up and running, CHEP managed all of Qualipac’s maintenance and wrap inventory needs.
As part of the load containment and pallet wrapping solution, the CHEP team supported Qualipac with equipment selection, procurement, installation, maintenance, and the machine pallet wrap film. Based on consultations and tests including a cut and weigh procedure, the CHEP Lantech Q300 Semi Auto Tall Mast was implemented with specially selected machine film.
Mr Qualischefski said, “CHEP’s platforms help us achieve efficient, profitable and sustainable product movements. We have also been able to unlock even greater efficiencies with high-quality stretch wrapping. The platforms and solutions from CHEP supports our fast turnaround times, reduces the total cost of every product load we wrap, plus complements our sustainable farming practices and focus on superior produce quality across the supply chain.”
The Results
Speaking about partnering with CHEP, utilising reusable platforms and load containment solutions for produce flows, Mr Qualischefski said, “CHEP is a key partner within our supply chain that supports us with quality platforms and solutions that we use to efficiently and sustainably store and move our fresh produce.
“By using CHEP’s load containment and pallet wrapping solution we have saved over 33%* in costs compared to our previous process of hand wrapping. We have also experienced direct labour savings, film savings, waste reduction and productivity improvements. The solution is also really flexible and simple, as CHEP provides the machine and we only pay for what we use, which frees up capital for us to invest in our core business.”
Qualipac also benefits from CHEP’s platform management solution. Led by Nantes Robberts, Business Relationship Manager, Fresh at CHEP Australia and supported by Shawn Maloney, Business Manager, Load Containment and Safety, the team provides ongoing advice and guidance to help ensure tight controls are maintained on platforms and supply chain performance is optimised. This support involves regular site visits, performance reviews, sharing of best practices and assistance in reporting on cycle times and flow through ratio.
Mr Qualischefski said, “The support we receive from CHEP is 10 out of 10 – they are always there to support us. With this support, we are optimising supply chain performance, improving the environment and reducing costs.”
* Calculated by CHEP on 31 May 2018
Case study link: https://www.chep.com/au/en/fresh/case-study-qualipac