Polymer Logistics wins at FreshAwards 2018 for the deployment of its Cleanpal polypropylene pallet in the fresh produce supply chain
19 June 2018 – Polymer Logistics, a leading international provider of ‘One-Touch/Retail Ready Packaging (RRP)’ Solutions, has been named a winner at FreshAwards 2018 in Supply Chain Excellence as best Business Service Partner. The FreshAwards presentations were held at the Pavilion at the Tower of London on Tuesday 5 June 2018. The gala evening drew around five hundred attendees, and was hosted by Shane Richie, popular TV actor and presenter.
“All FreshAwards winners and finalists are trailblazers for the industry, setting a high standard of excellence,” stated Nigel Jenney, Chief Executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium. “The FreshAwards are the ultimate accolade from the UK fresh produce industry. We are delighted to recognise strong leadership, innovation and business acumen among this year’s finalists and winners.”
As a trailblazing finalist in the Business Service Partner category, Polymer Logistics competed against a broad range of companies that support the fresh produce and floral sector, including providers of packaging, logistics, IT, machinery and more.
Polymer’s winning entry showcased Cleanpal, the hygienic reusable pallet that weighs only half as much as a dry wood pallet while performing substantially above its weight class regarding overall supply chain benefits. While wood pallets have remained largely unchanged for over half a Century, innovative Cleanpal pallets are poised to offer urgently needed supply chain improvements in terms of cleanliness, space utilization, ease of handling, reduced environmental cost impact and cost savings.
In a ten-month project, which involved a full-time team of ten employees and a significant investment, Cleanpal pallets were utilised in a highly successful field to retail supply chain application that involved Freshlinc, Poskitts, D.E. Brand and Asda. Harvest workers enjoyed the ease of pallet handling in the field, while operators appreciated the easy fork entry. The free underdeck provides a larger opening than found in wooden pallets. No shifting or loss of palletised product was recorded, as load stability was enhanced by the use of interlocking trays.
Material handlers remarked on how Cleanpal can be easily lifted and stacked manually, as well as nested to optimise the space utilisation. Three times as many empty pallets can be transported on a single lorry and only a third of the storage space is required.
Adrian Dale: “We are delighted to have been acknowledged at the extremely prestigious and highly competitive FreshAwards 2018,” stated Adrian Dale of Polymer Logistics. “We are blown away by all of the participants, and the value they collectively create for the fresh supply chain. We look forward to the 2019 competition.
The fresh produce industry knows only too well the inherent issues that arise from conventional pallets, from a space, safety and food hygiene perspective. Cleanpal provides a paradigm shift in terms of overall benefits for the fresh produce supply chain.”