| Ship product,
not pallets
With today’s focus on reducing costs and conserving our environment, slip sheets offer solutions to many of the dilemmas faced by food processors and distributors. Slip Sheets take up minimal storage space, are lightweight, low cost,
free from biosecurity concerns, made of recycled and plastic and perform just as effectively in handling as wooden pallets.
New Zealand exporters are faced with three primary distribution packaging challenges in today’s competitive environment:
-Reducing freight cost
-Optimising space utilisation
-Reducing impact on environment/carbon footprint.
The effectiveness of slip sheets in meeting these challenges is reflected in the growing interest by food manufacturers in particular.
What are slip sheets?
Slip sheets are strong, durable, flat, recycled polyethylene sheets used as the platform for unitising, handling, storing and shipping. The basic slip sheet design consists of a load area, corresponding to the unitised product load size and tabs that extend beyond the product along one or more sides of the sheet.
Slip sheets can be used repeatedly; they are manufactured to ISO specifications from recycled plastic and are in turn recyclable. Ship sheets are hygienic and bypass the requirements of international biosecurity and phytosanitary laws (ISPM 15).
How do they work?
Unitised product is stacked on the slip sheets exactly as on pallets. A special attachment called a push/pull unit grips the slip sheet tab and pulls the unitised product load onto two wide supporting platens. To off-load, the unit gently pushes the sheet and product, while the forklift backs away, so the loaded slip sheet slides off in place.
Key benefits
-Improving the bottom line begins immediately for shippers converting from wooden pallets to slip sheets.
-Plastic slip sheets cost less (1/10)
--More product per FCL, reducing per unit freight cost
--Less carbon emissions for same amount of product shipped.
Payback
A modest equipment investment is needed to begin shipping on slip sheets. Those moving more than five container loads of palletised goods/month can quickly recoup the capital investment through savings in freight and handling costs.
There are many additional benefits in converting to slip sheets. Slip sheets require less valuable storage space than pallets. One hundred slip sheets can be stored in the space taken by one wooden pallet.
Product damage is often created by wooden pallets. Problems such as popped nails, product overhang, collapsed runners and faulty pallet construction, all lead to product damage and ultimately insurance claims. Disposing of wooden pallets has always been a dilemma. Astron’s 100 per cent recycled plastic slip sheets are re usable and if damaged or no longer required are recyclable.
With international biosecurity and phytosanitary laws (ISPM 15), the treatment of wooden packaging materials adds cost and also possibility of delays at port for documentation or inspections. Slip sheets eliminate any of these concerns. Making a small innovative change to Astron’s slip sheets means big savings in shipping and handling costs.
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Fresco expands pneumatic conveyer range
Fresco Systems Australasia have expanded their extensive range of pneumatic conveying systems by the addition of the V-Tec hopper loader range. The versatile V-Tec system comes in seven different sizes and in either pneumatic or electric controlled versions.
 With capacities up to 9,000kg/hr and distances up to 30m it complements the larger Fresco pneumatic conveying systems. The V-Tec is ideally suited to the filling of packing machines, tablet presses, blenders, metering screw feeders and any other similar process systems. It can handle powders, granules, tablets and any other sticky free or non free flowing material. The multi stage vacuum pump is powered by compressed air and generates vacuums up to -92kpa.
The V-Tec is ideally suited to hazardous dust areas where traditional electrical equipment is expensive and untidy. The inbuilt pneumatic control system allows for a free standing unit which requires a single compressed air supply only. Conveying, discharge and dwell times are easily setup by the operator using the three dial knobs in the control cabinet mounted on the side of the hopper. The cycle timing is adjusted during initial setup matching the product conveyed and the system through-put rate.
The V-Tec system can convey product from drums, 20-25kg bags, bulk bags or bag dump hoppers by utilising either a pickup wand or hopper charging adaptor. The conveying air flow can be manually adjusted to allow either lean or dense phase conveying. This minimises product degradation and line wear while maximising system through-put. The conveying cycle is a cyclic process filling the hopper then discharging at preset intervals.
The tangential inlet transition causes a cyclonic effect on the incoming product separating the product and conveyed air. The air then passes through the filter, multistage vacuum pump and out to atmosphere. The hopper exhaust valve opens discharging product into the down stream process below. The system continues until a signal is received closing the supply pneumatic air solenoid valve.
The V-Tec hopper loaders weigh from 10-36kg making them extremely light and transportable. Each unit can be easily dismantled into smaller more manageable sections allowing ease of relocation and cleaning by a single operator. The side mounted quick release clips provide extremely fast access and reassembly to all sections of the V-Tec hopper loader. Silicon seals ensure hygienic sealing between each section.
For further information contact:
Fresco Systems Australasia,
visit: www.frescosystems.com
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