- South Africa is a major fruit juice exporter, vastly outshipping other African markets.
- Transporting juice concentrate requires drums that are resilient, reusable and cost-effective.
- Traditional drums are poorly designed for this purpose. But PackSolve Drums’ solution is a breakthrough for the industry.
- PackSolve’s galvanised drums reduce transport and storage demands to a fifth and offer repeat uses without the need for painting or refurbishment.
Main story:
South Africa is a major global fruit and fruit juice exporter. It annually ships over 132.2 million crates of oranges and soft citrus fruits abroad (Source: PPECB/Agrihub). Whole fruits represent the vast bulk of such exports, but the fruit juice industry also plays a significant role. In 2016, SA exported nearly 34,000 tonnes of orange juice (Fruit Juice Focus) – more than the next ten continental exporters combined.
Most juice is transported in large drums over 200 litres each. These drums enable the industry to move large volumes of juice safely across the world. Yet the traditional models they rely on are poorly suited for juice concentrate logistics.
“The juice industry often uses reconditioned, second-hand painted drums,” explained PackSolve’s value chain manager, Jonathan Luff. “But they are picking up so many issues, such as paint flaking and varying drum heights. Once you’ve dented the drum, you have to recondition and paint it again. Such issues escalate costs dramatically.”
PackSolve Drums offers a game-changing alternative. It supplies an average of 220,000 new drums into the market annually, manufacturing a unique packaging solution that delivers incredible new efficiencies.
No more unnecessary refurbishment
The drums from PackSolve are fit-for-purpose to transport juice concentrate. They don’t require frequent refurbishment, and offer a five-fold saving in transport costs.
PackSolve Drums produces galvanised drums, which aren’t as susceptible to visible damage. Galvanised drums can stain, so PackSolve uses an alloy that has minimised-spangle. This avoids stains and other problems while eliminating the need to paint drums. Using this material, PackSolve manufactures drums that deliver enormous savings and conveniences to its customers. Luff explained:
“The drums don’t need to be painted, so they can withstand more damage while remaining operational. Our estimate of 7 to 8 reuses is based on how much damage the drum can take before it’s no longer useful. A painted drum needs to be refurbished after it’s first use. Ours is more sustainable and easier to transport.”
6x transport efficiency
When loading drums on a truck, the space capacity is typically reached long before a truck’s carrying weight. On average, only 360 drums fitted onto a truck, weighing 5.5 tonnes – well short of the truck’s 35-tonne weight capacity. PackSolve’s solution fits more than 2,000 drums onto the same truck – that’s a 5-times improvement.
PackSolve’s drum bodies are bent into kidney shapes. Batched, then grouped on pallets and placed on the truck, the drums are assembled at the customer’s premises using machinery and crews provided by PackSolve. Customers warehouse more drums into less space, and they realise most of the savings.
“Our customers pay for the transport, which means they get the direct savings of shipping so many more drums. We don’t pocket that.”
PackSolve’s solution also reduces the pressure of meeting transport volumes. A single load of 344 drums isn’t enough for a typical customer’s daily requirements, which need at least two such daily truckloads. But PackSolve Drums’ approach reduces that to a delivery every two days.
A revolution for juice transport
The juice industry no longer has to make do with refurbished drums. It doesn’t need to rely on refurbished drums often not suited for transporting juice. PackSolve Drums has the answer.
If you’re still transporting juice using damage-prone drums that need constant babysitting and space, compare the PackSolve Drums solution and revitalise your logistics.
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About Packsolve
PackSolve (Pty) Ltd is the leading industrial packaging solutions provider in Southern Africa, we service the manufacturing, power generation, steel processing and freight & logistics sectors.
Our products and services include;
- A range of crating and shrink-wrapping solutions with no limits to size or mass.
- We provide packaging materials,
- Onsite packing solutions,
- Securing of cargo in shipping containers
- As well corrosion protection solutions.
We continue to develop new and improved products and solutions through our R&D division helping to improve the packaging standards in South Africa. Our main aim is to be the service provider of choice, by delivering innovative packaging solutions which protect our clients’ products & interests, while delivering sustainable benefits to our stakeholders.