Cold Link Africa November / December 2019 | Page 16

PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
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There is a monorail that moves
throughout the packhouse to allow them
to pack different weights and sizes. This
can be set and adjusted as required.
Each packer earns a daily wage as well
as a bonus for production. Each box
gets weighed afterwards before being
palletised. This prevents some people
packing slower than others for the same
pay. All the scales are linked to a computer
and monitored. There are TVs throughout
the packing store with an almost leader
board situation to show who has packed
the most. This helps motivate the staff to
keep up and reach their targets.
Everything is carefully monitored.
Even if there is something wrong with a
box when it arrives overseas, they can
trace back who packed that box. This
was a new system they implemented a
few years back and has been a game
changer for quality control.
Perishable Products Export Control
Board (PPECB) inspectors come through
the store about three times a day to
inspect product as well. They must put
their sticker on every batch and make
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the cutting out and packing is all done by
sure that the quality is up to scratch.
women. The palletising is done by men. About 60% of the product goes out
There are 102 stations which can pack a in punnets. This is easier to manage and
total of 112 pallets a day, or 20 000 boxes offers more protection for the product.
of 4.5kg. There is demand for 600 000 Once packed, the pallets are pulled to
boxes per season. force coolers to cool the grapes down
Each woman pulls a crate and
cuts out the bad or marked grapes
to 0 o C in 12 hours.
before putting the rest in a box. Quality COOLING REQUIREMENTS
control is quite stringent and for every In the packing store itself, the humidity
five packing tables, there is someone must be controlled or else the boxes
inspecting quality and checking that would get damp and lose their integrity
the cutting out was done correctly. if the humidity is too high. As such, the
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1 & 2 : The grapes that are cut out are put into crates and transported for other uses.
3 & 4: About 350 women will process and pack the grapes when operating at full

capacity. Although there are men working in the pre-cooler side, the cutting out

and packing is done by women.
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www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
Evaporate coolers were supplied by Evapco.
COLD LINK AFRICA • November/December 2019