MARKtoe! SEP 2017 | Page 29

PROMOTIONAL ARTICLE our roads each and every day, this is a significant reduction in waste; the need to cut down trees is reduced, and the farmer is saving money over the long-term, as the crates last much longer than its less durable counterparts. Other advantages relate to the use of the crates. Plastic crates are much easier to handle than wooden ones, where nails and splinters can cause injury to workers and damage the produce. With fresh produce, circulation also helps the goods to last longer, and the design also pre- vents waterlogging, which can be a real problem with cardboard boxes • • • • Crates in volume are not off the shelf products. Crates are manufactured to order. Understand that if you order during peak demand lead time can be extended. We suggest order early to ensure availability when needed. • Berries in particular. Unlike cardboard boxes, plastic crates are strong enough to handle heavy loads, are much easier to carry and transport, and don’t lose their shape or durability in the presence of moisture. Plastic crates can also be easily cleaned and sanitised, whereas wooden crates can be- come contaminated with bacteria or fungus, at which point they would need to be discarded. • Table grapes “All of Precision Plastics crates are manufac- tured with diff erent technology compared to their oppositions which improves the strength considerably.” • Picking stone fruit/ nectarines, etc. & wine grapes • Cold room / collapsible But the real beauty of plastic crates, is the way they are manu- factured to be identical. “Plastic crates are produced by an injection moulding method, which makes them identical to one another,” “Because of their uniformity, they can easily be stacked, saving on floor space, storage space and space in the truck or container, which further saves on trans- portation costs.” “Also important to note,” concludes Edward, “is the fact that it is common practice in the fruit and vegetable industry when possible to load the produce into the crates it will be transported in because this reduces handling and damage.” Established in 1997, Precision Plastics uses innovative technical design and top-quality injection moulding ma- chines to manufacture a massive variety of plastic products, including plastic crates for a multitude of applications. They service the fruit, dairy, wine and other industries and provide crates for everything from milk, berries, stone fruit and wine grape picking crates to collapsible cold room crates. Precision Plastics is continuously increasing its crate range to satisfy various customer’s needs T: +27 (0)21 982 7546 | 12 Teejay Street, Brackenfell Industria, 7560 • Milk Stock available at selected Agrimark stores. MARKtoe! September 2017 29