Canadian firm IPL Material Handling says its SmartCrate 3513-11 meets the demand from the meat industry for ways to ship retail cuts to grocery stores and retail chains.
The crate's thin, ventilated walls also dramatically increase heat transfer from the meat, reducing cool down times, and increasing the shelf life of the meat, the company claims.
"The IPL SmartCrate addresses the meat industry's desire to better control the preparation and packaging of meats, including the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)," IPLstated in its marketing materials. "By preparing meat at case-ready plants, retailers can lessen their losses due to spoilage, ultimately saving money."
The crate is designed to provide more rapid cooling, better product protection, less solid waste, reduced handling labour and better product tracking than one-time use containers for primal cuts ofbeef and pork, the company stated. The crate is an extension of IPL's line of collapsible containers, which can be assembled in two stages.
The crates can be used in manual or automated operations. Crates can be cross-stacked which eliminates the need for film wrap or other packaging to secure the load. The crates are designed withthin straight walls and in some cases contoured walls to maximize space.
The container can be cleaned when it is in the erect position, and also when all walls of the container are folded outward. The crate's fold-out walls allow workers to access the meat contentswithout lifting the containers.