Replacing wood pallets and slip sheets with plastic pallets
is the answer to many tough situations in the meat, poultry and frozen food
industries. But what is the most effective way of getting the product on
those plastic pallets?
Let us introduce you to the Gaylord Transfer System. This system allows
companies to transfer incoming product to plastic pallets. And equally important
allows slaughterhouses to transfer off of plastic pallets before shipping.
In other words it is a labor saving and cost effective way to move product
off of and on to the ever-efficient plastic pallet. The Gaylord Transfer
System allows companies to move product to plastic pallets thus improving
plant EFFICIENCY, RAISING FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS and
LOWERING OVERALL COST.
Efficiency:
Most further processing plants receive combos or boxed product from a large
number of slaughter plants. Many times the processing plant can request
that the product arrives a specific way, ( 1 ) On a higher quality number
#1 wooden pallet, ( 2 ) Slip- sheeted so it can be pulled onto an in house
pallet, or ( 3 ) Floor loaded then unloaded onto another pallet. However,
the reality is most product arrives on an inferior, dirty number # 2 pallet
with broken boards and exposed nails. If not that, the corrugated slip sheets
tear when wet with blood or other moisture and the floor loaded product
is labor intensive to load and unload. The Gaylord transfer system allows
companies to receive product on any type of pallet, wood, CHEP or rental
pallet. Slip sheets are no longer necessary. A quick transfer on
the loading dock and the incoming pallet can be sent back with the truck
driver.
Slaughter plants can use plastic pallets in production areas as they fill
combos to prevent contamination, then transfer to a specific pallet for
shipping to further processing plants.
Food Safety:
At the further processing plant, trim and muscle in combos are dumped into
a stainless steel vat or auger for mixing or further processing. Dirt, splinters
and debris from the wooden pallets are also dumped into this vat. The transfer
to clean plastic pallets prevents getting this wood residue into this mixture.
With the use of clean in-house plastic pallets in both production and storage
areas, you can reduce or eliminated the threat of deadly food borne pathogens,
such as Listeria, E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella.
The Gaylord transfer system can be built with stainless steel or stainless/galvanized
construction for wash down. The stainless steel can resist corrosion in
most acids, alkaline solutions and chlorine bearing environments. The easy
cleaning ability of stainless makes it the first choice for strict hygiene
conditions. The bright, easily maintained surface of stainless steel provides
a modern and attractive appearance. Stainless steel needs less maintenance
and its hygienic qualities means that you do not have to use harsh cleaners
to get a clean surface.
Economics:
Meat is bought and sold by the pound. Thousands of dollars are lost due
to inconsistent tare weights of the wooden pallets or leaky plastic liners
because of rips from nails or splinters. Damage free combo transfers, either
from wood to plastic (incoming) or plastic to wood (outgoing) can be done
with the Gaylord transfer system. Consistent plastic pallet tare weights
mean precise weighing of combos. The elimination of wood means no ripped
plastic liners and thus no lost weight.
Floor loaded product with slip sheets often become contaminated or unusable.
Many older refrigerated trucks floors were not well insulated. Heat transfers
from the road asphalt to the bottom of the trailer. When the combo arrives
at the production plant, temperature probes show that meat at the bottom
of combos can be 5°-10° higher than the rest of the combo. This
leads to a high rate of product returns. Gaylord transfer system allows
product to be transferred to a proper pallet for shipping, thus eliminating
this serious problem.
First of all the Gaylord System can be used with any type of plastic pallet,
nestable, double faced and three runner. The plastic pallet does not have
to be the same height as the wooden pallet, which has always been a requirement
of push style transfer units.
The Gaylord Transfer System is currently in use at Lopez Foods, Doskocil
Foods of Hutchinson, Kansas and Lundy Packing among others. Its performance
receives daily praise because it eliminates so many problems and also makes
good sense, not to mention a good deal of financial savings. Isn't that
what it's all about? Clean, efficient, safe and and money saving. Maybe
this is what Mrs. Robinson was seeing in the future, plastics and how best
to utilize them. "Here's to you Mrs. Robinson." |