Global trends bring hangertainers to SA

GLOBAL TRENDS in the transport of clothing are finding their way to South Africa as shipping lines position purpose-built hangertainers in the local market. Currently hanging garments are transported in generic blackracks, general purpose (GP) containers with stand-alone steel rails. A hangertainer is a container equipped with additional parts, namely tracking, rails, plastic plugs and a storage rack. Metal tracking is fitted at four levels along both sides of the container. The tracking has keyhole slots which support the hangertainer rails. The rails are fixed into the keyhole slots and garments can be loaded directly onto the hangtainer rails. Plastic plugs are inserted into the keyhole slots to prevent the rail from moving out of position during transit. Each rail has a retaining bar to hold the hangers firmly in place and the retaining bar is secured in position over the hangers by velcro straps. Rails are stored in the storage rack when not used. Difference Blackracks are often incorrectly referred to as hangertainers, but the main difference between the two is that the racks form part of the structure of a hangertainer, making it more secure for cargo. The interior of the container is lined with polythene sheeting to provide protection for garments, and packets of silica gel (drybags) are inserted in the container to absorb moisture. Six packets of silica gel are used per 20ft container and 12 packets per 40ft. Each rail can hold a maximum of 250 kg of garments. Garments can either be loaded directly onto the rail or can be suspended from strings and in this case a number of garments can hang from one string (if knotted correctly). If it exceeds the maximum weight of 250kg of garments, two rails holding a total weight of 500 kg are used. Exporters should remember that they can configure the container the way they prefer in terms of the number of tiers, rails, strings and knots needed. Quick checklist for clothing exporters: l Is the container configured according to your request? l Does the interior of the container have polythene sheeting on all sides? l Are there six or 12 packets of silica gel placed inside the container? l Is the rail's retaining bar securely in place on top of the hangers? l Are all the plugs in place? l Are the velcro straps tightly fastened? l Has each rail been loaded with less than 250 kg for single rails and less than 500 kg where double rails are used? Dalena Smit Guidelines from P&O Nedlloyd's cargo care specialist Dalena Smit to help shippers to get their goods to market safely.