Safety imperative pushes up demand

BOOMING DEMAND for crating has
seen bigger and heavier consignments
secured in wooden crates despite lengths
shortages from the mills.
“Many people do not realise you can
put a 21 ton piece of equipment into a
wooden crate,” says Trevor Nel of crating
specialists Tusker Packaging Solutions.
“Ensuring that cargo arrives safely and
intact is paramount, and crating offers
enhanced protection against pilferage and
physical damage.”
Supply issues, however, present a
problem for Nel and his team, who only
use SA pine, kiln-dried and fumigated
according to ISPM15 regulations. Lately
there has been a shortage of timber for
lengths over 6m, says Nel. “There never
used to be a problem sourcing 6.6m
lengths of timber, but much of the longer
structural timber has been absorbed by
the building industry.”
Tusker designs and fits the crate based
on the requirements of the trip. “We need
to anticipate the type of handling that
goes on at the ports and distribution
centres,” says Nel. “We put in narrower
slats or use a full crate to keep fingers
out.”
The company's staff has 30 years of combined experience, but new methods are continually being implemented to provide the strongest configuration as the requirements get heavier. "We steal with our eyes when we get a look at crates packed overseas," says Nel.
"The base is key to the crate," he
added. A three ton weight may snap a
beam in one instance, but turn that beam,
and it will be good for another few tons.
“We are targeting the freight
forwarders and manufacturers, who keep
coming back to us with heavier requests,”
says Nel. “But we are ready for the
challenge and anticipate a strong 2008.”