IMHX Show Prize

We love nothing more than seeing our returnable packaging in action. If you’re visiting IMHX don’t miss out on the opportunity to win a Nikon Coolpix L330. Take part in our supply chain poll for your chance to win our show prize, a perfect solution for taking photos of your supply chain packaging in action. Visit stand 8A28 to find out more*. 

Click here to register for your show pass. 

*Entries to be scanned, registered and completed on the PPS stand 8A28. A winner will be selected at random and notified by Friday 23rd September.

Back on the road

After a redesign and makeover our PPS lorries are back on the road. As part of our partnership with local haulier Jeffreys Group, we have rebranded the PPS  trailers. 

                                      

The new sharp image and logo is sure to catch the eye as it shows the supply chain cycle associated with The Complete Package. The simple design speaks for itself as it draws in your attention to exactly what PPS are about, Returnable Packaging Specialists. The back doors are crisp and simple highlighting our contact details and website. 

It was an ideal time to review this project in line with our recent warehouse move and image rebranding.

If you see our trailers out on the roads delivering greener supply chains, be sure to tweet us @PPSMidlands. 

Meet the Team - Hannah Swinson

Name: 

Hannah Swinson

When did you join PPS? 

20^th April 2015

What was your first ever job?

My first job was milking cows, I live very rural and it fit in well whilst being at college.

How do you take your tea?

Strong, milk, no sugar.

What is your favourite food?

Peanut butter on toast.

What are your hobbies?

I have a horse which takes up a lot of my spare time, however I like to explore new places and socialise often with friends.

Factory Tour In Pictures- Drying Room

To many industries it's a key stage in the laundering of boxes and returnable packaging. As part of our move to Marchington we dedicated a section of our warehouse space to build a facility so we can ensure the highest levels of drying are achieved. 

Why do we take so much care with drying you may wonder...

It is crucial that where required equipment is returned spotless, especially in the automotive, retail and removals industry where the boxes will then be packed with valuable goods.

We've installed an industrial heater and humidity reduction units to create the ideal environment for water evaporation. This allows for efficient volume throughput.

Boxes are often manufactured with a collar and lip which is why we also rotate the units for maximum exposure.

 If we can wash it, we'll also dry it!

PPS INVEST IN THE FUTURE WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW ENGINEER

Returnable Packaging specialists PPS have made an investment towards the future of its operations team with the appointment of an in house engineer. With continued growth over previous years and future plans in place, PPS needed to look at a more cost effective and efficient service strategy for maintaining its state of the art wash equipment. Whilst outsourcing this work provides you with expert knowledge and a point of communication should a problem occur, quality service providers can prove to be busy and difficult to commit to your time frames.

The benefits of employing an experienced engineer can outweigh the costs and at times the hassle involved with external contractors. The complexity of the machines requires regular routine maintenance and improvements to ensure a high operating level of efficiency. For PPS the greatest advantage is gaining an enhanced knowledge of the machinery and the ability to react before the production of the wash plant if effected.

 “We understood the skill level and positive attitude required which made Alan the perfect candidate for the role. Having committed substantial financial investments towards new machinery it is essential that we have the facility in place to preserve the longevity of the assets. As we work to build a quality team for the future, Alan's 40 years of knowledge is proving invaluable,” commented Operations Director Andy Flynn.

Also speaking with Alan, he reported “it gave me the opportunity to work with a focused and driven company. As an engineer I’m passionate about ensuring all machines are working to full capacity and delighted to take ownership of this role.”

This investment for PPS enables them to continue to offer a high standard of hygienic washing of returnable packaging at their BRC approved facilities. Currently servicing a high calibre of customers from various industries including food, retail and automotive, PPS are committed to building improved services for the future.

To find out more about the wash services available contact PPS on 01283 821502.

Factory Tour In Pictures- Washing

At PPS washing is not a dirty subject it's what we do best! Both of our equipment wash sites hold BRC accreditation in warehouse and distribution ensuring hygiene is of the highest standard. We take our equipment cleaning seriously which is why we have made substantial investments into modern machinery. 

We are able to offer washing to a variety of industries with the infrastructure we have in place. Take a look at our wash tour below to see for yourself. 

Our main wash line is less than 12 months old and cleaning around 3,000 crates per hour. 

Trays are decanted at the 

dirty end.....

...cleaned through our

 high pressure system...

...and re stacked at the clean end. 

Our other wash line sits proudly alongside the new machine giving us capacity to meet growing customer demand.

Our trio of machines is completed with our pallet wash line. 

Originally installed to clean and maintain our own pool, we now also clean customers own plastic pallets to food industry standards with a high pressure wash and rinse.

For those trickier pieces...we know that returnable equipment comes in all shapes and sizes which is why we built our own industrial wash bay to cater for bespoke and larger packaging. 

The high pressure wash and chemicals work their magic on heavy soiling and label removal. 

Washing to such a high standard means we also need to keep the equipment protected when in storage and transit. Our automated pallet wrap machine is very efficient and also prevents our warehouse staff from getting dizzy!

Once wrapped the stack is then barcoded with traceability labeling. 

We take great pride in our wash service which is why we have committed to our future with the employment of an in house engineer in order to conduct regular services and inspections on the machinery to protect the longevity of our assets.

Have you got dirty crates, trays, boxes, totes, pallets or Dolavs? We'd love to have them in for a wash- call us on 01283 821 502 to organise your trial.

Meet the Team- Claire Bourke

Name: Claire Bourke.

When did you join PPS? 1^st September 2014.

What was your first ever job? Waitress.

What is your favourite food? Chocolate hobnobs.

What are your hobbies? Going to the gym and reading.

PPS Welcomes New Members to the Team

In recent years the market for Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP) has grown considerably as the financial and environmental benefits become apparent. As a result PPS, an experienced provider of RTP services, has experienced continued growth. To accommodate this growth PPS has relocated their head office to much larger more modern premises in Marchington, Uttoxeter.  

Since the move in June PPS have appointed two new members of staff to work in the offices.  Karen Bradbury has joined the operation team as the Operations Assistant. She will be largely working on our full service customer accounts and using our online asset tracking system, Enable. The management of equipment is of upmost importance when using returnable equipment and the Enable system prevents losses.

Claire Bourke is the newest member of the accounts department where she will be working as the Accounts Assistant. Claire will be liaising with customers and suppliers on a regular basis.

PPS Managing Director David Peggie commented ‘We are delighted to welcome both Karen and Claire to our growing team. This is an exciting time for PPS as we grow to meet our customers increasing demand for RTP services.

At PPS we supply Returnable Transit Packaging solutions to the food, automotive, retail and removals industry. The services that we provide include the rental, management, repair and washing of plastic boxes, crates and pallets. 

We have expanded our team to continue to offer our customers with the excellent customer service that they expect from PPS.’

When Sales Met Ops

Normally your first port of call when contacting PPS with sales enquiries, Lucy recently switched roles and spent time working in our operations team over the summer to help assist with the day to day reporting while the team continues to grow since our move to Marchington.

With our warehouse operating 24/7 and thousands of equipment movements each week, it is essential that the day to day tasks are up to date on Enable, stock sheets and wash reports.

“It was an ideal opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the business and the varied aspects involved in running the warehouse operationally. Having been using Enable for over 4 weeks, you appreciate how essential this system is for our business and see ways in which other customers could benefit from using it.

Whilst it was a great experience I am now looking forward to getting back into the sales vibe, catching up with customers and seeing many more as we start to look ahead to upcoming events, exhibitions and the New Year.” 

PPS in Marchington

Last weekend saw the move of our PPS Midlands site relocate from Measham in Leicestershire to Marchington in Staffordshire. The move has more than doubled our capacity enabling us to increase our services to existing customers and welcome many more new ones on board.

Our Operations Director has spent month’s onsite with our construction team from Skubala Ltd who have converted the empty space into a fully functioning wash plant, office space and repairs unit with a brand new gas supply, wash machines, loading docks, security barriers, lighting, extractor fans and much more. They have ensured all structures and functions are in place for it to be a successful setup for PPS.

A large part of our move was warehouse based but we still had the challenge of moving an operational office. Having our own crates and handling equipment on hand was a huge benefit so we could pack as and when and select the correct size crate for the application. The plastic crates proved ideal with their durability as nothing was damaged, they stacked perfectly in storage and transport and were easy to nest and store away once emptied.

We owe a huge thank you to Britannia Premier in Burton on Trent whose team made our move as smooth as possible and even worked on a Saturday.

Here’s to the next chapter of Returnable Transit Packaging with PPS. 

Meet the Team- Joanne Moss

Name: Joanne Moss.

When did you join PPS? April 2010.

  

What is your role at PPS? Sales and Marketing Director.

What was your first ever job? I was an internet shopper at Sainsbury’s.

How do you take your tea? Very milky, no sugar.

  

What is your favourite food? I love curry and most cheeses!

  

What are your hobbies? I enjoy going to the gym, reading and going to the theatre.

Could PPS improve your supply chain sustainability?

PPS are specialists in the world of Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP) and have many years experience in the field.

Our expertise ensures we are able to work closely with you to develop and implement a sustainable supply chain strategy to fit your company requirements, whilst also working towards waste legislation targets.

It is important across all sectors to review the sustainability of your supply chain in order to consider the key issues of economic growth, social impacts and environmental protection.

New developments through RTP is an important drive towards sustainability.

We are continually noticing increases in companies wanting to move away from single trip packaging such as cardboard boxes and polystyrene, to consider their RTP options through bale-arm crates, tote boxes, pallet boxes and other equipment.

The use of RTP will reduce your carbon emissions through lessening the disposal of packaging and transport with maximised design for storage on vehicles.

With the benefits of full service management and tracking systems, PPS are able to deliver an efficient supply chain while maximising your opportunities for sustainability.
 

Meet the Team- Andy Flynn

Name: 

Andy Flynn.

When did you join PPS? 

October 2003.

  

What is your role at PPS? 

Operations & Logistics Director.

  

What was your first ever job? 

Trainee Manager in a Fuel Oil Distribution Company.

  

How do you take your tea? 

In a mug!

  

What is your favourite food? 

Roast Lamb and Chinese.

  

What are your hobbies? 

Sqn Ldr in RAFVR(T) working with Royal Air Force Air Cadets,  Duke Of Edinburgh Award Scheme Manager for Central & East Region & Season Ticket Holder at Leicester Tigers RFU.

Is Tray Washing a dirty subject?

Tray Washing at PPS

At PPS it’s not – it’s what we do every day!

We wash thousands of supermarket style bale arm trays 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

We do this because our customers don’t want the hassle of washing their own trays, that’s our problem and a problem solved for our customers, leaving them to get on with their core business.

We take tray washing seriously and we have exacting hygiene and quality systems.

These systems have enabled us to be certificated to BRC standard, which is recognised widely across the food supply chain.

So, if you have a tray washing problem don’t delay – contact PPS and let it be our problem.

2012 A year of growth for PPS Midlands

2012 was an exciting year with the national pride and feel good factor created by the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee.  It made a wonderful change for the news to be full of positive and inspirational achievements as opposed to the normal doom and gloom.

At PPS Midlands we have a great deal to celebrate at the end of 2012.  We have seen continued growth in our main service area, with new customers signing up to our full service option where we rent, manage,  pool and wash all types of returnable equipment.  The main equipment on hire is our plastic crates, pallets and bulk bins which are very popular within the food processing and distribution sectors.  Not only have we added new customers but our existing clients have increased their volumes.  Returnable packaging is now well established within the food industry and we hope 2013 brings more customers making the switch from cardboard.

PPS Wash Plant Busier than ever

Our wash plant has been busier than ever, the amount of returnable equipment washed by our machine has increased greatly this year.  Alongside the extra washing for our full service customers we have experienced a growth in our wash only service.  For customers who own their own equipment PPS can provide a wash service at our state of the art BRC accredited wash plant.  This service has become very popular with our food, automotive and retail customers.  Our wash plant has also seen the addition of a wash bay designed to allow us to wash larger types of equipment such as Dolvas, bulk bins and pallet boxes.  The addition of this bay had enabled us to wash all types of returnable equipment.

The PPS Midlands repair facility is well established and has gone from strength to strength in 2012.  We are set up to repair all types of plastic and metal equipment and the service is becoming ever more popular.  Companies are increasingly looking at ways to cut their costs and it is often far more economical to have your equipment repaired than replace to it.

PPS Midlands

Most excitingly 2012 has seen PPS Midlands expand into a brand new sector.  We are now offering crate rental to the commercial moves industry.  PPS Midlands has invested in a pool of plastic removal crates that are available to hire to removal companies and individual companies conducting their own move.  2012 was spent setting up this new service with it launching towards the end of the year.  We will be able to bring all the experience that we have gained in the rental and management of returnable equipment over the past 10 years to this new sector and hope to see it expand in 2013.

Certainly, 2012 was an exciting year for PPS Midlands, which saw us, continue to grow our existing services and enter into a whole new industry sector.  We are now all ready and looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that 2013 will bring.  We hope to develop relationships with new businesses and continue to work closely with our existing customers.  Hopefully 2013 will be the year that even more companies realise the benefits of returnable packaging.

Happy New Year from everyone at PPS Midlands!

Reusable Packaging Benefits

Reusable Packaging - Why use it over Single Packaging

Plastic pallets - Returnable Transit Equipmen that can be
used over and over again

Lead­ing com­pa­nies in a wide vari­ety of indus­tries across the globe imple­ment reusable pack­ag­ing for the eco­nomic, social and envi­ron­men­tal value that re-use pro­vides across the entire sup­ply chain. Reusable pal­lets, hand-held con­tain­ers, bulk con­tain­ers, dun­nage and other trans­port pack­ag­ing items are used for the effi­cient stor­age, han­dling and dis­tri­b­u­tion of prod­ucts through­out the sup­ply chain.

Reusable pack­ag­ing prod­ucts are generally man­u­fac­tured in plas­tic, which is a durable mate­r­ial and is specif­i­cally designed for mul­ti­ple trips and extended life. These prod­ucts typ­i­cally replace single-use trans­port pack­ag­ing such as wood, polystyrene and cardboard boxes and are ideal for closed loop or well man­aged open-loop sys­tems. Due to their reusable nature, they can offer a rapid return on invest­ment and a lower cost-per-trip than single-use pack­ag­ing products.

“Com­pa­nies that have made the switch to reusable pack­ag­ing expe­ri­ence lower ship­ping and labour costs, bet­ter prod­uct pro­tec­tion, more pro­duc­tive flow of goods through dis­tri­b­u­tion chan­nels, plus bet­ter ergonom­ics and improved worker safety. These com­pa­nies have also reduced their waste man­age­ment costs and pos­i­tively impacted the envi­ron­ment by gen­er­at­ing less waste and reduc­ing the need to build expen­sive dis­posal facil­i­ties or more land­fill sites. Disposable wood pallets, polystyrene and cardboard boxes comprise a significant amount of the waste generated by businesses in Europe and there is limited landfill space left, plus it is becoming more and more expensive to get rid of waste of this nature.

PPS Total Equipment Solutions allows our customers to outsource the management and supply of their returnable transit equipment. This lets them focus on their core business, providing a more efficient supply chain as well as cost savings. Whatever your requirement we can offer a range of options that we will tailor to your individual needs.

Returnable Transit Equipment Includes:

• Plastic trays, crates & boxes
• Attached lid containers or tote boxes
• Collapsible pallet boxes
• Plastic pallets
• Rigid pallet boxes
• Fish boxes

PPS Midlands at Measham and PPS East at Grimsby are BRC approved and are equipped with modern state-of-the-art wash equipment capable of tray washing, box washing and pallet washing to hygienic standards. As well as washing our own equipment PPS offers contract wash services for washing third parties equipment on medium or long term contracts as well as on an ad-hoc basis. Please contact us through our web site or telephone 01530 515333.

Returnable Packaging Equipment Company PPS Supports London Olympics and Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

PPS has been very active in recent months putting together equipment rental and washing packages to support a number of contractors that are preparing the Olympic venues for the start of the Games at the end of July.

PPS has long been really active in recent months compiling equipment rental and equipment washing packages which includes plastic trays, plastic pallets, plastic crates and plastic pallet boxes to support a number of contractors that are preparing the Olympic venues for the start of the Games at the end of July.

We have supplied a considerable pool of our collapsible pallet boxes to a company engaged in the construction of temporary seating arenas at a number of sporting venues across the London area.

We have also supplied a pool of solid pallet boxes to be used for the storing of nautical equipment for the Sailing event to be held on the south coast. We are at present in discussions with a range of other suppliers to the Olympics as diverse as the supply of our plastic pallets for the transportation of hay at the equestrian events to the supply of our plastic food trays for a business involved in catering for the thousands of athletes that will be competing at the Games.

PPS also supplied a pool of collapsible pallet boxes for the transportation of equipment used for the erection of the stage and temporary arena for the concert in front of Buckingham Palace as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Once the Olympic games are finished we at PPS are expecting to be extremely busy at our wash plants when the trays, pallets, crates and pallet boxes are returned to our pool for washing at one of our wash plants to be made ready for the next rental assignment.

PPS prides itself on our adaptable and responsive approach to customers and we are very confident in our capability to provide all tray hire and pallet rental requirements together with tray washing or pallet washing services for both customers who own crates and pallets as well as our own crate and pallet pools. PPS offer the most comprehensive range of crates, trays, pallets and pallet boxes in the industry and we can supply both rental and equipment washing services for both small volumes on an ad hoc basis or high volume crates on a longer term basis.

With an rising trend towards environmentally friendly packaging returnable transit packaging (RTP) is replacing single trip packaging such as polystyrene and cardboard boxes for the transportation of food products.  PPS’s trays, pallets, crates and pallet boxes are manufactured from durable plastic and are especially designed for several trips over a protracted life which ensures that in the vast majority of applications we can offer a lower cost per trip in comparison with single trip packaging products. PPS manage pools of equipment and part of that equipment management is the hygienic washing of all used packaging.

PPS Midlands Limited and PPS East Limited are returnable transit packaging specialists. If you are interested in reducing your costs, waste and environmental footprint, then you should contact us with regards to reusable equipment and pallet pooling, plastic crates, plastic pallet boxes, container rental and supply, product repairs and equipment washing.

Equipment Washing Helps PPS expand into the Pharmaceutical Market

PPS Midlands has lately commenced a new equipment washing contract within the pharmaceutical industry.

The PPS site at Measham, just north of Birmingham, offers contract equipment washing at its state-of-the-art industrial equipment washing facility where it can wash a wide variety of several box dimensions to the highest level and degree of cleaning. Plastic boxes, crates, trays, attached lid containers and collapsible boxes can all be catered for, and there is also a pallet wash facility on site.

PPS continues to be washing plastic trays, crates, boxes and pallets for a number of years at Measham and has traditionally washed for many different sectors, including food and retail.  Now however they have secured new business washing trays, boxes and pallets for a key supplier in the pharmaceutical sector.

In this sector plastic boxes are used to transport and store high ticket products and need to be washed after each use of the boxes to ensure no contamination. PPS has long experience washing to the exacting standards of the food industry and can provide traceable data and swab test results for all boxes washed.

All equipment washing including Tray, Crate & Pallet washing is completed to the highest standard and we are proud to have BRC certification.  This was very important to this particular client due to the nature of their business.

Joanne Moss said “The core business of our sites is the provision of services connected to returnable transit equipment for instance plastic crates, trays, boxes and pallets. This may include equipment rental, pooling services, online asset tracking and certainly contract equipment washing. Our business has developed and expanded mainly within the food and retail sectors, but when we were approached by this company in the pharmaceutical sector it quickly became clear that they were impressed by our level of experience of industrial scale washing gained over several years.

PPS Midlands Limited and PPS East Limited are returnable transit packaging specialists. If you are interested in reducing your costs, waste and environmental footprint, then you should contact us with regards to reusable equipment and pallet pooling, plastic crate, box, container rental and supply, product repairs and equipment washing.