Hygienic Swab Testing

Here at PPS one of our primary focuses is on the washing we provide to our customers. In this blog we give you an insight into the science behind us achieving the highest quality of washing standards for our food industry clients.

Alongside our state of the art industrial wash machines, we operate a swab system to keep track of our wash standards to ensure hygiene is always maximised. The most frequent swab tests that we carry out are ATP swabs, these are completed on site. Our BRC accreditation requires us to perform ATP Swab tests 4 times a shift however, we can swab test equipment more regularly at the request of a customer. These give an overall cleanliness rating for the washed equipment. The rating is measured in Relative Light Units (RLU’s,) a large proportion of the food industry manufacturers use these as on site tests also. We conduct external lab swab tests where we test for various bacterial hazards.

Should you require any information on washing please do not hesitate to call the sales team on 01283 821502.

2015 in pictures

As 2015 now draws to a close it is time to look back on the year here at PPS. It has been an eventful 2015, we began the year settled into our premises here at Marchington. 

With new members of the PPS team starting throughout the year, our sales team grew in April with Hannah joining as Sales Advisor, handling enquiries and quotes along with social media and marketing aspects. After a busy Easter period the spring drew to a close and we welcomed summer with open arms, the accounts department greeted Diane to their team as Accounts Administrator to handle invoicing and credit control.

Into summer the temperature are really started to hot up as we prepared for the Meat Up exhibition held at Stoneleigh park, it happened to fall on the hottest few days of the year. An event for the whole meat industry to come together to see the latest innovations and technology alongside competitions.  

During August Charlotte was introduced to the Operations department working alongside Andy Moss our Operations Manager in running the day to day logistics of deliveries and collections, booking in drivers and handling stock control from our 24/7 wash site. We also redesign our lorry curtains which are part of the Jeffreys Haulage fleet.

As the summer drew to a close we were thrilled to announce the news of PPS acquiring Alison Handling Services, an exciting venture increasing the services of the PPS group. Alison Handling stocks 1000’s of plastic products suitable for a multitude of industries from bakery trays to pallet boxes to plastic dollys, all available on a next day delivery.

In September PPS attended the Movers and Storers show, a key exhibition in the Removals Industry held at Silverstone racetrack. The show was held over two days and consisted of keynote seminars held in the learning zone. Another successful event enjoying the company of both new and current customers. We also had the pleasure of staying in a Snoozebox, a 40ft container made into four bedrooms perfect for short stays.

September was a huge month for our Grimsby operation with the move to our new warehouse facility, almost tripling the size of our wash site. To celebrate, our open day was held to coincide with the World Seafood Congress of which we had the pleasure of welcoming Pete Ward, CEO of Youngs to cut the ribbon.

After introducing our Re-Fresh box to the fish industry in May at the Seafood Expo in Brussels, it was then released for purchase, rental and wash to industries including food, automotive and pharmaceutical. A brand new machine was also installed design to specifically wash the new box and lid to BRC standards.  

With an increased focus on waste throughout 2015, it is sure to continue to receive strong focus into 2016. Our MD Joanne Moss spoke with Food Manufacture to discuss returnable transit packaging in the food industry, inevitably reducing waste in the supply chain. Click here to read the article.

We wish all of our customers a very happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming many more of you on board during 2016.

Do you use Instagram? Follow us via @PPSMIDLANDS for our images throughout 2016.

Still using single trip packaging?

During our most recent exhibition at Meatup, one concerning fact became apparent. Whilst I stood watching the goings on of the show I couldn’t help but  notice the vast amount of polystyrene boxes transporting meat in and out of the competition area. After thinking that companies are moving away from single trip packaging and being more conscious of the environment, we were surprised that there is still a vast amount of polystyrene being used in industries.

photo by hakanforss.worldpress.com

Single trip packaging is not only a costly option to supply your products to your customers, it is also                                                      having a huge impact on the environment.

Making the change to returnable packaging can benefit your business and also your pocket, 95% of PPS customers said it was very simple and experienced savings. Alongside the cost savings experienced by switching to RTP there is the added impact of creating a greener supply chain.

At PPS we offer a wide range of products to suit your business needs with various bale arm crates, plastic crates, boxes and plastic pallets to suit your supply chain needs.

Please call 01283 821502 to find out how we can help your packaging needs.

Hannah Swinson- Sales Advisor

Factory Tour in Pictures- Storage

Where do we store our equipment you may ask?

Here’s a tour around our storage areas.

We keep a wide variety of stock ranging from the product sample section to our new equipment for pooling as well as a constant flow of crates coming in and out of the factory.

Take a look at our storage spaces.

Our product sample section is used for equipment sample washes, customer trails and testing. 

This includes a range of stack/ nesting crates, dollys, pallet box inserts and collapsible trays. 

When dirty crates are delivered they are stored for a short period of time before being washed in our BRC accredited wash plant.

Here at PPS we operate at a fast moving pace to clean and dispatch our equipment as quickly as possible. We can turn around dirty equipment to clean equipment in around 24hours. Quick isn’t it!

Clean equipment will then be wrapped and stored ready for dispatch.

If you didn’t know we also provide plastic crates and handling equipment for office moves and removals, these are stored clean and ready for dispatch.

Our pooling area is full of stock ready to be sent out on rental hire or as part of our complete package.

Stock is available for immediate dispatch.

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.

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.
 

Taking the stress out of Foodex.

The food industry is one of our biggest markets through poultry, meat, fresh fruit and bakery, and Foodex 2014 was a fantastic visual event for PPS to showcase The Complete Package and Returnable Transit Packaging options. With the launch of our new animated video, show banner and merchandise it certainly gave us the right elements to highlight the range of services available.

Our merchandise was on hand to demonstrate just how our PPS pool trays are used in line with our hygienic plastic pallets. Stacked and filled with PPS stress apples and chickens, they soon became a hit and were popping up all over the exhibition.

Have you got a chicken on your desk?

PPS Reusable Plastic Trays are in Flavour at Dairy Fruit

Dairy Fruit, northern Europe's leading supplier of quality aseptic flavoured fruit preparations and liquid spice mixes for the food industry, recently introduce PPS food grade, reusable plastic trays into its logistics supply chain.

PPS Total Equipment Solutions Process

Crispin Gell - Sales Director of Dairy Fruit reported, “In reviewing our packaging and handling operations, it was decided to source a company who could provide a food grade rentable plastic tray system that offered stability and security when delivering our products.

We also had to give serious consideration to Heath & Safety regulations, taking into account maximum handling weights for operatives both within our facility and our customers. Plus we wanted a company that could supply a full service and minimise our handling involvement by collecting the empty trays from our customer’s facilities. These reusable plastic trays would then be washed before being returned to Dairy Fruit and into the supply chain loop. 

We also had to consider the cost of switching from the current cardboard packaging to the returnable tray system, as this was extremely important as we could not add this cost to our product.” 

Dairy Fruit engaged PPS Midlands in the review and they proposed a hygienic, cost effective and practical solution to this problem using bale arm trays, which are ideally suited for food applications.

PPS Business Development Manager Jonathan Issatt commented, “We opted for a durable, ventilated reusable plastic tray that has been specifically designed for transport and storage purposes and incorporates moveable swing bale arms to provide strong hand grips. When not in use, these containers can be stacked and nested in order to save space.

Supporting a full and comprehensive service, PPS Midlands BRC accredited factory in Measham is equipped with modern state-of-the-art high pressure wash facilities to clean all type and sizes of returnable transit packaging, including trays, crates, tote boxes, bulk bin containers and even houses a dedicated plastic pallet washing machine. The company also recently invested in a box drying facility, which is particularly important for PPS customers who need the containers to be dry before depositing product and to prevent damage and contamination.”

According to Crispin Gell of Dairy Fruit reported, “The new PPS returnable plastic tray, collection and wash service has allowed us to expand business within a number of new areas, with Dairy Fruit now able to fulfil some customers hygienic, reusable packaging and delivery criteria.

PPS has proven to be a very responsive company, professional in its approach and easy to deal with. We would have no hesitation in recommending them or their products”.

Reusable Pallet Boxes in Demand

Reusable Plastic Pallet Boxes a Winner with the Supply Chain

Increasing Demand for PPS Range of Reusable Plastic Pallet Boxes.

PPS have experienced an increase in demand over the past months for the rental, sale and washing of pallet boxes at both their Midlands and Grimsby facilities.

collapsible pallet boxes

The reusable pallet box is proving to be an increasingly flexible solution for the transportation and storage of goods for a variety applications and industrial sectors. Pallet boxes can be rigid or collapsible and where necessary an insulated double skin pallet box can be supplied where insulation and/or strength are key requirements.

PPS offers for sale both new and used pallet boxes and Dolavs. We also offer pallet box rental solutions for both ad hoc and long term rentals. In addition at both our sites in Grimsby and Measham where we have state of the art pallet box washing facilities for our own pool of plastic pallet boxes we also offer this wash service to customers that require a pallet box washing or a Dolav washing service for their own equipment fleet.

To highlight the versatility of our range of plastic pallet boxes we have detailed below some of the current applications:

•    A fleet of 2,000 collapsible pallet boxes are currently on hire to a supplier to the National Health Service to facilitate an equipment move between hospitals in different locations throughout the UK. The collapsible pallet box proved to be the most cost effective solution due the distances involved and the need to keep transport costs to a minimum.
•    We currently provide our full service reusable pallet box solution (rigid pallet box rental, pallet box washing & transport) to a food processor for the transportation of fish by-products for processing into fish meal prior to forwarding to the Far East.
•    We have been providing a pallet box rental and pallet box washing service to a food processor for a pool of rigid pallet boxes for use within their manufacturing facility that are used for the storage of oils and breadcrumbs within their value added process.

The recycling industry is another sector where PPS is receiving increasing enquiries for the rental and purchase of reusable pallet boxes. DEFRA statistics highlight that the UK generates approximately 300 million tonnes of waste each year. There is an increasing legal requirement being place on both manufacturers and users of products and packaging to ensure that a proportion of the materials is recovered and recycled.

The PPS range of reusable pallet boxes are particularly suited to pallet box loops set up to facilitate the recycling process and are suitable for a range of recovery operations including batteries, glass, paper, food waste, oils and fats.

Our plastic pallet boxes come in a variety of sizes and specifications, are durable and can withstand cleaning temperatures up to 100 degrees C. Our products are available in virgin and recycled food grade approved HDPE in both solid and perforated plastic pallet boxes. PPS can put in place a range of long term and short term packages to meet all customers’ needs including pallet box rental, pallet box washing and transportation if required.

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.