SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 9

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Some indication of the way that meat may be handled in the future is given by Mr P. T. Norman, general manager of Thomas Borthwick and Sons of Australasia, Ltd., in an article in the latest Journal of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science.

“The latest development in an attempt to hold costs is the trend towards palletisation and perhaps eventually containerisation,’’ says Mr Norman.

"Since the meat trade began in 1880, carcases of meat have been handled separately. A carcase is handled at least nine times in the course of its progress from the slaughter-house in the freezing works to the retail store in the country to which it is consigned. The idea now is to put 40 to 60 carcases or packages on to a pallet, and a further development would be to put a greater number of cartons or carcases into a container and ultimately to transfer the container (weighing 25 tons) from the works door to the cold store in the importing country.

“The use of containers will reduce damage to the meat and allow loading to continue in any weather. The interim step is to get the cargo on to pallets. Experiments in this direction have recently been carried out at the Alliance works near Invercargill and at the Waitara works near New Plymouth. “The container, which is expected to be Bft by Bft by

multiples of 20ft long, presents problems for both the road haulage industry and the railways, but it is hoped that these can be overcome. In addition, special container ships holding, say, 400 containers each will be required. “With the advent of pallets and containers it is hoped shipping companies will make substantial savings through

much more rapid ship turnround, and at the same time we hope to be able to make savings in handling within the works. For example, it is anticipated that with the right hanger type store, with a high stud, it should be possible for two m'en to do the work currently done by 30 to 40, depending on the type of pack.”