The patent-pending UpRight System, for the secure transport and shipping of 19 litre (5 gallon) water bottles has been recognised with the ‘Best Product Innovation’ Aqua Award at the WaterCoolers Europe 2014 annual conference and trade fair.
The multinational exposition – held this year in Budapest, Hungary, in October – stages the Aqua Awards ceremony to recognise the products and programmes that enhance sustainability practices and protect the environment.
The UpRight System, manufactured by Polymer Solutions International Inc, “was specifically engineered to maximize the number of water bottles transported via trailer to reduce transportation costs, while minimizing the potential for product damage,” explained Craig Scott, managing director of International Sales for Polymer Solutions. “It also increases unit load stability during storage, transport and shipment of 36-bottle or 48-bottle stacks without requiring stretch wrap or a top cap to unitise the load. I believe the reduced environmental impact of all these factors contributed to the product’s selection for the award.”
The system includes a stable pallet base – with four-way fork entry for use with either forklifts or pallet jacks – measuring 1,083 x 812 millimeters that securely holds 12 bottles vertically. Each UpRight platform rests atop the shoulders of the previous layer of bottles via 12 rings. The rings’ contact points utilise a soft, scratch-resistant material for improved stack stability and reduced bottle scuffing. Designed to reduce bottle stress, the rings also increase load stability during stacking and transportation.
“These features were all specifically engineered into the system to address the concerns of bottlers regarding surface and label scuffing during handling, the obstruction of labels, elimination of stretch wrap, and the potential for cap leaks during transport and storage,” Scott continued.
For transport, up to 48 bottles across four layers (one pallet base and three platforms of 12 bottles each) can be handled. In static and dynamic storage of empty bottles, the system can hold as many as 72 empty bottles (one pallet base and five platforms of 12 bottles). Further, for use with roller conveyors on bottle filling lines, the pallet can be equipped with optional, snap-on stringers to boost production speed and efficiency.
To further increase transport fuel efficiency, the pallet base and platform trays are lightweight: each pallet weighs 15 kilograms and each platform weighs 9 kilograms. When empty, the system’s components are nestable to maximize return trip ratios. “Several users of the system have reported transportation cost reductions up to $500 per trailer,” noted Scott.
All components of the UpRight System are manufactured of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with ultraviolet stabilizers in either blue or black. Formed through a proprietary structural foam injection molding process, the pallets and platforms incorporate thick product wall sections that deflect impacts, decreasing the potential for damage caused by forklifts and extending their usable life.
The pallets and platforms also feature one-piece construction that eliminates crevices and nooks where water and dirt can collect, making each layer easy to clean. Further, unlike metal racks which can bend, rust and break, the system’s patented molding process produces the inherent dimensional consistency required by automated production processes that use robots or automated rack loaders.
The UpRight System is guaranteed by a limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
Source: Polymer Solutions International Inc
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024