Clean and soiled crates: naturally you have to deal with both when using a crate washing machine. But of course it is of the utmost importance that the clean load carriers no longer come into contact with the dirty ones. A good design of the logistics process for the crates is an absolute must.
Within a company the crate washer is often placed in a separate room or area, and in many cases the soiled crates arrive on pallets. This is immediately a point to consider, because these pallets also need to be cleaned so that they can be used again for transporting clean crates.
So work out how many pallets are involved and whether it might be of interest to purchase a pallet washer and place it in the same area.
Dirty and clean crates separated
As a company in the food sector, you must keep the clean and soiled crates strictly apart to comply with food certifications. In order to achieve this, you should carefully map out what the route of the crates must be. For example, the washed crates must absolutely not be put back into the 'dirty' place. And it is also important that the person who places the dirty crates into the washer does not pick them up again after they have been cleaned. So it is preferable that the crate washer is operated by two employees. Of course it is of the utmost importance that your employees are aware of the necessity for good hygiene. Surely the food safety of your end product stands or falls on how your employees deal with the hygiene protocols.
Two separate areas for the crate washer
In practice, to keep the dirty and the clean zones strictly apart many companies have two separate rooms or areas available.
You appreciate that this is the ideal situation to guarantee hygiene. In such a situation, the end of the crate washer - where the clean crates come out of the machine - is placed next to the entrance to a second room or area. Separate employees for the dirty and clean zones is absolutely the preferred option.
With new buildings, it is possible to fit two separate areas into the building plans. If you want to create distinct dirty and clean zones in an existing business premises, you can create a new connecting passageway between two rooms or divide a larger area with a partition.
Read more about what the location of a crate washer should meet here.
Crate delivery: Manual or automatic
For the logistics process of the supply and removal of crates, you should weigh up the possibilities of whether using a conveyor belt for their supply and/or removal would be a profitable investment. In practice, the smaller models of crate washers are rarely combined with a conveyor belt. But for larger crate washers with a high capacity, this can certainly be an interesting option. After all, a conveyor belt requires less manpower and therefore saves labour costs.
Checklist for purchasing a crate washer
Would you like to see clearly, quickly and easily, what you need to consider when buying a crate washer? Then please fill in the check-list 'Points to consider when purchasing a crate washer'.
After using the checklist you will achieve the following:
- A better understanding of the variables involved in selecting a crate washer
- You will avoid making a hasty decision resulting in choosing the wrong crate washer for your business
- You will take the next step in selecting the perfect crate washer for your business.
