The folding crate is gaining ground in the fruit and vegetable market. The reason is the considerable savings in terms of transport and space. But, users of these folding crates need to be aware of the large amount of monotonous and labor-intensive work, says Lan Handling Technologies from Halfweg. The de-stacking and unfolding of these crates can easily require a handful of employees per shift. In a market where personnel is already scarce, you prefer to put employees in positions where they can add the most value to the process. That is why Lan Handling designed the crate erector. With this compact machine, the production capacity is maintained and a lot of man hours are saved.
Full and half size crates
Various large fresh produce customers from Europe are opting for the high speed crate erector from Lan Handling Technologies (including potato and meat producers). In the case of a Lan Handling machine, this means a speed of up to 1,200 full size folding crates (600mm by 400mm) per hour. With half size folding crates (300mm by 200mm) the speed is even twice as fast. The machine processes all common types of folding crates, including those of Euro Pool System, CBL and IFCO.
Additional options that highlight versatility
We integrate crate erectors in existing lines, as well as in completely new transport / handling areas in a production hall. In the latter case, Lan Handling automates, for example, the pallet handling towards the crate erector and the transport of the empty, unfolded crates to case packers. In these cases, the crate erector can be equipped with a pallet pusher. From an infeed position, the stacks of folded crates are automatically pushed into the machine. In addition, customers can opt for a control system. In that case, sensors check when a folding crate no longer unfolds optimally, for example due to wear or breakage, after which it is automatically removed from the process. The crate erector can also be used for automatic de-stacking of boxes. The only difference is that the folding function is then switched off.
For more information:
Mark de Boer / Marcel Maas
Lan Handling Technologies
Haarlemmerstraatweg 129
1165 MK Halfweg
Tel: +31 630 27 13 08
Email: mark.deboer@lanhandling.com
www.lanhandling.com/solutions/crate-erector/