US potato, onion and sweet potato grower-shipper Wada Farms has announced the expansion of its relationship with Chep for pallet pooling services, which it uses to transport Dole and Wada Farms branded potatoes from the company's facilities to supermarkets, mass-market retailers and club stores across the US.
The Idaho-based group previously used limited-use whitewood pallets to ship products, but experienced productivity and quality issues, with customers requesting the use of Chep pallets to improve supply chain efficiencies.
'By using the Chep programme, Wada Farms is seeing significant improvements in our operating efficiencies, from our packing operation to our customers' facilities around the country,' said Kip Yeates, vice-president of operations at Wada Farms. 'It is also important that Chep helps us meet our sustainability goals.'
Based on third-party Life-Cycle Inventory Analysis findings, through its use of the Chep pooling system as opposed to whitewood pallets, Wada is reducing solid waste generation by nearly 400 tonnes each year, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 58 per cent and saving enough energy to power more than 65 homes with electricity for a year.
'We appreciate the opportunity to work with Wada Farms by providing high quality pallets that help drive productivity and sustainability improvments at the company,' said Tim Smith, vice-president of business development at Chep USA. 'Chep is committed to ensuring that value is delivered to Wada Farms and all of our partners every day, 365 days a year.'
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