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IPL Products, Ltd.
St. Damien, Quebec, Canada
IPL Products, Ltd. is a North American injection molding and
extrusion product leader. It was the first injection molder in North
America to earn ISO 9001 quality certification. It achieved QS 9000
certification in 1998. The company's headquarters are in St. Damien,
Quebec. Total sales for fiscal 2001-2002 were a record $206 million
(CND) servicing the material handling, custom molding, packaging, and
environmental markets.
IPL works closely with clients to develop returnable plastic container systems that meet their industries' unique needs for functionality, durability, and compatibility. The containers are designed with value-added features that result in much deeper and greater savings and efficiencies that exceed the dollars saved on the ongoing purchase and disposal of one-time-use containers. These savings include better product protection, improved efficiencies in the product handling process and storage savings.
IPL Seafood Containers Bring
Staggering Savings to Seafood Industry
One such solution was developed when IPL joined forces with processors and wholesalers in the seafood industry. The results were a savings of literally tens of millions of dollars and a complete transformation of the way that seafood is handled and processed.
For decades, seafood processors and distributors had used wood crates for holding and shipping live lobster and other seafood. IPL began working extensively with leaders in the industry to design the first plastic container with a precise fit for handling live seafood. The end result - the IPL FlapNestTM Live Seafood Container - reduces mortality rates, weighs less and saves freight costs. Within three years, the innovative container totally displaced limited-life wooden containers in the American Lobster industry.
"IPL was open-minded and willing to listen to the customer. As a result, they delivered a product that met all of our requirements," said Spiros Tourkakis, president of seafood procurement and marketing executive vice president for East Coast Seafood, Inc.
Lobster Crates Are Easier to Handle
"The IPL plastic crates are much easier to handle and open than wooden ones," explained Jeff Holden, president of Portland Shellfish, a processor in South Portland, Maine. "The covers are very easy to open, and the containers are lighter. Plus the crabs and lobster live longer in them because the circulation is much better than in wooden crates."
The 29-gallon plastic tote can contain 100 pounds of live seafood for transport from boat to shore to market. It is the same length and width, and has the same capacity of traditional wood crates for full compatibility. Buoyancy in the collar of the tote allows it to float even in open water with the lid opened or closed so lobsters remain submerged while the container stays afloat. Cover security features permit containers to be floated even in rough seas.
The IPL FlapNestTM product series has attached lids that fold down and interlock to protect the contents inside. The containers are also nestable - that is, when the lids are open a container can be inserted down into an empty container, rather than stacked on top of one another when the lids are shut. The resulting nesting ratio translates into significant cost savings on shipping and storing the containers.
Lobster Crates Reduce Injuries and Costs
"The biggest advantage to us is that the containers weigh less (than wooden crates) when wet," said Bill McGonagle, chief operating office of the William Atwood Lobster Company in Maine. "That makes a big difference when you're lifting crates all day long."
The wooden crates used by the company four years ago weighed 140 pounds when full. Because the plastic IPL seafood crates do not absorb water, they weigh only 116 pounds when full. "The number of arm and back injuries have been reduced substantially since we switched to the plastic containers," said McGonagle. "They also help reduce the general fatigue at the end of the day. Our workers love them. We couldn't take them away from them."
Because the crates have a consistent tare weight of 16 pounds, lobsters do not need to be removed for weighing. This reduces the handling of the lobster and improves their mortality rate. Also, the crates have other design features that provide maximum circulation and minimum injury to the lobster.
The crates also save costs on shipping. The lightweight totes enable distributors to load more seafood on their trucks, reducing shipping costs. In addition, the nest-ability of the empty crates reduces freight costs on the return trip.
Lobster Trays Help Regulate Supply and Demand
IPL also developed the IPL Lobster Tray to meet longer term holding requirements of lobster. The tray has secure compartments for individual live lobsters, providing optimum conditions for the lobster to survive and thrive in storage. "The trays are key to extending the lobster's life," said Marcel Saulnier, president of Oceanmar Seafood Products, Inc. in Canada. "The lobsters can't touch each other. With the trays, we can hold the lobsters for three to four months. It helps us regulate supply and demand."
Together, the IPL Live Seafood FlapNest Containers and Lobster Trays create an efficient and cost-effective system for seafood processors and wholesalers to store and ship lobster to meet fluctuating market demand. "It's a great system," said Saulnier. "IPL has been very good to work with."
IPL Customer Earns Leadership Award for
Bringing Reusable Containers to Seafood Industry
IPL works closely with customers to develop a container that meets the specific needs of their unique industry. The involvement of one customer - Spiros Tourkakis - earned him the Leadership Award from the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition (RPCC) in 2003. Tourkakis is president of seafood procurement and marketing executive vice president for East Coast Seafood, Inc.
The Leadership Award is conferred annually upon an individual in the materials handling industry who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advocacy of reusables. Tourkakis was cited for creating the market for a reusable plastic lobster crate that has brought tremendous benefits to the seafood industry: savings in time, labor, freight, and shrinkage; and increased yield through reduced lobster mortality.
"I am always looking for ways to improve the lobster industry," said Tourkakis. "So I began thinking of ways to address our biggest expense - which is our product; and our biggest loss - which is shrinkage through mortality and weight loss of the lobsters."
Tourkakis envisioned a reusable plastic container that would address these two key issues. However, early products on the market failed to meet the industry's requirements. Then Tourkakis approached IPL. The company worked extensively with East Coast Seafood and other lobstermen for six months to develop the requirements that ultimately resulted in the IPL FlapNestTM Live Seafood Container.
East Coast Seafood is the largest American Lobster distributor in the world and one of the 10 largest seafood distributors in North America.
For more information
For more information on IPL's products, call 1-800-818-1318 or email: info@ipl-mh.com.
Click here to learn more about IPL Products, Ltd.
Company Information
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IPL works closely with clients to develop returnable plastic container systems that meet their industries' unique needs for functionality, durability, and compatibility. The containers are designed with value-added features that result in much deeper and greater savings and efficiencies that exceed the dollars saved on the ongoing purchase and disposal of one-time-use containers. These savings include better product protection, improved efficiencies in the product handling process and storage savings.
IPL Seafood Containers Bring
Staggering Savings to Seafood Industry
One such solution was developed when IPL joined forces with processors and wholesalers in the seafood industry. The results were a savings of literally tens of millions of dollars and a complete transformation of the way that seafood is handled and processed.
For decades, seafood processors and distributors had used wood crates for holding and shipping live lobster and other seafood. IPL began working extensively with leaders in the industry to design the first plastic container with a precise fit for handling live seafood. The end result - the IPL FlapNestTM Live Seafood Container - reduces mortality rates, weighs less and saves freight costs. Within three years, the innovative container totally displaced limited-life wooden containers in the American Lobster industry.
"IPL was open-minded and willing to listen to the customer. As a result, they delivered a product that met all of our requirements," said Spiros Tourkakis, president of seafood procurement and marketing executive vice president for East Coast Seafood, Inc.
Lobster Crates Are Easier to Handle
"The IPL plastic crates are much easier to handle and open than wooden ones," explained Jeff Holden, president of Portland Shellfish, a processor in South Portland, Maine. "The covers are very easy to open, and the containers are lighter. Plus the crabs and lobster live longer in them because the circulation is much better than in wooden crates."
The 29-gallon plastic tote can contain 100 pounds of live seafood for transport from boat to shore to market. It is the same length and width, and has the same capacity of traditional wood crates for full compatibility. Buoyancy in the collar of the tote allows it to float even in open water with the lid opened or closed so lobsters remain submerged while the container stays afloat. Cover security features permit containers to be floated even in rough seas.
The IPL FlapNestTM product series has attached lids that fold down and interlock to protect the contents inside. The containers are also nestable - that is, when the lids are open a container can be inserted down into an empty container, rather than stacked on top of one another when the lids are shut. The resulting nesting ratio translates into significant cost savings on shipping and storing the containers.
Lobster Crates Reduce Injuries and Costs
"The biggest advantage to us is that the containers weigh less (than wooden crates) when wet," said Bill McGonagle, chief operating office of the William Atwood Lobster Company in Maine. "That makes a big difference when you're lifting crates all day long."
The wooden crates used by the company four years ago weighed 140 pounds when full. Because the plastic IPL seafood crates do not absorb water, they weigh only 116 pounds when full. "The number of arm and back injuries have been reduced substantially since we switched to the plastic containers," said McGonagle. "They also help reduce the general fatigue at the end of the day. Our workers love them. We couldn't take them away from them."
Because the crates have a consistent tare weight of 16 pounds, lobsters do not need to be removed for weighing. This reduces the handling of the lobster and improves their mortality rate. Also, the crates have other design features that provide maximum circulation and minimum injury to the lobster.
The crates also save costs on shipping. The lightweight totes enable distributors to load more seafood on their trucks, reducing shipping costs. In addition, the nest-ability of the empty crates reduces freight costs on the return trip.
Lobster Trays Help Regulate Supply and Demand
IPL also developed the IPL Lobster Tray to meet longer term holding requirements of lobster. The tray has secure compartments for individual live lobsters, providing optimum conditions for the lobster to survive and thrive in storage. "The trays are key to extending the lobster's life," said Marcel Saulnier, president of Oceanmar Seafood Products, Inc. in Canada. "The lobsters can't touch each other. With the trays, we can hold the lobsters for three to four months. It helps us regulate supply and demand."
Together, the IPL Live Seafood FlapNest Containers and Lobster Trays create an efficient and cost-effective system for seafood processors and wholesalers to store and ship lobster to meet fluctuating market demand. "It's a great system," said Saulnier. "IPL has been very good to work with."
IPL Customer Earns Leadership Award for
Bringing Reusable Containers to Seafood Industry
IPL works closely with customers to develop a container that meets the specific needs of their unique industry. The involvement of one customer - Spiros Tourkakis - earned him the Leadership Award from the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition (RPCC) in 2003. Tourkakis is president of seafood procurement and marketing executive vice president for East Coast Seafood, Inc.
The Leadership Award is conferred annually upon an individual in the materials handling industry who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advocacy of reusables. Tourkakis was cited for creating the market for a reusable plastic lobster crate that has brought tremendous benefits to the seafood industry: savings in time, labor, freight, and shrinkage; and increased yield through reduced lobster mortality.
"I am always looking for ways to improve the lobster industry," said Tourkakis. "So I began thinking of ways to address our biggest expense - which is our product; and our biggest loss - which is shrinkage through mortality and weight loss of the lobsters."
Tourkakis envisioned a reusable plastic container that would address these two key issues. However, early products on the market failed to meet the industry's requirements. Then Tourkakis approached IPL. The company worked extensively with East Coast Seafood and other lobstermen for six months to develop the requirements that ultimately resulted in the IPL FlapNestTM Live Seafood Container.
East Coast Seafood is the largest American Lobster distributor in the world and one of the 10 largest seafood distributors in North America.
For more information
For more information on IPL's products, call 1-800-818-1318 or email: info@ipl-mh.com.
Click here to learn more about IPL Products, Ltd.
