Sæplast sells 3,000 Euro-size PUR tubs to German processor

According to Sæplast Dalvík managing director Valdimarsson, the scale of the agreement makes it one of the most important ever concluded by the company. Since Euro-Baltic Fischverarbeitungs GmbH concluded its first contract with Sæplast in 2002, the processor has purchased a total of 3,000 of the company's tubs, a figure which the latest agreement doubles at a single stroke. Production of the containers, which come fitted with a computer chip to control and monitor their flow through the processing line, has already begun, and delivery is scheduled to be completed over the next few months.

Complied with regulations

Constructed from a tough recyclable polyethylene shell and insulated with rigid polyurethane foam, Sæplast Euro-size PUR containers are designed for use in the handling and processing of fish and other food products both on board and ashore. Robust, easy to handle and constructed from EU and FDA-approved food-grade, they feature rounded edges and surfaces for optimum wash, easy access from all sides, and strong, dependable hoisting grips.

Euro-Baltic Fischverarbeitungs GmbH is a subsidiary of Dutch fisheries and processing operator Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V, which owns and operates a fleet of several pelagic and demersal trawlers, along with large-sale processing facilities located in Germany and the Netherlands. At over 17,000m2 in size, the company's Sassnitz plant is one of the largest, most technologically advanced herring processing facilities of its kind in the world, and is equipped with a combination of robots, automatic processing lines, and a variety of other state-of-the-art equipment. Formally opened on October 14, 2003, it has a capacity of some 50,000 tons per year, and employs around 100 workers.

According to Sæplast Holland agent Ron Scholtus, the man responsible for concluding the contract, the agreement is of major significance to Sæplast not only in terms of its scale, but also due to the fact it was won in the face of stiff competition and strong buyer demand for quality and excellence.

"Sealing this agreement was a long-term process," he states. "As an existing Sæplast customer, Euro-Baltic already had considerable experience of the company and its products, and this no doubt had a strong influence on the company's management when reaching its decision. As far as I'm concerned, there's no doubt whatsoever of the importance to Sæplast that the world's largest and most technologically advanced herring processor should choose the company's products. It serves both as a powerful advertisement and positive endorsement of Sæplast and its products, and will significantly strengthen the company's position in terms of future sales and marketing," he says.

Scholtus' opinion is confirmed by Anton van der Plas managing director of Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V.

"We've had long and successful dealings with Sæplast," he says, "As a company, we place strong demands on our suppliers when it comes to product quality and durability, and Sæplast containers have consistently fulfilled these expectations.

"The 3,000 Sæplast Euro-size PUR tubs that we are now purchasing integrate well into the automated infrastructure used in our processing facilities. As containers at our plants are loaded in large magazines, strength, durability and stackability were all major issues, and the Sæplast tubs fulfilled all these demands.