Reusable solutions are by no means limited to the catering sector. Walther Faltsysteme GmbH is now supplying 20,000 reusable trays for plants for use in DIY stores, nurseries and wholesalers.
150 million plant trays are destroyed in Germany every year - the Euro Plant Tray eG (EPT) cooperative, which is made up of various DIY stores, nurseries and wholesalers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, wants to change this. Together, they want to establish a reusable system and pool management for reusable plant trays, the Euro Plant Trays.
The Walther Faltsysteme GmbH took part in the tender and submitted design proposals. With success. The design has now made it into the top 2. „Our design is more than just a copy of the previous disposable trays made of high-quality polypropylene,“ reports Andre Hecker, Project Manager at Walther Faltsysteme. „We have incorporated additional bars, so that the trays are particularly stable even when empty and do not bend.“
Another advantage of the design is that the trays can be nested inside each other and have a stacking height of 20 millimetres. This means that 666 pieces fit on one pallet, which offers great advantages when transporting empty trays. Unlike the disposable trays, the Euro Plant Trays are guaranteed to last 100 cycles and will be in use for more than ten years, according to the company. A water reservoir supplies the plants with water. „Of course, our trays are also labelled with a QR and barcode so that they can be tracked at any time.“ Of course, the cleanability of the trays was also taken into account. Large recessed grips on all sides enable optimum handling.
The design was followed by an initial prototype from the 3D printer and then the first small series production in order to be able to carry out tests with all parties involved. „Over the past few weeks, we have produced a completely new mould in our own tool shop. We were then able to start production of the first 20,000 units at the end of February„, says Oliver van Neerven, Head of Product Management. Walther delivered the first products at the beginning of March. Now the plant trays can prove themselves in practical tests.
Source: Walther Faltsysteme GmbH
