TAMPA, FL–(Marketwire – October 22, 2010) – IFCO SYSTEMS, the worldwide leader in reusable plastic container (RPC) management services, reports survey results showing that, of over 1,000 produce department managers surveyed:
* 97.9% report better inbound produce quality with RPCs,
* 95.7% report easier unloading with RPCs,
* 96.3% report easier stocking with RPCs, and
* 95.5% prefer RPCs to corrugated boxes.
Over a 12-month period spanning June 2009 – June 2010, IFCO representatives conducted in-person surveys of 1,163 produce managers and employees of retailers that had converted to RPCs. Participants were asked how RPCs performed relative to corrugated boxes along the following dimensions: inbound produce quality, ease of unloading pallets from the distribution center, ease of stocking in the produce department, and overall packaging preference.
“By surveying front-line produce managers and employees for their feedback on the RPC programs, we were able to glean critical information on how the RPC program is affecting the retail produce sector,” said Fred Heptinstall, President and General Manager of IFCO RPC Management Services. “Satisfaction at this level is a clear indicator that the RPC program is having the desired effect on retail produce business.”
Grocery produce department managers receiving fresh produce in RPCs are the ones who interact the most with RPCs at the retail level. They see the impact of RPCs on their incoming produce quality, store operations, and their customers. As such, they can offer critical insight into the effectiveness of the RPC program.
Additional Information
IFCO is an international logistics service provider with more than 210 locations worldwide. IFCO operates a pool of over 102 million Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) globally, which are used primarily to transport fresh produce from growers to leading grocery retailers. In the United States, IFCO also provides a national network of pallet management services. IFCO is the market leader in this industry with almost 200 million pallets sorted, repaired and recycled annually.
WORLDWIDE RESPONSIBILITY is an IFCO initiative, under which IFCO not only continues to assume its social and environmental responsibility but, working with strong project partners, expands its sphere of responsible activities. With the initiative’s first social-engagement project, IFCO supports Food Banks worldwide in their honorable effort to provide food to the needy through the provision of reusable containers and by co-financing delivery vehicles.