Ultima Foods Inc, a Canadian producer and distributor of yogurt and fresh dairy products, has signed a new contract to transport its products on pallets from CHEP, a provider of pallet and container pooling systems. Ultima Foods now ships Yoplait yogurt and other fresh dairy products on CHEP pallets from the company’s plant in Granby, Quebec, to supermarkets, mass retailers, grocery stores, club stores, and foodservice operators across Canada.
The company previously used a pallet exchange system that involved increasing inspection, repair and replacement costs. It was also representing a safety risk at its distribution centers and equipment downtime issues at its highly automated plant.
François St-Onge, purchasing director at Ultima Foods, said, “With CHEP, we get pallets that are always in good condition and that cause no production downtime. CHEP pallets make it safer for our employees, especially in our National Distribution Centre where pallets are stored up to five high in racks. Also, with the emphasis that we put on food safety, it is an advantage to know that each pallet was inspected individually and that there will be no undesired material or substance on the pallets that we will receive.”
Replenishment is easy with CHEP pallets: Ultima Foods places the order in advance, a carrier picks up the pallets, and they arrive at the plant on time. “There is no need to store large quantities of pallets and no need anymore to inspect pallets and segregate the ones that need to be repaired or thrown away from the pallets that meet the specifications,” said St-Onge. “Management of the pallets is easy and any challenges we had with customers and carriers have been eliminated.”
Ultima Foods was created in 1993 with the merger of the yogurt production and marketing activities of Canadian dairy cooperatives Agropur and Agrifoods. The company employs 606 people at its head office in Longueuil, its plant in Granby, and sales offices in Calgary, Mississauga, and Halifax.
For more information, visit www.chep.com.
