NEW ORLEANS, LA - The employee-owned and fresh produce-focused Tanimura & Antle is taking a new, ecologically friendly approach by using CHEP and IFCO’s storage and inventory management solutions. Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle is seeking to eliminate supply chain disruptions to meet sustainability commitments. The partnership was created in 2000, and the lasting effects are measurable and exciting to hear.  The story of the partnership between Tanimura & Antle, CHEP, and IFCO is highlighted at Fresh Summit.  

“We have built a strong reputation for providing our customers with premium fresh produce every single day,” said Eric Wexler, Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Tanimura & Antle. “Working with CHEP and IFCO, we have peace of mind knowing that pallets and RPCs are on-hand and readily available to meet customer demands, efficiently and sustainably.”

How does this specifically help the environment? Well, according to the press release, the partnership has taken carbon emissions down by five million tons, saved almost 92 million gallons of water, taken food waste down by four million pounds, taken down the total solid waste production made by over  3,000 homes, and saved enough energy to power over 32,000 homes for one year.

With those hard numbers, Tanimura & Antle is commending its wise decision to embark on an ecologically focused business model with CHEP and IFCO. It is not only its waste reductions and energy saving solutions that Tanimura & Antle is celebrating. The company’s partnership is said to increase efficiency and optimize the shipping and handling during peak harvest seasons.

Tanimura & Antle is able to optimize on this partnership by storing its hundreds of thousands of pallets at its locations in Yuma, Arizona, and Spreckels, California, before its peak harvest seasons begin. This solution has helped Tanimura & Antle work more effectively during harvests and made its efforts towards the reduction of carbon emissions and environmental impact more efficient.

“We are committed to doing business in a responsible way that protects and preserves our natural resources. CHEP and IFCO are innovative and collaborative partners that help us deliver on our sustainability commitments,” said Mr. Wexler.

While CHEP tends to the logistics of Tanimura & Antle’s plans, IFCO offers Tanimura & Antle reusable plastic containers for the packaging, transporting, storing, and displaying of the company’s fresh produce. On top of that aspect, IFCO makes sure that it is readily equipped to assist in Tanimura & Antle’s harvesting efforts by using crop forecasting, acreage yield data, and transition plans according to the research it has acquired on Tanimura & Antle’s harvesting seasons.

Tanimura & Antle is not the only company that has benefitted from CHEP. Wholesum Harvest and Metro Inc. have had their own relationship with the company to develop their own innovative supply chain solutions. The increase in efficiency, reduction in costs, and increase in sustainable dividends has been attractive to many businesses.

“CHEP and IFCO constantly strive to develop new and innovative strategies that help growers and retailers successfully navigate the demands of the modern fresh produce supply chain,” said Jason Adlam, Vice President of New Business Development, CHEP USA. “Our pallet storage, sustainability and international flow solutions are examples of the value we deliver for our customers.”

The two companies’ parent company is Brambles, so it is no surprise that CHEP and IFCO share a commitment to achieving a Circular Economy-- one that generates zero emissions and zero waste. Brambles recently expressed its dedication to sustainability by publishing its Sustainability Review for the 2017 Financial Year (FY17). The Review includes updates on CHEP and IFCO’s sustainability program and its progress towards its 2020 Sustainability Goals.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.chep.com or follow us on Twitter @CHEPna or LinkedIn. Please also check out our YouTube channel.

Tanimura & Antle IFCO CHEP