Rollet Company Ltd has clinched its biggest health sector orders yet for its revolutionary roll cages which guarantee the smooth and hygienic delivery of health products.
Welsh Health Supplies has ordered 500 roll cages to deliver supplies to hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics and chemists throughout North Wales from its distribution centre in Denbigh.
The lightweight cages, which have been designed by Rollet with the health industry in mind, are constructed from tough, flexible plastic with smooth corners, making the transport of bulk supplies easier and safer.
With more than 1,500 customers and up to 20 deliveries a day in North Wales, WHS needs to ensure that stocks arrive on time and in good condition.
Manchester-based Rollet, backed by the £2 billion turnover United Co-operatives retail organisation, has developed the cages as a clean alternative to old-style metal cages which were renowned for rusting and whose cracks and crevices attracted dirt.
Phil Atkinson, Head of Materials Management for WHS, said: “We are very impressed with the design of the Rollet cages and the advantages of using plastic over metal. They load and unload easily, are light to move about and have no rough edges, which means that packaging of goods is less likely to get damaged in transit and people are safer with no sharp or protruding edges.
“They are also easy to keep clean, an absolute must when you are dealing with health supplies. And they look good. So good, in fact, that they have caused quite a stir among our customers!”
The corporate coloured cages can also be easily tracked thanks to the radio frequency identification (RFID) which can be built into each unit which means that their journey can be traced throughout the supply chain.
WHS holds around 2,300 stock lines at its Denbigh store, including medical and surgical supplies and foodstuffs. Its delivery service stretches from Holyhead and Meirionedd in the west to Queensferry and Penley in the east. The organisation also has a distribution centre at Bridgend which covers South Wales.
Rollet founder Chris Ennis, said “Our plastic roll cages have enjoyed considerable success since they were launched and this latest health contract from WHS is great news for us.
“They are fast becoming the ultimate in returnable transit packaging (RTP) for NHS facilities and health product manufacturers alike, particularly as they have conquered all the problems traditionally associated with transporting goods through controlled environments in metal cages.
“The units can stand up to high pressure automatic spray washers and can also be treated with a silver-based anti-bacterial additive to make them even safer from bacteria”.
The cages have also been designed to be flexible. Their modular design means that panels and shelves can be added, each unit can be shortened or heightened and individual units can be combined to create made-to-measure bins and trains for oversized or odd-shaped items.
Rollet founders Chris Ennis and Andrew Caine developed the innovative roll cages in conjunction with the University of Manchester’s Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).