Maersk Container Industry (MCI), the container manufacturing division of AP Møller Maersk, has revealed it purchased 116,000 plastic balls as part of a recent exercise to test and increase the effectiveness of its refreigerated containers in transporting fresh produce.
According to the company, the balls were adapted so that they would respire in much the same way as fresh fruit and vegetables do, enabling it to assess various improvements to its reefer box service.
Speaking as part of a new promotional film produced by the gold medal-winning Copenhagen Film Company, MCI's container technology manager Lars Lübker explained why the company had opted to run such a large trial.
'The challenge by tranporting fruits and vegetables is that they respire. They are living organisms and they need to be taken special care of. That means we need to control the environment inside the container with perfection,' he commented.
'In order to improve the performance of a container we had to develop a specific artificial fruit. We did that by purchasing 116,000 plastic balls. We modified the plastic balls so that they can respire much in the same way as fruits and vegetables do.'
According to Lübker, the improvements made by the firm mean that products shipped in Maersk containers will be perfect 'even after several weeks of transportation'.
