Cold Chain Efficiencies: De-topping & Handballing

At Magnavale, alongside temperature-controlled storage, we provide a vast portfolio of cold chain services aimed to create simplified and more sustainable supply chains. Due to rising inflation and climate issues, there is an ever-increasing interest and need for food manufacturers and distributors to seek efficiencies in their cold chain.

Due to the price of fuel, transport is one of the most costly elements of a supply chain. Our partners have significantly benefitted from services such as de-topping and handballing which have allowed them to effectively maximise trailer fill and reduce their overall usage.

What is Handballing?

Handballing is the semi-manual process of unloading and loading stock that is not palletised. The process enables the maximum amount of stock to be placed into a container, or pallets to be stacked over-height for trailer transport. Handballing is most frequently used when processing shipping containers destined for export/import (also known as container stuffing).

What is a De-Topping Service?

A de-topping service involves reducing the overall height of a pallet when it reaches its destination. Industry standard warehouse racking allows for pallets that are 1.68m tall, however, in order to utilise transport effectively, some food manufacturers choose to transport pallets that are stacked taller than the industry-standard racking height.

Upon arrival at our cold store, these overheight pallets can be de-topped, a process of handballing cases onto a new pallet. While this incurs a cost, overall it is significantly more cost effective, once the reduction in transport requirement is considered.

If you’re interested in any of our cold chain solutions, please enquire below.