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PROFILE

26th July 2001, Page 32
26th July 2001
Page 32
Page 32, 26th July 2001 — PROFILE
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lected from local farms as well as from farms in Suffolk, Kent, Essex, Hereford and Lincolnshire. Many of the potatoes collected will end up on the shelves of High Street supermarket giant Sainsbury's, where the driving force is freshness.

This means the early new potatoes are being lifted at the point of collection a few hours before the vehicle arrives. They have to be loaded into temperature-controlled trailers because the skirts have yet to set. This work requires a close relationship with the farmer, which the company fosters by keeping the drivers on set rounds where possible.

Action stations

It also comes in handy when the weather affects business. "Potatoes can't be stored when they are wet, They have to be dry. There have been times when we've had a yard full of vehicles here because it's so wet there's nothing happening. We have to wait for the farmer to call us in, then it's action stations everywhere," he adds.

In all, Solarnum has a network of about 70 farms. The potatoes are carried in one-tonne boxes, which provide additional logistical problems for the haulier, as Nigel explains: "Solarnum has its own boxes, but many of the farms have their own boxes too, with their own names on them. We must have about 3.000 boxes here at the moment and, as well as keeping them in good condition, we have to keep track of them all." Peter still keeps an experienced eye on that operation.

That is, when he's not out making local deliveries during the busier times. Tracking the boxes is made easier because each driver has a regular number of farms on the delivery list.

Early potatoes begin in early July, so there's a noticeable change in the work carried out by the drivers. In the past couple of months, potatoes have been coming out of cold storage and Harper vehicles have been delivering them into the packing factory.

In a typical week at the end of June, for example, four or five vehicles a day were bringing in last year's main crop potatoes from cold stores in Hereford. Meanwhile, local farms on the Harper circuit were receiving regular drops of empty boxes in preparation for the rush when the early cropping season begins.

The onion-lifting season starts in September and runs until February. These are collected on behalf of Chateris-based packing company Rustler, for which Harper is one of several sub-contractors.

There is a difference in the handling, because a large proportion is collected in bulk trailers, although some of them are packed in boxes. Although the company has a limited custom base, Nigel says it is well placed for further expa sion. For example, Harper now runs 10 vehicles, ha ing added two more this year to cope with increas volumes of tonnages being handled by the Soiarm packing factory.

This could spell further opportunities for t operator. The Harper farm, which doubles as t haulage company's operating centre, has the Dote tial and the available land to develop its own cr store.

"It's something we've been considering for sor time. We are pretty sure that its capacity would fully utilised once it's in place," adds Nigel.


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