Smulders has been guaranteeing high-quality products for the horse market for twenty years. Everything, including horse boxes, is developed and produced in-house, in Poland. All production employees have extensive experience in steel production and process both mild and stainless steel.
Smulders‘ customers are located all over the world. From Australia to the United States. The products are shipped in 40ft High Cube shipping containers. During transport, the products cross different climate zones.
Smulders ‘ customers are located all over the world. From Australia to the United States. The products are shipped in 40ft High Cube shipping containers. During transport, the products cross different climate zones.
These are high-quality steel products. The products should be of the same quality on arrival as when they left the factory in Poland. However, steel is susceptible to corrosion at higher humidity.
On galvanized steel can come a white layer also called white rust. This can be prevented by keeping the humidity in the container low. Together with Praxas, a suitable solution was sought to eliminate the risk of white rust during sea transport.
First, testing was done to apply only desiccants in the containers. All containers were monitored live. By logging the location, time, temperature and humidity in the container, it was possible to see if this was sufficient to eliminate the risks.
Upon arrival of the container, it appeared that the deposit of white rust on the steel was less. But the result of using only desiccants was still not enough. For this reason, the switch was then made to the Praxas Container Pack.
The Praxas Container Pack consists of one package containing a container liner to protect the goods inside the container from outside moisture. Moisture that can come from the floor or moisture that enters the container through the ventilation holes. It also stabilizes the temperature inside the container which prevents peaks and troughs in temperature. Also in the package are desiccants to reduce the moisture content in the container and data recorders that monitor the temperature, humidity and dew point temperature in the container.
During previous tests, the humidity inside the container rose sharply. The cause of the increase could be traced to the moisture content in the wooden containers. The advice is to allow the moisture content pallets or wooden packaging to be no more than 15%. If it is higher, this moisture will be released during transport and accumulate in the container. As a result, this moisture may return to the products in the form of container rain.
The wood packages are checked with a wood moisture meter. If it is found that there is no wood available that contains less than 15% moisture, the wood is packed. This keeps the moisture in the packaging and prevents it from entering the container.
For additional protection, galvanized steel can also be passivated. Passivation of steel is and surface treatment that provides the steel with additional corrosion protection.
Before loading the container, the container liner is installed. The horse boxes are stacked to the ceiling and secured with the hooks of the container. A total of 23,700 kg of steel goes into the container.
On top or between the boxes are placed the drying agents provided. And front and back of the container a data recorder to show that conditions in the container were good during transport.
Upon arrival in America, the goods have arrived in perfect condition and the horse stalls can be installed immediately. Much time is saved in this way to repair damage and the construction of the horse boxes is not delayed.
For Edjzeck Smulders, there is no doubt. With the Praxas Container Pack, he has found the ideal solution to export his horse boxes around the world.
For more information:
Praxas B.V.: Bob van Velden
Smulders Sp. z o.o.: Edjzeck Smulders
Download the PDF here: Exporting steel horse stalls with the Praxas Container Pack