Save space, save fuel, save money

Photos courtesy of East Jordan Plastics

When growing and shipping plants, it can be easy to overlook and underestimate the importance of the containers they come in. But after spending countless days, weeks and months growing and caring for a plant, it’s important to give it the proper container. Picking the right container can have a massive impact on a growing operation, and Kurt Oelschig, owner of Oelschig Nursery in Savannah, Georgia, can testify to how the plant containers from East Jordan Plastics have helped his business get the most out of its plants.

The wholesale nursery, founded in 1882 by August Carl Oelschig, mostly grows annual flowers for landscapers and garden centers, but the business also offers poinsettias and Easter lilies, which are popular during the holiday seasons.

Oelschig has been using East Jordan Plastics’ SHUTTLETM STADIUM® pots and trays in his operation for years. According to Oelschig, using East Jordan Plastics’ products has led to some noticeable improvements, especially in terms of saving and maximizing space.

With East Jordan Plastics’ containers, Oelschig can fit 20% more trays in a zone and 20% more trays on a shipping cart, meaning he can also fit 20% more trays on a truck.

“In this capacity, the stadiums have eased the pressure of space restraints in the greenhouses and trucks during our busy seasons,” Oelschig says. Fitting as many trays as possible inside a given space is crucial to keeping Oelschig’s operation running smoothly.

Other benefits have been realized by the nursery’s logistics department, Oelschig adds. He says that 17% fewer trucks were needed to deliver an identical amount of plant material using SHUTTLE STADIUM pots and trays compared to other containers. This decrease in trucking needs translates to 17% savings on diesel fuel to run the delivery trucks, as well as the drivers needing to drive 17% fewer miles on their delivery routes, all to deliver the same amount of material. While a 17% reduction in fuel costs and mileage may not seem like much, it adds up. At $5.00 per gallon, 17% savings means saving $0.85 every gallon. And by traveling 17% fewer miles on what would otherwise be 200,000 miles a year, Oelschig’s drivers are saving 34,000 miles per year, which also translates to burning through 4,250 fewer gallons of fuel.

Shipping products can be a massive cost for any operation. Oelschig’s drivers travel hundreds of thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars on diesel fuel every year to deliver the nursery’s products, so saving money wherever he can has had a massive impact on his company’s bottom line. By using East Jordan Plastics’ containers, Oelschig estimates that his company is saving $21,250 in diesel fuel annually. Year after year, that money continues to add up.