Easier Pallet Wrapping & Stability | InnoVent® Customer Story
What happens when a fresh produce exporter challenges the way pallets have always been wrapped? For Costa Rican pineapple exporter FERTINYC, the answer was a simpler, faster wrapping process, less packaging material, and improved pallet stability throughout the export journey.
The company recently shared its experience with InnoVent® in an interview published by FreshPlaza, offering a real-world example of how a change in pallet wrapping can make a meaningful difference, both at the packing facility and at the final destination.
The Hidden Complexity of Traditional Pallet Wrapping
For fresh produce exporters, preparing pallets for shipment involves more than simply securing boxes together.
The wrapping process must be efficient, the load must remain stable, and the packaging needs to support the specific requirements of the produce being transported.
Traditional solutions often involve several packaging components, such as corner boards and straps. While these methods can provide the necessary stability, they may also require additional handling, labor, and packaging materials.
For FERTINYC, a third-generation pineapple exporter from Costa Rica, these operational challenges created an opportunity to rethink its existing pallet wrapping process.
The company was looking for a solution that could simplify operations without compromising the protection of its valuable produce.
One of the key reasons FERTINYC decided to test InnoVent® was the opportunity to improve efficiency at its packing facility.
By replacing its previous corner board and strapping system with a ventilating pallet wrap, the company was able to simplify the wrapping process and reduce the labor resources required.
The result, according to the customer’s experience, was a faster and more practical approach to preparing pallets for export.
This is an important consideration for packing facilities handling large volumes of fresh produce, where every step in the process can influence productivity and operational costs.
And the advantages do not necessarily stop when the pallet leaves the packing facility.
Using fewer packaging components can also make the receiving process more convenient, reducing the amount of packaging that customers need to handle and manage after delivery.
For exporters, the real value of a packaging solution is not only how well it protects the load, but also how easily it fits into everyday operations.
Why Ventilation and Stability Must Work Together
Pineapples are living agricultural products that continue to respire after harvesting.
For exporters transporting fruit over long distances, maintaining airflow around the pallet is an important consideration.
However, ventilation alone is not enough.
Pallets must also remain stable during handling, loading, transportation, and unloading.
InnoVent® was developed to address these two requirements through an open-structure pallet wrapping solution that allows air to circulate while providing load containment.
For FERTINYC, this combination was particularly important.
The company’s evaluation focused not only on the wrapping process itself but also on how the pallets performed after completing their journey to Europe.
This is where the customer reported some of the most meaningful results.
The Real Test: What Happens at Destination?
A pallet may look perfectly wrapped when it leaves the packing facility. But the real measure of performance is how it arrives.
Rather than relying solely on observations at the packing site, FERTINYC’s owner, Wilberth Gómez Rojas, traveled to Europe to personally evaluate the condition of the exported pallets.
According to his FreshPlaza interview, the pallets arrived straight, stable, and well presented, with fewer damaged boxes and a significant reduction in rejections.
These observations helped demonstrate that the operational improvements achieved during wrapping could be combined with reliable performance throughout the supply chain.
The company also reported using approximately 150 grams of wrapping material per pallet in its application, reducing the amount of packaging entering the supply chain.
For FERTINYC, the combination of easier wrapping, reduced packaging use, ventilation, and improved pallet stability proved convincing.
From an Initial Trial to 100% of Export Volume
Perhaps the strongest indication of the customer’s confidence in the solution is what happened after the trial.
Following its evaluation of InnoVent®, FERTINYC decided to adopt the solution for 100% of its pineapple export volume.
The decision was based on the company’s own operational experience and the condition of its pallets after international transportation.
While every export operation has different requirements, FERTINYC’s experience highlights the potential value of evaluating pallet wrapping as part of the entire supply chain, rather than as an isolated packaging step.
Hear the Full Story Directly from the Customer
What convinced FERTINYC to replace its traditional wrapping system? What improvements did the company experience in its packing operations? And what did its owner discover when he inspected the pallets after their journey to Europe?
The full FreshPlaza interview provides a firsthand perspective on the challenges, the evaluation process, and the results that led FERTINYC to make the switch.
