Page 28 - Export and Trade

The world’s toughest export
supply chain?

By the Export Academy of New Zealand

Undisputedly in New Zealand we are a major player in
the export of primary products and the challenges we
face in the supply chain of perishables are amongst the
toughest in the world.
With short shelf-life products and our distance from
world markets the logistics challenges are very real.
Despite this, over the years Kiwis have shown
innovation, determination and the clever use of
resources from both local and international service and
product providers.
When the SS Dunedin sailed from Port Chalmers in
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we began a new era of international perishable logistics.
Fast forward 136 years and how has our innovation
advanced?
Well for lamb we no longer send frozen carcasses
to market but send high quality cuts which have been
shrink wrapped, or more recently sealed into gas-
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chilled, state-of-the-art containers set at zero degrees C
with a margin of plus or minus 0.5 deg.
What about products that are so sensitive in regard to
temperature or have shelf lives measured in weeks? Phil Alison of Hawke’s Bay, is placing premium New
I have been directly involved with many of these. Zealand cherries into Asian consumers’ hands by
One example is the export of live lobsters, mainly to air in as little as 72 hours from picking – using the
Asian destinations, by airfreight. latest in packing technology, and slick supply chain
The lobsters are stored at airport depots in tanks tools. The cherries are shipped from Central Otago to
where the water temperature is very cold to lower the destinations like Vietnam and Guangzhou in China.
lobster’s body temperature and send the crustacean into
a level of hibernation. A job for the experts
They are then packed in poly-cartons with wood wool New Zealand leads the way in delivery of these
DQG FRROLQJ DJHQWV VXFK DV GU\ LFH RU JHO SDFNV DQG perishable products internationally but the critical
sealed into the cartons which have tiny breathing holes. points along that supply chain are balanced on
This is a multimillion-dollar industry and it is a great a knife-edge and such projects are not for the
SULYLOHJH LQ -DSDQ WR UHFHLYH D VPDOO OREVWHU DV SDUW RI D inexperienced or conservative would-be exporter.
wedding breakfast for each guest. That lobster arrived Yes, we can do it, but these tough supply chains
alive and fresh hours before it was presented, all the QHHG SODQQLQJ DQG GHWDLOHG ORJLVWLFV ÀRZV WR PDNH LW
way from New Zealand. all come together.
The growth of the fresh cherry export market has If you are thinking of exporting time-sensitive or
been huge over the years too and innovation in packing perishable products, ensure you work with experts in
and load out techniques has been improving all the time. the planning stages.
The latest innovation has been the development of retail
presentation packs from a new player in the cherry Supplied by Murray J. Painter, CEO, Export Academy
market – Cherry International. of New Zealand & GoGroup NZ Ltd. Go to
The new company, headed by Rockit Apples founder www.exportacdemy.ac.nz or www.gogroup.co.nz

26 NZ Export & Trade Handbook 2018