Do you still remember those heavy 25-liter jerry cans? Unlike many of our competitors, we no longer sell them. Instead, we fill our cleaning products in twenty-liter containers. Barend van den Boom (Car- & Truckwash advisor at Spectro) explains why.
The 25-liter cans are slowly becoming obsolete. This is all due to the maximum lifting weight for employees. Over ten years ago, this was set in most EU countries at 23 kilograms.
Trendsetter
At Spectro, we already switched to lighter jerry cans for our cleaning products for car and truck washes in 2009. Barend: “Some customers asked us if we could supply smaller packaging. At the time, employees at car wash facilities had to pour shampoo over their hands while operating the car wash machines. With our 25-liter cans, that was almost impossible to lift. With our 20-liter packaging, that was much easier. At the time, we were truly a trendsetter.”
“The twenty liters are just as good for the environment,
but a lot better for your back”
Beer mug
The demand for lighter jerry cans was also louder among other customers in the market. And because we consider good health to be of utmost importance at Spectro, we completely stopped selling the ‘heavyweights’ two years ago. Despite the fact that customers still regularly asked us about it.
“They still do that,” said Barend. “Simply because they’re used to it. A 25-liter package of cleaning product is just as commonplace for many companies as 24 bottles in a crate of beer. But when we explain why we no longer sell the heavy jerrycans, everyone immediately understands.”
Cost factor
According to Barend, the cost difference is negligible. “The price per liter is the same. And on a full pallet there can be 28 cans of twenty liters each. So that’s 560 liters, instead of 600 liters. This also means that the transport costs are very similar. But much more important: the employees don’t have to lift as much. We hear from many customers that their employees notice the difference quite clearly.”
Sustainable
Of course, at Spectro we also ‘just’ take back the empty 20-liter cans. “We sort them together with our smaller packaging at home,” said Barend. “So that the packaging manufacturer can then offer them again as new. The twenty liters are therefore just as good for the environment, but a lot better for your back.”