Methods, Equipment, and Facilities for Receiving, Ripening, and Packing Bananas

Excerpts from the report: Bananas are one of the few perishable products handled without packaging between the point of production and the wholesale outlet. Bunches are handled in bulk and require individual attention through every handling step from the plantation to the warehouses of wholesale distributors. Handling operations such as receiving, ripening, cutting, and packing require varying amounts of labor and different combinations of materials-handling equipment. Labor-saving devices and efficient handling methods should lower the distribution costs. This study therefore was undertaken to (1) measure the relative efficiency of various work methods, including types or combinations of types of materials-handling equipment, for performing the handling operations; (2) determine the kinds and amounts of equipment needed by dealers for efficient handling of differing volumes of business; (3) appraise comparative labor and equipment costs of handling varying volumes of fruit through facilities of different sizes and designs with different methods and types of equipment; and (4) develop improved facility layouts and designs for the use of different handling methods and equipment