Crate washing in NL: the hidden costs

In the aftermath of the study into the hygiene and quality of crate washes in the Netherlands (2018), Clean Machine received many questions from customers and relations in the industry. A recurring theme was the construction of the costs of a guaranteed hygienically washed crate. This becomes even more topical when companies are about to opt for internal or external washing, when setting up a new car wash due to (hygiene) problems, or when the (penalty) pressure is increased by the NVWA. But until now, the right knowledge and information was not available. That is why the company carried out a follow-up investigation into the hidden costs of crate washing.

Crate washing in the Netherlands - research part 1 

Previous research has shown, among other things, that the problems faced by smaller companies - sticker residues left behind after washing, cross-contamination, poor drying of crates, low quality of hygiene and irregular control of bacteria - also occur in large companies. The consequences of this are proportional: the bigger the company, the bigger the cost. Or in the worst case: the fine. Now that we see an increase and intensity of inspections by the NVWA and the increased regulatory burden, the latter is becoming increasingly real and topical. 

Complete insight into the costs

In general, we see a trend of rising costs across the board: energy, transport, personnel and waste disposal charges. In the long term it is expected that these cost developments will continue. All these factors are important, and sometimes a percentage point more can mean a substantial absolute increase.

It is also often unclear what the total costs of crate washing are. After all, how do they accumulate? And where are the costs housed, or are they hidden (in accounting terms)? In order to answer these questions, we researched what hidden costs there are. With the insights gained, a new report was written. 

Curious about the research? Download it here