It has been observed that not many growers understand the role a wool dump plays in the 'pipeline'.
The primary purpose being to compress the wool bales into a smaller package size - a dumped unit - such that more bales can fit into a container.
Typically wool bales are either shipped in an undumped form, 'double' dumped ( 2 bales per unit), or tri-packed ( 3 bales per unit).
While a tri-packed unit reduces shipping costs per bale, it increases the costs to produce that unit. For example, a more expensive wool dump is required, and more straping is required to hold the unit together. For example, a dumped unit may have 5 metal straps each at $1 per strap.
Whereas an undumped bale packed into a container only requires a forklift to load the bale into the container. But less than 45 undumped bales may only fit into a 20' container. While it is possible to get 120 tri-packed bales into a 20' container.
Of course there are many issues to consider other than cost. For example:
- The client may request undumped bales
- The higher the dumping capacity, the greater the potential to harm the wool. Hence very fine wool may be shipped undumped in a 40' container.
- The client may be using the bales shipped on a lot by lot basis, and does not want lots mixed together in the one dumped unit. Hence there is a greater chance of this happening when tri-packs are used. If lots are not to be dumped separately, then container utilization rates drop.
Now the wool dump is a logistics service provider and organizes, on behalf, of the exporter to:
- electronically collect all bale data for the shipment.
- schedule the collection of the bales from - potentially - all over Australia, allocating carriers where required, in a timely manner to meet shipping schedules.
- mark the bales with mill / exporter requirements, and 'dump' the bales.
- book terminal 'time slots', prepare the shipping / terminal documentation, and
- 'cart' the containers to the terminal.
