Cost and investment14 / 27

Record harvest time, product readings, waiting and facility capacity by lot, then size investment from trial data.

The question to ask before buying more containers: how much of the day do the current ones work. The ratio is container-hours dispatched divided by container-hours available.

Trial the first batch on a representative route; base expansion on measured acceptance criteria and comparable quotes.

Match washing, preparation, repair, loss, and space costs to a period and usage unit.

The price of equipment made abroad is more than the product price. Listing the items at the start prevents most of the budget drift.

Separate volume, payload, plate preparation space and route duration to identify the bottleneck.

Record route time, stops, load and product conditions to compare active and passive methods on equal terms.

A plug-in container produces cold, a passive one stores it. The difference is energy, maintenance and flexibility as much as technology.

Measure space for loaded, empty, washed and ready equipment separately, including circulation and handling access.

The freezer has to run at least 5 °C below the plate's melting point and hold that while loaded. Capacity is counted in racks and daily cycles rather than litres.

Align article code, dimensions, quantity and delivery terms in each quote. Calculate operating cost from your own freezing and trip records.

Compare the pilot with the baseline using the same measures for duration, volume, errors and product records.

Set the period and denominator; add labour, handling, waiting, and space cost from actual records.

Track arrivals, door occupancy and peak-hour queues. Consider new doors after measuring yard and service bottlenecks.

Once supplier arrival times vary, the safety stock no longer fits on the dock. Four conditions and the size of the buffer decide the choice; a worked example and three questions follow.

Use actual trips to assess load volume, route duration, stops and power access. Validate each option with measurements against product instructions.