WO2004096619A1

WO2004096619A1 - Garment trolley

Info

Publication number: WO2004096619A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/004068
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anton Yuvaraj Emmanuel; Jagath Kumara Pathirana
Original assignee: Freeport Riggings (Pvt) Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-08-08
Filing date: 2003-09-30
Publication date: 2004-11-11
Also published as: AU2003263453A1

Abstract

The RO-LO-RACK is a simple device invented to cater to the requirements of garment exporters who export garments on hangers. The equipment is made up of a steel structure which consists of box bars, angles and G.I. pipes which are bolted together to form a rigid structure on which garments on hangers could be suspended. The entire structure is mounted on four heavy duty castor wheels, which enable the device to be moved into warehouses and containers easily, both before and after loading. This unique product initially is cost saving as it can be totally dismantled at the destination point sent back for re-use. It also has been designed to fit exactly into a sea container deriving maximum usage of available space. When garments are exported in this new manner, the exporter ahs the ability to export 25% more garments than when using the conventional methods. It is envisaged that this piece of equipment would certainly revolutionize the export of garments on hangers.

Description

GARMENT TROLLEY

This garment rigger trolley is a simple but heavy duty piece of. equipment which is adjustable, detachable and can be completely dismantled. It consists of box iron, angle iron and galvanized pipes, bolted together. The specifications being: width- 1300mm,length-2250mm,height-2110mm The purpose of the trolley is to provide an easy convenient and inexpensive means of exporting garments-on -hangers.(GOH)

Due to the very high cost of labour in the developed world, garment exporters refrain from sending garments in the conventional flat pack form where the garments are placed in cartons and exported. This form of export requires the consignee to have all the garments pressed prior to being sent to the retail outlets. As mentioned before the very high cost of labour in the developed countries, makes this process of ironing very expensive and in some instances it has been found that the price of a single garment has been increased by as much as 20 US dollars, In order to circumvent this problem, garment exporters decided to adopt a new and different approach. They welded galvanized pipes inside sea containers and were able to send the garments on hangers. This method was effective but had a major drawback, as the pipes had to be cut out of the container after the garments had been removed. This too is a very expensive process.

The RO-LO-RACK is perfectly designed to cater to this requirement. All ISO Sea containers are of standard width i.e. 8 feet., the length is variable i.e. 20' or 40\The RO- LO-RACK is designed to fit exactly into sea containers. Four such trolleys fit into a 20' container and eight into a 40' container.

The all steel structure (see attached diagram) consists of four vertical components, made of box iron (50 x 50 mm), the broadside verticals are joined together by means of angles (40 mm). Linear wise slotted galvanized pipes(33.2 mm) treaded at both ends are bolted onto the angles. Two diagonal box iron bars (40 x 40 mm) connect the vertical components adding rigidity to the structure. Thus the structure consists of four tiers, however the heights between the tiers can be varied by simply shifting the angles to different levels. Four heavy duty castor wheels are fitted onto the four vertical bars, thus the entire structure can be easily moved from place to place. All the steel components are painted over with an anticorrosive undercoat, followed by a coat of enamel paint.

A further advantage is that a container with RO- LO- RACK can hold 25% more garments than a conventionally rigged container. Also due to the mobility factor the trolleys can be loaded with the garments very much in advance and kept ready , so that the container loading process could be completed in minutes as opposed to the standard four hour duration

The most pragmatic advantage is that this trolley is reusable. At the destination point, when the garments have been removed the trolley can be totally dismantled and made into a small bundle. These bundles could be sent back to the original point of loading, and when reassembled the trolley could be reused once again.

Claims

This new invention would certainly have a conglomeration of benefits over the traditional methods used in the export of garments on hangers. They are:

1) This product can be totally dismantled at the destination point at very little cost, as no cutting is required, only 76 bolts have to be removed and the entire devise will be completely dismantled.

2) Once dismantled the device becomes a small bundle, 96 such bundles h would fit into a container, making the repositioning process very simple and when brought back, the unit can be reassembled and re-used once again.

3) All components can be readily interchanged if required.

4) The number of bars per tier could be increased and decreased to suit the number and size of the garments

5) The number of tiers could also be increased and decreased.

6) The heights between the tiers could be varied to suit the length of the garments.

7) The castor wheels enable the trolley to be rolled into warehouses and containers easily without any effort, simplifying the loading process.

8) This concept enables the exporter to prepare the cargo well in advance, prior to the arrival of the ship and the container.

9) When garments are shipped out in this form the exporter will have 25% additional carrying capacity.

10) Anti corrosive under coating and a finishing coat of enamel paint adds elegance and completely precludes corrosion.

11) Garments loaded on to this RO-LO-RACK need very little physical handling, restricting the soiling factor to minimum levels. This is due to the fact that once the garments are loaded on to the rack at the loading point they will only be touched at the ultimate unloading point which will generally be the retail outlet.

When comprehensively analyzing the entire package of benefits derived by exporters when using this product, it becomes evident that , the cost factor, efficiency and convenience factors would be tremendously enhanced, ameliorating the Sri Lankan garment export trade to international levels.