With more than 30 years of experience handling, storing and repairing containers on the Montreal waterfront, Dory Tuvim knows a thing or two about containers. That is why a multinational company working in Western Canada called him when it needed help figuring out how to use containers on the farm.
Tuvim said the company had developed expertise in product identification and traceability, but wanted to start its system in farmers’ fields.
The company said it would put $50 million into product identification, but wasn’t sure how to handle the containers.
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“They realized they needed containers in place in order to accommodate the identified product,” said Tuvim, president of MCS Containers (Marine Container Services) in Montreal and MCS Agriterminal in Moose Jaw. “We bring in containers to the field, but the containers don’t have wheels.”
A variety of existing container-handling equipment was tried in the field, but all forms met with limited success because of wheel problems and excessiveweight in soft soil conditions.
“I went home and thought, how can I put wheels to a container so the container could be towed by a tractor? I developed a little model, took it to Doepker Industries and they engineered it,” he said.
Tuvim also checked for patents and found nothing resembling his system, so he applied for one.
The machine backs over the container, with four corner posts that correspond to the container’s corner post. Each corner post has a latch that connects to castings on the container. Once connected, the corner posts lift the container hydraulically. The prototype could lift containers 45 centimetres off the ground.
“You hook it to a tractor, just like you’d hook any implement,” he said.
“We designed this one for a field tractor: 350 or 400 horsepower. You’re going on soft land, with 50,000 pounds, so you need lots of power.”
He said the tractor was able to travel 30 km-h when tested at 70,000 lb. and was able to lift 45 cm in 20 seconds without getting out of the tractor.
Doepker Industries of Annaheim, Sask., built the first unit, which was unveiled to the public this year. With feedback from potential buyers, Tuvim and Doepker are considering modifications based on what they’ve heard.
“The original idea was to use a side loader, which is an existing machine and is available,” Tuvim said.
“People want it to elevate higher, so a truck could go underneath and we wouldn’t need a second machine to lift it up. And there were questions about 40-foot containers.”
The most common container for pulses and grain is 20 feet, which goes on the road, the train and the ship.
“You cannot load a 40-foot full. A 20-foot container will take up to 25 tonnes, which is allowed for road regulations. A 40-foot container won’t be able to take 50 tonnes. It might only take 30 tonnes, so it’s more for volume products.”
With Moose Jaw being located in an area that produces 400,000 tonnes of pulse crops, the company that hired Tuvim worked with him to open a container terminal in that city to act as a blueprint for how to develop an identity preserved system that could be used around the world.
The facility, MCS Agriterminal, is now loading hopper cars and containers on the Canadian National Railway near Moose Jaw.
Tuvim envisions a day when an identity preserved crop is harvested and dumped straight from the combine into open-topped containers in the field. A carrier like his would deliver the container to the side of the field, where trucks would take full ones away and deliver empty ones. The identified product would then be delivered directly to a cleaning facility, or the container would be sealed and delivered directly to a buyer overseas.
“By having it in a container, we identify the field it came from, container number and from then on you have traceability. From the field right to the end user, you can keep control on the product.”
Tuvim said while the Dory Container Traveler was originally designed for farmers, it has a wide range of applications he’s exploring, including for the military.
“Existing machines are designed for wharves and other civilized areas. This one can go in any terrain.”
He hasn’t sold one yet Ð the price is around $80,000 Ð but he said leasing might be an option, or a group of producers might buy one.
