Page 8 - Hafen Hamburg Magazin

■ PORT OF TASTE
CONTAINERS TRANSFORMED THE JOB IMAGE
Over decades, quartermasters expanded their know- how on specific processing for different products, some of them increasingly concentrating on certain groups. Many of them remain responsible today for importing these. Yet with the invention of the contain- er in the 1960s, Speicherstadt in Hamburg came to be used less and less as storage space. Many compa- nies moved to larger sites in the Port of Hamburg. In some cases, products are now stored on areas of up 100,000 square metres.
AUTOMATION AND PROGRESS
Automation and technical progress have changed the quartermaster’s job. It is mostly port logistics and other special- ists who accept produce on entry, check- ing the weight and condition of products as a first step. Then they take a small quantity and check it for appearance. For a precise investigation of quality, other small batches go to a laboratory. Like spices, nuts or fruits, namely, cocoa and coffee beans are very sensitive. So logis- tics providers make extremely precise checks on hygiene, ambient tempera- ture and humidity in their sheds.
SAMPLES ARE REMOVED AND CHECKED PRIOR TO FURTHER PROCESSING
Many companies now offer processing in addition. Be- fore cleaning dried fruits and nut kernels, for instance, quartermasters remove damaged produce and foreign bodies. Later, those products are then picked and packed. Then the goods go on to the trade. Handling of coffee and cocoa is similarly laborious.
INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS
After coffee beans have been inspected, they are sieved and cleaned. Before the logistics suppliers mix the beans as instructed by the customers, pest control follows. For all foodstuffs, such international regulations as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and International Food Standard (IFS) define the necessary steps.
In recent decades, quartermasters have also extend- ed their profound expertise to other areas. Customs clearance was among their tasks from the start. That remains so. Some companies have extended their portfolio. A mass of electronic equipment bound for elsewhere in Europe arrives in the Port of Hamburg. The first stop for such products is with the quarter- masters. Apart from Customs clearance, they con- duct quality checks and pick orders. The products and the job description may have changed. Yet what re- main are the duties, the essential care and the know- how on individual products. ■
08 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2020
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