For all of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s officially summer time, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for a little spring cleaning. If your facility could benefit from improved storage and organization, there is a wide variety of industrial containers from which you can choose based on your storage needs. Below are a few guidelines to start narrowing in on the best container for your application.

Industrial Storage Container Considerations

1. Product: Ask yourself what type of product or products are to be stored in the plastic totes, including size, weight, and safety concerns of the product interacting with the plastic material.
2. Container Use: How often will you or an employee need to place or retrieve items from this bin? Are you picking from it regularly, or will it be primarily used for longer-tem storage? This could determine whether you use stacking totes versus hopper or hanging containers.
3. Environment: Is your facility environment conducive to the use of plastic? If your environment is high heat or the environment or product is acidic, plastic might work, but mesh containers or other options could provide a safer alternative.

Now that you’ve thought about how the container will be used, let’s review some of the most popular industrial storage container options.

Types of Industrial Containers

Stacking Totes: Stacking containers do just that: stack on top of each other. This is helpful when you might not have shelving available as you can place the containers right on top of each other to create an organized storage area.   Nesting Totes: Nesting containers are helpful when you are looking for space savings when the totes are not in use. As they can sit/nest inside each other when empty. This is a good option if you know a large number of your storage containers will be empty during a given period.   Hopper-Front Container: One of the most common types of containers are hopper front containers. They are used frequently as the operator can easily reach right into the container. They are commonly used in picking operations and on shelving.   Hanging Totes: Hanging containers have a similar use as the hopper front containers; however, instead of sitting on the shelf, they have a “lip” on the back of them allowing them to be hung from a rack or panel. Think about how you will use the tote and the product being stored to decide whether a hopper front or hanging tote would work best for you.   Wire Mesh Containers: With or without lids, these containers can be designed with open gates/doors or fold down sides for easy stacking and collapsing during transport and storage. This type of container is a great option for storing larger products and are also very durable.  

While this definitely isn’t an exhaustive list of storage containers, these are some of the most common ones purchased by our customers to better organize their facilities. Spring might be over, but it’s always a great time to organize your facility and create a safer, more productive atmosphere.

Author: Sarah Fronczak