Plastic Container Blog

The president of Container Exchanger believes that returnable packaging helps improve material handling by reducing the number of moves from stackable containers. Click here to read more about the specifics of this.

Container Exchanger Lowers Material Handling Costs with Fewer Moves from Stackable Containers
David Madden, President of Container Exchanger, recently reported that, returnable packaging improves material handling by reducing the number of moves from stackable containers. This type of lean manufacturing and distribution metric is quantifiable and makes this environmentally sound decision a good business choice as well.

Container Exchanger is an online marketplace that offers manufacturing and distribution businesses an outlet for procuring or selling used returnable packaging. The product offerings include many standard and common reusable packaging solutions, including but not limited to plastic totes, plastic collapsible bulk boxes, metal containers, wire baskets, and plastic pallets. Launched in 2005, ContainerExchanger.com has empowered companies to reduce packaging acquisition costs through access to used returnable packaging inventories and it has enabled companies to maximize return during disposal of their used packaging fleets.

Returnable packaging reduces waste created by every business. The EarthWorks Group estimates that 30% of landfill waste is created by plastic and paper packaging. The use of cardboard products and other one-time-use packaging products contribute to this waste. The per piece packaging costs for used bulk containers and totes can be as low as 5% of the costs for a comparable expendable solution, depending on shipping volumes. 

Folding bulk containers, industrial totes, and metal storage bins are used over and over again within a facility or between a supplier and a customer. They can be used literally thousands of times. These bulk boxes are much cheaper in the long term when compared to buying cardboard boxes and wood crates every time that product is shipped. Savings can be observed in the per piece packaging cost. While the upfront investment in returnable packaging may cost more, savings can be realized quickly through repeated use (the same bulk containers, metal bins, and totes are used over and over), labor (no more box assembly), material handling (fewer moves from stackable containers), quality (fewer rejects due to damaged packaging), and floor space (plastic and metal containers can stack very high).
Container Exchanger (www.containerexchanger.com) is dedicated to the sale and resale of reusable packaging and containers. The firm resells folding bulk containers, metal storage bins, plastic industrial totes, plastic pallets, and used gaylord boxes nationwide. When a company is finished using a returnable packaging fleet, Container Exchanger represents the seller and finds a buyer for the used bulk packaging. Sellers enjoy a high sales price for a better return on investment. Buyers save significantly in comparison to new packaging prices.

This growing demand is mostly related to storage and transportation, therefore, the need for material handling equipment is on the rise.  To read more about this, click here.

India’s industrial graph is on the rise and industries and business units are leaving no ends to make hay while the sun shines. From real estate, retail and hotel industries to shipping, aviation and steel, there has been a growing demand for industrial and business supplies mostly related to storage and transportation.

To cater to this demand, is the need for material handling equipments, as they are essential for coordinating the movement or handling of material, including storage within a facility or at any work site.

Material handling equipments are indispensable high precision equipments, required in an array of industries depending upon the use. From transport equipments to positioning equipment, storage equipment and identification or control equipment; industries along with construction work sites cannot be imagined without material handling equipments.

Addressing the demand for material and handling equipments in industries, has lead to facilities like organized industrial and business supplies stores online, which provide easy accessibility to the required products. You can, not only order your products online from the comforts of your home with just the click of a mouse, but you can also avail facilities like doorstep delivery.

Buyers from industrial and business units while procuring material handling equipments should ensure that the products besides being priced competitively are reliable, resourceful, manufactured by state-of-the-art technology and demonstrate superior execution. Moreover, the growing competition in the industrial supplies market has also inspired major players to offer value added services product comparison.

The material handling equipments usually consists of cabinetry for storage spaces, other than carts and trucks that fulfill the requirement for transport equipments between a loading dock and a storage area.

Since, moving heavy materials from one place to another in an industrial site is indispensable, containers and conveyors are essentially required for storage and transportation of industrial and business supplies from the manufacturing units to the warehouses or for shipping. Besides, conveyors also referred to as positioning equipment are used for keeping any product in a specific position.

Buyers of industrial supplies also require mounts and vibration control equipments, racks, shelving and workbenches; apart from ramps, structural framing systems, wheels and castors which constitute invaluable material handling equipments for industrial business units.
 

This tear drop compatible storage rack offers more flexibility and reliability for customers when they are increasing their storage rack systems. You can read more about this specifics of the tear drop compatible storage rack by clicking here.

Tear Drop Compatible Storage Rack from RIDG-U-RAK
North East, PA - July 2008 - RIDG-U-RAK’s Tear Drop “universally compatible” pallet rack system includes four (4) column profiles and nine (9) popular beam sizes providing customers with more flexibility and RIDG-U-RAK’s well-known reliability when expanding their storage rack systems. All RIDG-U-RAK Tear Drop beams feature a patented and rugged automatic spring-lock pin mechanism for positive beam-to-column engagement. Tear Drop storage racks can be provided in a variety of selective and high density storage systems widely used in industrial, warehouse and retail facilities.

“Demand for our tear drop compatible storage racks continues to grow as the market realizes the full array of tear drop profiles and sizes we offer” said Dave Olson, RIDG-URAK National Sales Manager.

RIDG-U-RAK’s Tear Drop fully-welded uprights are roll formed in either four or six bend column profiles with 2″ vertical adjustability. The larger six-bend columns are formed with 180-degree return flanges and are available in 3×3 and 4×3-inch profiles. The four-bend columns are standard in 3×1-5/8 and 3×2-1/4-inch profiles. All uprights feature weld-on baseplates, a center reinforcing column rib and heavier bracing for added strength and rigidity as well as better impact resistance.

Beams are available in nine (9) sizes ranging from 2-1/2 to 6-1/2-inches which allow for selecting the most efficient beam possible. These “universally compatible” beams are continuous welded tube sections with automatic locking end connectors using Ridg-U-Rak’s patented and rugged automatic spring lock pin mechanisms. Both uprights and beams are finished with a durable powder coat finish in standard green and orange. A wide variety of other colors are available upon request.

For more information on RIDG-U-RAK’s systems, contact Dave Olson toll free at 866-479-7225 or email: sales@ridgurak.com.

RIDG-U-RAK, a leading manufacturer of rack storage systems for distribution centers, industrial warehouses and retail shopping facilities, is a member of RMI, the Rack Manufacturers Institute, MHIA the Material Handling Institute of America and MHEDA and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association. Customers include most large scale retail, home improvement, distribution centers and industrial warehouse operations.

Many times material handling becomes an after thought when warehouses are moving which can be a serious mistake. Read more about this here.
Steel King Offers Tips For Warehouse Design
07/21/2008

When constructing a new warehouse or upgrading an existing one, too often material handling becomes an afterthought, which is a serious mistake. To optimize storage density, efficiency and ROI, distribution, Steel King is offering managers tips for material handling along with warehouse design.

“Expanding a warehouse or moving to a new one is an opportunity to improve your bottom line whether you’re running out of storage or launching a new product line,’ says Kevin Curry, National Accounts Manager for Steel King, a major designer and manufacturer of warehouse material handling, storage and safety products. “Start at the dock doors where the finished goods are shipped and work backwards toward raw material storage. Everything in between needs to be considered to achieve the most efficient material handling, the lowest labor and capital costs, and the greatest ROI.’

To get the most out of any warehouse expansion or move, warehouse managers should seek material handling expertise that will complement warehouse design from the start. The right vendor or integrator, for instance, will analyze a customer’s unique product mix or inventory of SKUs, aiming to achieve optimal storage rack density and selectivity while eliminating unnecessary handling or movement.

This requires selecting the right storage rack system and material handling equipment to achieve optimal material handling flow.

To maximize rack longevity while minimizing maintenance and cost, it’s important to work with a rack vendor such as Steel King that’s capable of manufacturing both structural steel rack that’s hot rolled out of the mill and cold rolled steel rack that’s roll formed from sheets of coil.

‘The structural steel provides heavier capacity, a lower profile and more impact protection with smaller cross sections,’ says Bob Ferrer, Sales Manager at Cardinal Materials Flow, a material handling and storage system integrator. ‘The cold rolled steel is more rigid and economical. When you mix and match structural and cold rolled steel rack, you get the best storage at the best price.’

A clear eye for the right material handling equipment is critical as well to coordinate with warehouse design. The right equipment will reduce forklift traffic, wasted movement and handling, perhaps adding automation where appropriate.

‘To get the greatest bang for your warehouse design buck, focus on the 20 percent of product that requires 80 percent of warehouse movement,’ says Ferrer. ‘Make sure these fast movers are efficiently picked and moved out the door. Grouping them in pick modules near shipping docks can help, as can automating with conveyors or AS/RS cranes.’
The right vendor should also notice details such as whether existing racks are damaged in front. This is common when narrow aisles cause forklifts to hit the rack when turning. This can indicate a need to widen aisles or reinforce the rack in front via enhancements such as Column Core by Steel King, which can extend rack life and prevent downtime.

So whether warehouse managers are building a distribution center from scratch or expanding an existing one, they must remember that they can’t let material handling be an afterthought. They must plan for it up front, right along with storage rack to get the most out of their capital investment for decades to come.

I just learned that one of the main benefits of plastic pallets vs. wooden pallets is that plastic pallets are easier to sanitize.  You can read more about this and other benefits by clicking here.

Plastic pallets

Plastic pallets are pallets made of plastic. Plastic pallets are more widely used in Europe than in the rest of the world. Plastic pallets are often chosen over traditional wood pallets because they offer benefits which wood can not. Some benefits over wood include the ability to easily sanitize plastic pallets, resistance to odor, longer service life span, and lighter weight, thus saving transportation and labor costs.

There are 6 main types of plastic processes that are used to make pallets.

High Pressure Injection Molding
Structural Foam Molding
Thermoforming
Compression Molding
Rotational Molding
Profile Extrusion

[edit] History
There is no clear documented time at which plastic pallets first appeared, but the consensus in the pallet industry is that they most likely appeared in the United States after WW 2. Credit is given to ret. B-29 capt Leo Nathans (PDQ PLASTICS INC) for creating plastic pallets for the auto industry to ship car parts when metals were a precious commodity due to war effort.

Modern Material Handling Magazine earliest mention of plastic pallets is in 1964 for a fiberglass reinforced plastic pallet.

R&M Materials Handling, Inc., offers a variety of products and services for the material handling industry.  Click here to read about all that they have to offer.

The Loadmate® Electric Chain Hoist by R&M Materials Handling, Inc., Maximizes Productivity
Thursday, July 17, 2008 - Article #961

Offers compact design, easy installation, and safe operation

SPRINGFIELD, OH (July 16, 2008) —R&M Materials Handling, Inc., produces a wide range of material handling products and services. The Loadmate® Electric Chain Hoist, with lifting capacities from 1/8 to 5 tons, is easy to operate and offers increased safety, reduced maintenance, and extended life. The Loadmate® offers a range of options for a variety of applications.

Three standard mounting configurations are available: fixed top hook, push trolley, and motorized trolley. Standard lifting heights come with 10, 15, and 20 feet of lift, with additional lifting heights available up to 150 feet for single fall and 75 feet for double fall. The Loadmate® is also equipped to lift materials at speeds from 8 to 32 FPM single-speed, 12/3 to 64/6 FPM two-speed, and 1-16 to 4-64 FPM variable speed inverter.

The Loadmate® features a compact design, precision gearing, and easy mounting in order to increase the ease of operation of the hoist. The premium-grade, precision gearing contributes to the hoist’s compact, low headroom design, low noise level, and smooth operation.

R&M Materials Handling tests each Loadmate® Electric Chain Hoist with a minimum of 125% rated load prior to shipping in order to ensure safety.

All models of the Loadmate® are equipped with a torque-limiting device for hoist overload protection. The electro-magnetic disc brake-clutch combination is designed for efficiency, safety, easy access, and adjustment. Upper and lower limit switches, low voltage control, and an alloy steel hook also add to the safety of the Loadmate®.

Reduced maintenance and extended life are benefits that are paramount to the design of the Loadmate®. An integral hoist control panel encloses all electrical components, such as hoist contactors, transformer, and terminal strips, and is easily accessed for ease of maintenance. The Loadmate® is designed to run cool and maximize the life of the gears, brakes, and motors. Longer component life means less maintenance, decreased downtime, and lower repair costs.

The Loadmate® is also available with various options—allowing customization for specific application requirements. A swiveling motor driven trolley option allows for shorter curve radius tolerance on custom monorail applications. Lifting capacities, heights, and speeds can also be customized. Other options for the Loadmate® include: inclement weather protection, special configurations, variable frequency drives, and food grade hoist features.

For more information on the Loadmate® Electric Chain Hoist, or to obtain more information on all the ways R&M Materials Handling, Inc., can benefit your material handling challenges, contact R&M Materials Handling, Inc., 4501 Gateway Boulevard, Springfield, OH, 45502. You may also visit http://www.rmhoist.com or call 1-800-955-9967.

R&M Materials Handling, Inc., has introduced EZ Lift which aides in common lifting needs.  You can read more about the specifics of this here.

EZ Lift(TM) RL Manual Lever Puller from R&M Materials Handling, Inc. Is Compact, Efficient, and Durable

SPRINGFIELD, OH (July 01, 2008) - R&M Materials Handling, Inc., produces products and services for the material handling industry. R&M introduces the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller which addresses the common lifting needs during construction, maintenance, and service. The EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller is compact, efficient, and long-lasting.

The EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller is designed for the hoisting and pulling of loads. Models are available for ¼-ton, ¾-ton, 1.5 ton, and 3 ton capacities. Particularly adapted for industrial use, its easy handling and flexibility enables it to be used in workshops, building sites, or in any application where space and hooking height are restricted.

Though R&M can customize any product to fit your material handling needs, the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller comes standard with a lift of 5 feet. The RL offers many additional benefits, including: compact size, safe load protection, easy load handling, and long service life.

The compact design of the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller allows easy transportation and use in confined work areas. More compact than the conventional lever puller, the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller is manufactured with high quality steel and comes standard with a chrome finish.

The EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller demonstrates exceptional load protection because it utilizes an automatic brake. The enclosed brake provides protection against debris. The EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever has a dual pawl Weston-style load brake with two friction discs that provide four braking surfaces. This product meets or exceeds international standards, including safety standard ASME B30.21.

Movable in any direction, the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever is easy to handle. This feature increases the efficiency and accuracy of load positioning. It has 360° handle rotation and a rubber grip for ease of use, safety, and comfort.

The simple and robust construction of the EZ Lift(TM) RL manual lever puller contributes to the nearly unlimited service life. A high-strength, grade 80 alloy steel load chain with a galvanized finish provides corrosion resistance.

About R&M Materials Handling, Inc.
For more information on the EZ Lift(TM) RL Manual Lever Puller, or to obtain more information on all the ways R&M Materials Handling, Inc. can benefit your material handling challenges, contact R&M Materials Handling, Inc., 4501 Gateway Boulevard, Springfield, OH, 45502. You may also visit www.rmhoist.com or call 1-800-955-9967.

One of the Samson carts has been awarded the Gold Level.  You can read more about this here.

Samson Carts® Achieves Gold Level Cradle to CradleSM Certification

Samson Carts Leads the Removal and Material Handling Industry by raising the standard to Gold Level. The library/file cart (trolley) has been awarded Gold level Sustainability Certification, the first and only to demonstrate its Design for the Environment.

[UKPRwire, Fri Jul 04 2008] Samson Carts® has been awarded Gold Level Cradle to Cradle Certification by MBDC, a leading environmental consulting firm focused on helping companies implement new approaches to sustainability and prosperity.
Samson Carts’ award comes after an eight-month study of its sustainable design for the environment (DfE). MBDC awards Cradle to Cradle Certification only after a rigorous evaluation process that considers material safety and reusability, water and energy consumption, pollution and social equity.
David L. King, AIA, CFM designed Samson Carts® as an environmentally superior product to replace the plywood or metal roll cages and trolleys used as library and folio storage carts used in the material handling and removal industries. The annually renewable certification lasts from June 13, 2008 to June 12, 2009.
“We started the Samson product line in 2001 and by achieving Gold Level Cradle to Cradle Certification, we proved we were ahead of our time. This is a monumental time for us and the industry as Samson Carts® becomes the first and only Cradle to Cradle (green) certified material handling product,” said David L. King, President, Samson Carts®.
King is a member of the Chicago chapter of the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Samson Carts? is an EPA Green Power Partner and is also Greenguard listed as a low VOC emitting product

Cradle to CradleSM is a Trademark of MBDC, LLC.

To learn more, contact David King at (847) 818-8977. Samson Carts can be found on the web at www.samsoncarts.com.

Bayer has begun using logistics automation solutions which uses InSync’s Edgeware platform. Read more about this specifics of this here.

Bayer Uses InSync Software to Develop and Deploy RFID and Sensor

Safety is the key in the modern workplace and major gains in productivity can be made in the area of industrial material handling equipment.  You can read more about this here.

Industrial Material Handling

In the modern workplace, safety is paramount, and any business needs to take all aspects of their operation seriously in order to deliver the best possible results and value in all areas.  Within high pressure industrial situations, safety is everything, and minimizing risks through sensible and efficient processes can have a big role to play in the overall profitability of a business.  Industrial material handling is one core area that requires a great deal of attention, and is also an area where real gains in productivity can be made through the use of the best quality equipment.
Improving safety and all other areas of industrial material handling through the use of custom designed equipment means that you lose less time and money through waste caused by poorly thought out systems.  In dangerous environments such as the offshore oil industry, protection is critical, as even the slightest slip up can mean huge costs through down time if crucial equipment is damaged and needs to be replaced, while the risk to personnel is also a vital consideration.
With this in mind, it is important to invest in the best quality equipment for industrial material handling possible.  Ingersoll Rand is well known as one of the leading manufacturers of industrial equipment for all sectors.  Their reputation is built on offering the best quality tools in the marketplace, and thanks to more than 75 years of experience in manufacture and research, the company is able to deliver on its promises with systems that are ready to go and offer great performance that is tailored to your particular industry.
Ingersoll Rand has followed a path that is best described as excellence through specialization.  Over the years their basic range of industrial material handling equipment such as electric and air powered winches has been refined through careful testing to make it more specific to particular uses within different industries.  The company has examined the performance requirements of hostile environments such as those found in the offshore oil industry and used the lessons learned to give their winches, hoists and other equipment the ability to withstand the worst of the weather without impairing performance.
The work that has been carried out by the company to harden equipment to work well in difficult environments has also paid off in other areas.  Because it is built to perform well in hostile environments, Ingersoll Rand industrial material handling equipment will also achieve excellent levels of reliability and quality in more controlled situations. 
Reliability is everything in industry, and you need to be confident in your equipment, especially when you are handling difficult loads or lifting dangerous materials.  Ingersoll Rand are famous for using the finest quality materials throughout the production of their range of hoists winches and other industrial material handling equipment, and this gives the end user much greater confidence in their tools than they might otherwise have.  All aspects of the units available from Red Hill Supply have faced extensive testing to ensure that they can perform at the highest levels when in use, and provided they are well maintained, they will offer impressive performance over the long term.
Every application has different needs when it comes to the performance of the equipment that is required to do the job, and Ingersoll Rand have produced a wide range of industrial material handling equipment that can be trusted.  From air powered winches that can operate perfectly well in environments where a traditional electric motor cannot be used due to volatile gasses or flammable materials being present through to situations where immense power needs to be applied to lift heavy loads without risk of failure, there are hoists, and winches that can meet the requirements of industries as diverse as manufacturing and oil production.
Red Hill Supply specializes in providing the tools that industry needs in order to operate as smoothly and efficiently as possible.  Thanks to our relationship with leading manufacturers such as Ingersoll Rand, we are able to offer a comprehensive range of industrial material handling equipment that can be used to provide you with the efficient and safe systems that you need in order to keep your operations running at their best.