Yet another factor many underestimate when it comes to shortfalls in storage is human fatigue. If cartons need to be gripped awkwardly or risk tearing mid-lift (which happens), workers are obviously going to take their sweet time, and may outright refuse to stack anything higher than their chest for fear of collapse. These limitations are neutralized with moulded handholds that enable the user to hold the hand in a neutral wrist position (extending into pronation at 90°) and rounded edges so as not to be lacerated by sharp baked edges in plastic crates. Crates have an unexpectedly light lift when fully loaded because they distribute weight evenly across reinforced ribs, cutting strain injury that drains productivity and inflates insurance premiums. Plus their stiff walls shut off the “domino effect” where one tipping carton topples its pals – a sight that turns crowded aisles into mazes. Crates cultivate a culture of confident, consistent motion—both people and product protected from each other—the single greatest conductor of throughput that lasts.
Designing a Storage Architecture Based on Crates
While the value of Plastic crates from Team Systems can be fully realized, organizations need to move beyond purchasing bins and develop their storage architecture around their specific requirements. These slotting analyses should match SKU sizes to crate footprints, and arrange items by speed and compatibility to reduce empty headspace. After that, shelf beam spacing can be as close as millimetre on millimetre, eliminating the buffer zones that used to be needed to deal with carton oddities. The algorithms soon proliferate as pallet patterns: if every crate is 600 × 400 mm, a standard 1200 × 1000 mm pallet holds a perfect three-by-two matrix against however many vertical layers safety allows. On auto routes, conveyor side guides are matched to crate depth, minimizing lateral swing which inversely impacts speed of scanners and labellers. Even dock equipment, from telescopic unloaders to powered stretch-wrappers, can be set up once and remain untouched for years, buoyed by the knowledge that every inbound or outbound load will provide a uniform interface.
Economics and Sustainability across the Life-Cycle
While sceptics may wince at the higher upfront cost of polymer containers as compared to corrugate, he says a life-cycle perspective shows dramatic savings. Multiply that by hundreds of single-use cartons per lane reduced by recycling five to 10 years for Premium Plastic crates. Add avoided procurement, disposal fees for waste, and the costs of handling cardboard (breaking down and baling) and the cost balance tips very quickly toward plastic. Modern resins are also recyclable, with many suppliers running buy-back programs where exhausted crates are ground into their virgin pellet state for use in new ones, thus closing the material loop and reducing a facility’s carbon footprint. That circularity becomes a competitive advantage for businesses seeking eco-conscious retailers, or those facing extended-producer-responsibility regulations. Importantly, sustainability does not necessarily mean compromising on capacity or speed; the reusable crate is perhaps the only green investment which actually improves cost performance.
How to Implement a Change without Impact
Where transformations fails is when they try to turn things upside down overnight with decades of well-established methodology. Successful crate programs take a phased approach, starting with the workflows that are the most constrained. From order-consolidation stations where backlogs peak during seasonal surges, facilities can then broaden crate usage upstream into reserve storage and downstream out into outbound staging. The change agent has data on its side: scanners built into Warehousing equipment log pick rates, jams, and damages pre- and post-crate use, furnishing the cold, hard facts that justify the expenditure. Training cements adoption. As staff experience the ergonomics for themselves, and realize how beautifully crates fit on pallets or in truck bodies, scepticism evaporates and excitement takes the place of the resistance. Eventually, the visual uniformity of thousands of identical totes becomes a badge of honour, proving to guests and auditors alike that your operation is by design, not happenstance.
