Right-size your bulk container for productivity

Although ORBIS Corp. has been supplying 32 x 30-inch and 45 x 48-inch footprint bulk containers to the automotive manufacturing industry for decades, the supplier constantly looks for new ways to help users increase productivity and reduce costs, says Sean Momsen, product manager.

“We discovered that users of our 32 x 30-inch unit were subdividing it to fit multiples of different parts in a single container—kitting items together for line-side delivery in production, for example,” Momsen says. “However, doing so left open space within the container or one product would be depleted before the rest, which could clutter up work areas.”

To address that issue, ORBIS created a 16 x 30-inch fixed-wall container that offers up to 500 pounds capacity to hold heavy, dense small parts, yet only weighs 30 pounds when empty for manual handling. The container has both standard fork pockets on the 30-inch side and metal lifting loops on the 16-inch side for forklift handling when loaded.

“Right-sizing the container addresses an ongoing trend to reduce the amount of on-hand inventory and increase turns in production environments,” explains Momsen. “Because it’s lightweight, it can be used in flow rack or be easily lifted and removed when empty, yet it is still extremely durable.”

Also recently right-sized, the supplier unveiled three new extended heights—39, 42 and 50 inches—for its HDR-4845 NV bulk container, which previously came in 25- and 34-inch heights. The taller sidewalls protect taller products (or more layers of products).

To minimize workers’ reaching and stretching over the extended height sidewalls to reach the bottom of the container, integrated drop door openings are engineered to be as low as possible, Momsen adds. “The containers also feature a one-piece molded base for strength and rigidity,” he says.

Further, with more automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) establishing plants in Mexico, ORBIS has done the same to reduce transportation costs associated with shipping these taller containers to their users.

“Additional tooling for the 45 x 48 BulkPak line is also located in our Mexico plant to support our customers located in Latin America,” he adds, noting that the extended height units don’t collapse as compactly as the shorter models when empty, meaning fewer fit into a single truckload.