Choosing the ideal tote for your supply chain
Why is the choice of a handling container strategic?
On average, a company’s logistics costs account for 10-15% of its sales. From storage to transport, including the return of damaged products, this expense item affects both customer satisfaction and the organization’s profitability. To reduce it, make the right choices… starting with the question of handling.
The ideal handling bin is ergonomic, lightweight, durable and reusable. It protects your products, adapts to your equipment and saves you time. It reduces the risk of breakage, RSI and pollution. It contributes to product preservation, employee well-being and the conservation of natural resources…. while guaranteeing impeccable delivery. With the perfect tote, you save costs throughout the supply chain, and meet all technical, commercial and environmental challenges.
Handling bins are more than just storage and transportation tools. It’s part of your success, even if end customers don’t always see it. Choosing the right rotation packaging is another way of :
- Meeting deadlines;
- Maintain product quality;
- Save space during transport and storage;
- Reduce the number of handling operations;
- Save time throughout the supply chain;
- Produce less packaging waste;
- Reuse the same bin several times.
The result: improved customer satisfaction, cost savings and a better corporate image!
What criteria should you take into account when choosing a handling container?
The industrial packaging market is full of solutions. From stackable plastic bins to euro standard shuttle crates, with or without lids, handles and other practical options, you’re spoilt for choice. So which selection criteria are most important for efficient storage and transportation? Price, dimensions, ergonomics, strength… Here’s what you need to consider for your product.
Robust and lightweight
If the first function of a handling container is to transport goods, the second, and no less important, is to protect them. Your products need to be stored or transported without taking a beating. Their quality must be preserved all the way to the end customer. You’re probably thinking of a double-walled or very thick plastic tray, but you should know that packaging can be both strong and light.
For example, choose EPP material for your handling and storage bins. They withstand multiple impacts without damage, and can be easily restored to their original shape. Their exceptional strength is matched by their ability to withstand temperature variations, protecting automotive parts as well as pharmaceutical and food products. It’s also an ultra-light material, being 98% air!
Ergonomics and safety
Under French law, all employers are required to ensure the health and safety of their workers by implementing preventive measures, information and training. The choice of handling equipment has a direct impact on quality of life at work.
Thanks to its lightness and ergonomic design, it helps to significantly reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among employees. What’s more, when made of plastic or expanded polypropylene (EPP), they emit less noise when handled, making work more comfortable.
Cleaning and durability
Packaging has to stay clean. In some sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and the food industry, this is an obligation in order to preserve the product. So choose a container that’s neutral, easy to clean and reusable. Water-, air- and dust-tight handling bins are available, such as our Komebac® range from Knauf Industries. Made in France, they can be adapted to a wide range of business sectors, and can be used for between 10 and 15 years – the equivalent of saving 1,000 cartons per unit! What’s more, they can be recycled at the end of their life.
Compare the plastic bin to other materials
Wood, metal, cardboard, plastic and bioplastics make up most of today’s rotating packaging. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. To help you in your choice of container, we have studied the differences between our Komebac® PPE bin, a conventional plastic bin and a cardboard box.
We evaluate these three types of totes on logistical criteria in the comparison table below.
Cardboard box (e.g. GALIA 49 type) 600x400x300 | Plastic bin 596x396x314 | PPE tray (type Komebac® 64 Fond 330) 595x395x330 | |
Service life | One-time use | 15-20 years | 10-15 years |
Payload (over 10 kg max.) | 92 % | 70 % | 85 % |
Grip options | No | Handles | Handles |
Weight | Medium | High | Low |
Risk of breakage or damage to the bin | High | No | Very low |
Shock absorption | Low | No | High |
Nestable or collapsible | No | Yes | Yes |
Storage constraints | Interior / 2-level stacking | Indoor or outdoor with canopy / Stacking on 4 levels | Indoor or outdoor with canopy / Stacking on 4 levels |
Additional packaging required (film) | Yes | No | No |
Recyclability | 6 times | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Use of recycled materials | 90 % | 70 % | 40 % |
Personalization | Limited | Simple text | 100% customizable |
Noise during handling | Low | High | Low |
Adapting the handling container to your sector of activity
Heat-sensitive or fragile products such as vaccines or frozen meals? Electronic parts that don’t like water? Do you need a special design to stand out from the crowd? Because you don’t all have the same constraints, Knauf Industries deploys a wide range of EPS or PPE containers dedicated to transporting products. Your container must be perfectly adapted to your industrial needs, both technical and marketing.
Food processing and catering
Whether you’re selling meats, pastries or cheeses, you’re bound by food safety standards (such as European regulation CE 1935/2004 or France’s energy transition law for green growth banning single-use plastic). To preserve product quality and minimize environmental impact, you need to choose packaging that is safe for consumers’ health and won’t contaminate food.
Think of the EPSwhich is neutral, lightweight and recyclable. contains no volatile organic compounds, heavy metals or ozone-depleting substances. It thermally insulates contents and absorbs shocks. Ideal for transport! It’s also a great way to create a design that reflects your image (logo, color, shape, text…), since it can be customized as you wish.
Pharmaceutical and chemical industry
Fragile or heat-sensitive products? Keep them protected from knocks and at a controlled temperature throughout your logistics operations. Robust and insulating Komebac® Cool cooler is ideal for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. It’s the lightest cooler on the market, available in 3 sizes, with or without handles.
Discover also our range of Frobox® and Ringbox® containers capable of conveying solid CO2 without problem, at temperatures between -80 and -20°C.
Retail and cosmetics
Are you at the very end of the distribution chain? Then it’s not just a question of lightness, sturdiness and thermal insulation. Aesthetics take precedence over everything else, because it’s your colors, your design and your message that will catch customers’ eyes on store shelves. So choose packaging that’s flexible, differentiating and in line with your brand image. Consider the options of materials, shapes, textures, colors and silk-screening, or let a professional design your customized packaging, in keeping with your marketing and product constraints. Unlike cardboard boxes, EPP and EPS packaging is fully customizable.
Take advantage of our Knauf Industries expertise by contacting our ID Lab research and development team. Our customized solutions meet the needs of manufacturers and distributors in all sectors.
Knauf Industries, your partner in the manufacture of handling bins
Is it a real headache to find handling bins that are both strong and light, safe and ergonomic, durable and high-performance? Every day, Knauf Industries meets this challenge for thousands of manufacturers worldwide. Automotive, healthcare, food, retail, HVAC, furniture… Our standard EPP and EPS containers, innovative and durable materials, meet all your technical, environmental and marketing requirements.
Do you have a special request? Thanks to our thermoforming, plastic injection and honeycomb molding technologies, we can design custom packaging to protect and enhance your products. We adapt the material, shape, dimensions and screen printing to your needs. Let our teams support you in all your industrial projects. With Knauf Industries, innovation is at your service.
Conclusion: a profitable choice for your supply chain
Looking for tried-and-tested handling bins that meet all your industrial and regulatory requirements? Take care of your products and your employees with innovative solutions from Knauf Industries. Combine lightness, strength, safety and efficiency to save time and cut costs. Discover our complete Komebac® range, with single-material handling bins in any desired size and with multiple customization options, as well as the FlipBox®, a practical and ergonomic folding bin, ideal for optimizing storage and transport space. You can also request customized solutions tailored to your specific needs.
Our R&D laboratory will help you boost your performance, satisfy your customers and become more competitive in your market. Tell us about your project. Contact our Knauf Industries teams today!
Things to remember
Are you looking for the ideal tote for your industry and your products? Here’s what to consider when making your choice:
- A handling bin is ergonomic, lightweight, durable and reusable. It must meet all your technical, environmental and commercial requirements;
- Use rotation packaging rather than single-use bins;
- The material changes everything: EPP and EPS can be adapted to a wide range of applications;
- For special design or insulation requirements, manufacturers like Knauf Industries develop customized solutions.
