The storage and transportation of materials is an essential part of many industries. Bulk storage solutions give companies the ability to keep their materials safe during transportation and storage while also providing enough space to handle large and bulk materials. A few industries can benefit from specialty bulk storage containers designed to handle their products’ particular needs.
As you look to improve your company’s material handling, consider some of the common challenges warehouses face when trying to find a storage solution and the types of questions you can ask to find the best containers for your company. Take your warehouse to the next level by learning how a bulk storage container can assist your operations and provide many advantages.
Jump To Sections:
- Challenges in Finding the Right Storage Solution
- Questions to Ask to Pick the Right Storage Solution
- Benefits of Bulk Storage Solutions
- 6 Industries That Could Benefit From Bulk Storage Solutions
Challenges in Finding the Right Storage Solution
When you’re trying to store bulk materials and large items, it can be difficult to find a storage solution that provides the type of container you need. The following are some specific storage challenges businesses may face:
- Incorrect container sizes: Some warehouses settle for separating their bulk materials, placing them in smaller containers for storage and transportation. This method can lead to misplaced products, as there are more containers to keep track of. It can also be more time consuming, as workers have to separate the materials into smaller containers and handle them individually.
- Large items: Storing larger items that can’t fit in regular-sized bins and containers can also present a challenge. Trying to make an item fit into a container not designed to hold its weight or size can lead to damaged equipment and inefficient handling.
- Space efficiency: Another one of the problems with buying in bulk is storing the materials in a space-efficient manner. Moving bulk materials into smaller containers can lead to a cluttered workspace and make the materials harder to transport. Additionally, large materials that don’t fit neatly into containers can prevent stacking, leading to less warehouse floor space due to having to place new containers horizontally rather than vertically.
- Transportation: Transportation can be another difficulty for warehouses unequipped to handle bulk materials. Storing bulk materials in multiple containers can slow down workers as they try to load the materials into a truck or move them to a new location. Larger items can also be cumbersome to handle if they’re not stored in a large enough container, leading to damaged equipment, slow transportation and worker injuries.
As warehouses learn more about how to solve storage problems, they often turn to bulk storage solutions. These solutions aim to help meet the challenges of large products and materials delivered in huge quantities. Bulk storage solutions give warehouses the ability to store these materials in giant containers, keeping the products together and organized. A high-quality storage solution is built to handle your toughest materials and give you the storage you require.
Questions to Ask to Pick the Right Storage Solution
There are many storage solutions for buying in bulk. You can find containers designed to handle different products, from liquids and solids to food products and automotive equipment. With the many bulk storage solutions on the market, it’s a great idea to evaluate your needs before you make a purchase.
Consider some of the questions you can ask to find the best storage solution for your needs:
1. Does the Container Have Enough Space?
It’s crucial to know how much space your bulk materials are going to take up. Buying a storage container that’s too small can lead to storing materials in multiple containers or having larger items not fit inside. Before you purchase a storage solution, check out the container’s length, width and height to see if it has the room to hold your materials. If you’re storing and transporting liquids, you may also want to check its capacity in gallons.
2. Can the Container Handle the Weight?
Each container has a specific weight capacity. Exceeding these capacities can cause the container to break, which can also damage your materials and possibly injure staff. Before you make a purchase, it’s smart to review the weight of your materials and see if the container has enough strength to hold them safely.
3. Is the Container Compatible With Your Handling Equipment?
It’s likely you handle your materials with machinery and other pieces of equipment. If you’re in the market for bulk storage solutions, see if the equipment has features like pallet jack and forklift entry for easy machine access. Since bulk material containers will be heavy, it’s unlikely the materials can be handled manually. As a result, you’ll need equipment to transport the container, and equipment must be compatible with the containers you invest in.
4. Does the Container Have the Functionality You Need?
Some containers are designed to handle liquids, while others are built to handle loose parts. You may also find containers created with FDA-approved materials for pharmaceutical, chemical and food materials or those designed with nestable features to improve storage space efficiency. With all the different kinds of functionality built into containers, you may want to evaluate a container’s applications and compare them to your warehouse’s storage needs.
5. Is the Container Sanitary?
If you’re in the food or pharmaceutical industries, keeping your containers sanitary is key to running a successful business. You want to avoid product loss due to dirty containers and product contamination to ensure clients remain satisfied and to uphold your reputation in your industry. As you look through different containers, check if the options are easy to clean and made with materials resistant to rotting and corrosion.
Benefits of Bulk Storage Solutions
Adding the right bulk storage solutions to your warehouse can provide many advantages that ensure you can operate at an optimal level. Learn more about the following benefits of bulk storage solutions:
- Safer storage: Bulk storage solutions are built to keep materials as safe and protected as possible. They can keep products needing hygenic and sanitary conditions away from contaminants and in a controlled environment, preventing product loss. Containers can also keep materials shielded from damage. Properly storing materials helps reduce the chance of employee injury, as the containers securely hold the materials and prevent them from falling on employees or causing other accidents.
- Easier transport: Since bulk storage solutions allow you to place a large amount of material in one space, transportation can be much quicker. With all the material in a single container, you don’t have to devote staff to moving multiple containers to another location. Instead, your material handling equipment can pick up the container and transport it without multiple trips.
- Greater organization: It’s easy to know where materials are when they’re all stored in a single container. Reducing the amount of containers materials are stored in can make it easier to find products overall. Additionally, some bulk storage options come with designs that allow you to place dividers and other organizational tools in them to keep items separated.
- Improved use of space: Bulk storage solutions should stack on top of each other in a stable manner. In a warehouse, this feature can be helpful as you try to avoid cluttering your floor space. You can stack bulk containers vertically to create more floor space in your warehouse and ensure larger equipment can reach products easily when they need to be transported.
- Reduced product damage: Since bulk storage containers are designed to protect materials from outside elements, using them can make it less likely your products are damaged during storage. By reducing damaged goods, you also reduce costs associated with replacing products or losing customers.
6 Industries That Could Benefit From Bulk Storage Solutions
Bulk storage solutions are used in several industries to great effect. This field of industries is diverse, with clientele ranging from the automotive industry to the food service industry. Other industries that can see great returns from utilizing storage solutions include those in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, consumer products and chemical manufacturing industries.
Find out more about the industries that can benefit from bulk storage below:
1. Automotive
Those in the automotive industry know just how important it is to keep parts safe and organized. Bulk storage solutions can do just that. Many automotive parts are small, such as door handles, nuts and bolts, hood ornaments and brake pads, and a bulk container can keep them all in one safe location. Additionally, bulk storage containers, such as the KitBin XT Bulk Bin, can be big enough to store large replacement parts safely, getting them to mechanics and consumers in top condition.
Bulk storage containers can also keep tools organized and separated before use. Instead of letting tools lie around after use, employees can have a central place to return the tools and a location to find them when needed. For companies that distribute automotive tools, bulk containers can also keep them safe prior to sale.
2. Agriculture
The agricultural industry handles tons of food product each year that has to be stored and transported. Since raw food products can go bad if they’re not kept in the right temperatures or a sanitary environment, bulk storage solutions are an absolute must-have. Containers designed to comply with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards are ideal, as they have easy-to-clean material and help you meet high sanitation standards. These containers, like the Dolav 800, can be crafted to repel mold and insects, which could affect the quality of the product.
Those in the agricultural industry can also choose from many bulk storage solution options equipped to store their agricultural equipment and parts safely. If there are down times for a piece of equipment or you like to keep a collection of replacement parts at your warehouse or work site, bulk containers can give you the space you need to store them safely. Many companies like to use these containers to stow away supplies and tractor parts.
3. Food Service
Like in the agricultural industry, companies in the food service industry must store their products in clean and FDA-approved containers. Bulk storage options can keep food products organized and in an environment that keeps them free from contaminants. HACCP-approved bulk storage boxes, like the MACX bulk bin, are especially popular in this industry for their ability to house food in a sanitary environment.
4. Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals is among the industries that need bulk storage bins. Companies in this industry store many sensitive products and need to keep them in an appropriate environment. If your company stores and transports pharmaceuticals in bulk, you’ll need to do so in FDA-approved bulk storage containers, like the 3028 Single Wall Bulk Bin, to meet regulations and ensure the quality of the drugs isn’t affected.
5. Consumer Products
Before consumer products ship out to a store for purchase, they’re often kept in bulk. If you’re in the consumer products industry, you can keep track of your inventory better by fitting many of your products in a bulk bin and stacking the bins on top of one another.
Bulk bins are also useful for consumer products since these items often come in different shapes and sizes. There are many bulk bin options to choose from, making it easy for a company to find a bulk bin meeting their unique product and storage needs. For example, you can find short side and long side bins, depending on your requirements.
6. Chemical Manufacturing
Those in the chemical manufacturing industry regularly employ bulk storage solutions to hold chemicals and other materials. It’s crucial for storage containers to be FDA-approved and easy to clean to prevent contamination. Containers should also be corrosion resistant to prevent damage to the bin from the products they’re storing.
Bulk bins, like the Dolav 1000 container, offer corrosion resistance and easy washability. They’re also made out of HACCP- and USDA-approved materials to ensure your storage practices meet regulations. Any bulk bin you choose should be able to fit neatly into your warehouse and stack safely on top of each other.
Contact Cherry’s Material Handling Today
Cherry’s Material Handling is here to help you find a bulk storage solution for your facility. We’ve spent years assisting companies in various industries as they invest in the best equipment for storage solutions. If you can’t find a standard bulk bin or container fitting your needs, you can reach out to us for a custom bulk bin designed to solve the specific challenges you may be experiencing.
Contact us online or call 877-350-2729 today if you have any questions about how to store in bulk or need help setting up a warehouse with the best storage solutions. You can also browse our bulk storage containers to find a container fitting your warehouse storage requirements.