Introduction
With the commercial warehouse real estate market so hot right now, expanding or moving to a larger space is not always an option. Since you're likely stuck in your existing facility, the best solution is to get organized and maximize the space in your current location. In our experience, utilizing plastic shelf bins for storage is a game changer that will have help you uncover new capacity for additional storage within your existing location.
What Is a Plastic Shelf Bin?
We have a slightly different definition than most when it comes to shelf bins. At Industrial4 Less, we like to keep it simple, so we consider any open front plastic storage bin to be classified as a "shelf bin". Our shelf bins are manufactured in Miami, Florida by Quantum Storage Systems and they are made (injection-molded) from high density polypropylene, making them virtually unbreakable and suitable for any commercial application. They have slots for dividers, labels, and as mentioned earlier, open hopper fronts which allow for quick access to any of the items inside. Shelf bins are either: stackable, able to hang, able to nest inside one another, or a combination of these features. As their name implies, shelf bins are designed to be used on any type of standard shelving unit, although they can also be used stand-alone or on countertops, workbenches, or any other flat surfaces.
Benefits of Using Plastic Shelf Bins
Many of our customers in search of a system to organize and separate small parts or supplies such as fittings, cabling, packaged goods, quick-pick items and other similar applications. Often, they are looking for a replacement for their current system, which is either using worn-out cardboard boxes or non-existent altogether. When we talk about the benefits of using our plastic shelf bins for storage, here are some of the highlights we discuss.
- Durability: Plastic shelf bins are virtually unbreakable, and are designed to last a lifetime. They are never going to get worn-out or brittle, and they are easy to clean. They are waterproof and resistant to rust and stains.
- Open-front: Shelf bins are typically designed with open hopper fronts allowing you to quickly reach in and grab what's inside without the need to remove the bins from the shelf. Open-front bins can be stacked, allowing for additional storage capacity to the side of your shelves when needed, by just stacking bins up.
- Space-saving: The versatility of shelf bins provides many different space-saving options, allowing you to continue to get the most of your existing location. Stackable shelf bins allow you to increase vertical storage space, without increasing your storage footprint. Instead of having a row of bins layed out, now you can have rows of stacked bins, say 7-bins high, allowing you to 7x your storage space in each row. Most of the stackable shelf bins are also able to be hung from rails and panels utilizing the rear hanger lip that was designed into some of our shelf bins. Nesting shelf bins are also designed to help save space, allowing all empty bins to nest inside of one another and also consume the footprint of only one bin.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to other storage solutions, plastic shelf storage bins tend to be more affordable while still providing ample storage space. By using plastic shelf bins instead of cardboard boxes you only have to purchase them once instead of having to constantly replace worn-out cardboard helping your total cost of ownership go way down over the long term.
Expert Tips for Utilizing Plastic Shelf Bins for Storage
- Color-coded: Make identification easy by color-coding your storage solution. Most of our shelf bins are available in 6+ colors, meaning you can organize your parts or supplies by color.
- Utilize labels: All shelf bins have a molded in slot for identification labels. Using labels to identify what's inside each bin is another way to streamline workflows and decrease picking/fulfillment times in busy warehouse. Also, when part-time or fill in employees come to work in the warehouse, they need to know what's inside each bin without having to pull the bin and start looking through it.
- Shelving Options: Make use of the shelving solutions that were designed specifically to work with shelf bins. We have a huge selection of these options which you can view here.
Conclusion
Utilizing plastic shelf bins is a great way for you to increase storage capacity in your current location. There are many different sizes, styles and functions available to choose from, with each one having its own unique benefits. For assistance with configuration your space with the proper shelf bins or shelf bin organizer systems, please contact us today.