Introduction:
Efficiency in inventory management is crucial for the success of any industrial or warehousing operation. The way products are stored can significantly affect operational costs and productivity. One effective solution to this is the strategic use of warehouse totes, bins, and dividers. In this article, we will explore how these storage solutions can enhance material handling and offer practical advice on their implementation.
What Are Totes and Bins?
Totes and bins are essential containers for the storage and handling of materials in a warehouse. Totes are industrial, foldable, sealable boxes, while bins are open-topped containers designed for easy access.
Materials:
Both totes and bins are typically made from durable materials such as polyethylene, ABS plastic, acrylic, polypropylene, PVC, aluminum, and steel, which are resistant to various environmental factors.
Tote Dividers:
Dividers are plastic inserts used within a tote to create separate compartments for organized storage and efficient picking. They are especially useful inventory organizing.
Benefits of Totes, Bins, and Dividers:
Improved Organization: Available in various sizes and materials, totes and bins are ideal for organizing small parts and preventing loss.
Maximized Storage Space: With the need for additional warehouse space on the rise, these containers offer a space-efficient solution, being stackable and collapsible.
Reduced Workplace Accidents: Proper storage reduces clutter and eliminates trip hazards, contributing to a safer working environment.
Enhanced Protection: Covered totes protect inventory from environmental contaminants, thus prolonging product life.
Boosted Picking Accuracy: Dividers and color-coded systems improve the accuracy of picking operations, with the added benefit of barcodes and alphanumeric codes for quick identification.
Increased Productivity: Clear views of contents and easy access to items without moving or opening containers speed up the picking process.
Integrating with Automated Solutions:
At Modula, we specialize in automated picking and handling solutions that can be integrated with totes and bins to further streamline operations.
Here’s how do Modula do that.
1.Enhanced Manual Picking:systems transport totes to picking locations, reducing manual handling.
2.Picking Carts for Batch Orders:picking carts, attached to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), facilitate the movement of multiple totes.
3.Fully Automated Single Tote Picking:AMRs with robotic arms perform the picking process, selecting items directly from totes.
4.Automated Multiple Tote Picking:Robots transport totes within the warehouse, improving efficiency with minimal manpower.
5.Modula Automated Storage Solutions:Our vertical lift modules (VLMs) and horizontal carousels can be configured to work seamlessly with totes and bins, providing a vending machine-like system for secure storage and retrieval. These solutions reduce the need for operators to navigate aisles and increase picking speed.
Modula Lift
Modula Lift is the ideal automated warehouse solution for products, components and spare parts in all environments and sectors. Available in a wide range of sizes and storage capacities, thousands of customized configurations are beyond your imagination.
Max throughput of up to 120 trays per hour and single tray payload could reach 990 kg, which equals to an efficient 2–5-person team.
Modula Lift can help you to recover 90% of warehouse floor space while increasing working efficiency 2 – 3 times and improving picking accuracy to almost 100%.
Modula Slim
Modula Slim: The most compact vertical storage solution in the market, it covers less than 3 m2.
Slim is the perfect solution for an environment with very limited floor space but needs flexible vertical storage. Slim uses the same advanced storage technology as the Modula Lift model and provides the same benefits for customers – boosting productivity, improving picking accuracy and inventory management – in a smaller space. It’s the ideal solution for storing loose materials and small-size products, like containers (boxes, bins, cartons, cases), spare parts, coils, bottles, etc.
Modula NEXT
Highest level of safety control
Modula NEXT is our new generation lift module, providing the highest level of safety control for automated picking in the warehouse. It features a specially designed bay that opens only on a specific compartment for picking; there is no chance for operators to make picking errors or lose items to guarantee high efficiency in your warehouse.
Modula NEXT is suited for automating warehouse operations in a variety of sectors, including medicinal, biochemical, defense, jewelry, electronics and more.
Modula Horizontal Carousel
When you require high-speed picking in an environment with limited ceiling space, look no further than the Modula Horizontal Carousel (HC).
This ingenious carousel system is composed of carriers (bins) affixed to an oval track that rotates horizontally, efficiently transporting stored goods directly to the picker.
In both production and distribution settings, the HC offers a multitude of benefits:
Space Efficiency: Maximizes storage space, optimizing your facility layout.
Cost Savings: Reduces labor costs through automated picking processes.
Enhanced Throughput: Boosts operational efficiency by accelerating picking operations.
Precision and Accuracy: Improves picking accuracy, minimizing errors.
Inventory Management: Provides advanced control and oversight of inventory.
With the Modula HC, you can achieve high-speed picking excellence even in environments with limited overhead space.
Special Applications
For temperature-sensitive or contaminant-free storage, Modula offers controlled environment storage solutions that meet industry standards and protect goods from environmental factors.
Modula’s atmosphere control storage systems – Modula Climate Control are designed for material handling, which requires controlled temperature, protecting products from temperature variations and contamination, and meeting strict industry standards and regulations.
The Modula Clean Room is designed for material handling in a clean room to prevent goods from contaminants such as dust, dirt, and particles.
Application scenarios are manufacturers, hospitals, chemical, electronic, and pharma companies that must prevent contamination of material stored in their warehouses.
Whether the materials are sterile instruments for hospitals or dust-sensitive components for semiconductor manufacturing, Modula Clean room solutions help to keep them in perfect condition.
Modula Clean Room storage system complies with ISO 14644 standards and meets class 7 and 8 requirements.
Modula is developing a bespoke solution.
Order Picking Solutions
Our Put to light order-picking solutions, including picking carts and mobile stations, enhance the material handling process by reducing strain and increasing accuracy. Put-to-light is a system designed to improve productivity, enabling operators to increase the number of order lines that can be processed at one time. The put-to-light system allows you to define as many picking zones and you like, with orders processed in parallel.
For each zone, the Modula WMS assigns a specific order. Each system has one or more 1.5-meter bars that can be connected to cover the entire length of the operation. The bars sustain and power the lights of the system, which tell the operator where and how much to pick and put. Every zone has a corresponding display, and each display has three colors (amber, green and red) corresponding to a different machine.
The operator can thus pick from one machine and place the item where the matching color is illuminated. The display will indicate the number of pieces that need be put away. Once done, the operator pushes a button to signal the mission has been completed or to correct errors. The put-to-light system can operate either in batch or multi-order modes, depending on your operating procedures.
Conclusion
Warehouse totes, bins, and dividers are not just containers; they are tools for efficient inventory management. Modula’s automated solutions take this a step further, offering a comprehensive approach to warehouse optimization. Ready to revolutionize your material handling? Contact us to learn more. Contact Us: If you’re interested in optimizing your warehouse operations with our innovative solutions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you streamline your material handling and take your productivity to new heights.
