Confabulations

Whether you are looking for an effective organisational tool for storing small parts or bins from which to pull products that are ready to ship, choosing the right parts bins can save you time and money over the course of time. Begin choosing the best bin for the job by familiarizing yourself with common types of parts bins.

Shelving Bins

If the job calls for a large number of medium to large bins, a shelving unit with easy to pull bins provides a quick solution for products of different sizes. Personalize the unit by choosing different colored bins for each different sku series or type of product. Shelving units on wheels provided the added convenience of easy relocation.

Union Bins

Union bins are slotted to fit directly together with no need for assembly tools or shelving. This type of parts bins comes in multiple sizes and is best used for making short stacks of products. The higher the stack, the less stable the bins. The drawback of Union Bins over shelving bins is you have to take the bins apart if you just want to relocate one bin. With shelving units, you just pull the bin and go.

View Bins

View Bins look like clear drawers in a stationary case. The bins tilt out to allow for easy access to the contents. These bins are good for small items and many View Bins are available with a locking bar, which make them a great addition to a service van because the lock means you don’t have to worry about the bins falling open.

Corrugated Board Bins

Corrugated Board Bins are an economical bins solution for small to medium-sized products. While the bins are sturdy, they are ideal as a temporary organization solution only.

Steel Tote Bins

Made of steel, the Tote Bins are the ultimate in durability. Made of galvanized steel construction, these bins are made to withstand heavy products. Steel Tote Bins comes in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Drawer Units

Drawer Units are drawer bins with clear or semi-clear fronts. These units are designed from small items, and with the added full enclosure feature, better at keeping dust from sensitive products better than other options.

Before you buy parts bins, consider the long-term use of the bins, the budget available for the purchase and the size of the parts. You should buy the best durability bin that you can afford in the right size, and if you do that you may never have to replace them again.

Although often overlooked, parts bins are an essential part of modern storage needs. Produced in a large range of colours, shapes and sizes it’s sometimes difficult to know which type will be right for you. After looking at a varied range of parts bins, it seems the following areas should be looked into when making your decision:

Tilt bins, drawers or open style

Storage bins come in 3 main styles, the traditional open topped style, which looks like a miniature skip, the tilt style, where a plastic inner tray folds forwards to reveal the bins contents and a drawer style, where a drawer can be slid open. Deciding which style is right for you depends mainly on where you plan to use it. An open topped style wouldn’t be suitable for a dusty environment as the bins contents could be damaged, a drawer style might not be right if you needed fast access to its contents and the tilt style might not be right for you should it need to contain heavier items that may cause it to fall forwards when opened.

Plastic or cardboard

Parts storage bins are available made from both cardboard and plastic materials. The cardboard solutions are often very good value but wouldn’t be suitable in damp conditions or where they could be soiled by chemicals or oils, where as durable plastic bins would be great. Cardboard bins would however be fine for say a stationary cupboard, where the plastic bins strength wouldn’t be necessary.

Freestanding or using shelves

Most parts bins can be fixed together using interlocking sliding edges, which increase the amount of bins you can have in an area should they be stacked vertically. There are also parts bins that when connected become strong enough to become their own self standing storage unit that don’t require a shelf or surface to be stored on. A drawback of a self standing bin system would be if it required moving often, where as a small interlocked collection of 4 bins could be moved easily.

Due to the large selection of storage bins available there’s sure to be a model that fits your requirements, just remember to think carefully about where it’ll be stored and how it’s going to be used to ensure you make the right choice.

Parts Bins by Filplastic

Established in 1993, Filplastic UK Ltd have built a strong reputation for delivering excellent customer service whilst supplying quality products, including Parts Bins at the right price. Find out more by visiting www.filplastic.co.uk or call 01430 410450