IQS Newsroom Articles on Plastic Totes
Plastic Totes
Plastic totes are used for shipping, distribution of industrial materials,
order picking, and storage. These totes are very useful in shipping because
they are highly durable and can be designed to have internal molded supports
specifically made to fit and protect the contents of the tote. Liquid-containing
totes save on plastic material by having the container itself fabricated into
a semi-firm bladder and placed inside a protective metal cage which can be
reused indefinitely. Totes designed to transport liquid often have a bottom
spout protected by the metal cage while solid and semi-solid storing totes
have strong sides, bottoms and lids for easy material access.
Unlike most other plastic storage containers, plastic totes are designed to
be reused for years, and many plastic tote manufacturers offer container and
tote cleaning as a value-added service. Plastic totes are manufactured in a
wide range of sizes and designs. Nesting plastic totes have sloped sidewalls,
allowing them to fit inside one another for easy, compact storage, while stackable
totes are designed to fit safely on top of one another, often with interconnecting
pegs to prevent shifting.
The reusability of plastic totes drastically reduces costs associated with
shipping containers made from other materials, such as cardboard, while their
durability is unrivaled by containers of glass or wood. Maximum weight capacities
for totes vary from about 40 pounds to 80 pounds or more, and they may be designed
to be carried by hand or by automated equipment.