Injection molded container maximizes retailer’s floor space

Waste time and you waste money, according to the well-known business dictum. The same can be said about wasted space.

In order to maximize the efficient use of its floor space, Quebec-based clothing retailer La Maison Simons was on a mission to find the perfect container. Meeting this high standard required a container that combined product protection and security with efficient return shipping and storage. The containers also had to be compatible with the company’s master storage and distribution system, which includes conveyor belts and a rail system designed to load goods inside a 150,000 sq. ft. warehouse. Lastly, the containers were to be used not only to deliver goods, but to display them for customers to purchase. After a thorough review process, La Maison Simons chose IPL Inc.’s FlapNest Series of containers.

The FlapNest containers used by La Maison Simons are made of injection molded high-density polyethylene. The FlapNest containers stack with lids flapped shut and nest with lids flapped open. IPL was able to meet the customer’s desire for maximizing efficiency by designing a container with a 24 in. x 16 in. footprint. The footprint permits the containers to be stacked in a 5-down pattern, which is optimal for the industry standard 40 in. x 48 in. pallet.

One critical design feature of the containers is a plastic hinge molded into the tote walls, notes Eric Fredrickson, U.S. sales and marketing manager, IPL. “The hinge allowed us to eliminate a metal wire used to anchor the lid to the tote. The wire had a tendency to work its way out, where it posed a safety hazard. It also had to be removed before a damage container could be recycled.”

La Maison Simons has used the FlapNest containers to replace corrugated boxes it used for many years. The company recouped the cost of switching to returnable containers in two years.

“The biggest savings was in the costs of the cardboard boxes,” says Peter Simons. He says switching to the system also generated savings from improved efficiencies in distribution and the elimination of the cost of shelving in the warehouse, where the crates are stacked upon themselves

Simon observes: “They’re a pretty robust piece of equipment. They have turned out to be very durable.”

BLOW MOLDING

New grade of PP meets hot-fill specifications

Borealis A/S has just introduced a new random polypropylene grade, RB206MO, geared specifically for high-performance, hot-fill bottle applications. The grade can withstand filling temperatures of up to 100 C without any permanent deformation of the bottle shape. The resin’s good stiffness at high temperatures means bottle weight can be reduced without loss of performance.

The higher temperature resistance of the PP grade is achieved by a unique additive package, which also results is less cleaning of the venting channels, mold surfaces and the stationary mandrel. The additive chemistry also greatly reduces or eliminates plate out effects, migration and optical defects, according to the company

Borealis Compounds LLC 908-850-6200

Machine produces prototype bottles

Mining and Chemical Products Ltd. (MCP) has launched what it believes is the first blow molding machine designed to produce prototype bottles and containers in production-intent materials. The MCP 50/E is designed to be used within engineering and production facilities along other benchtop equipment, eliminating expensive downtime on main production equipment, as well as costly conventional prototype tooling. The machine can produce bottles up to one litre in capacity from a variety of materials including PE, PP HPDE and ABS. Best results are obtained when the machine is used in conjunction with the MCP EP310 rapid prototyping tooling system which enables the production of a tool in as little as three days.

MCP Ltd. www.mcp-group.com