The Innovative Crate Set to Change the Way Supermarkets Handle Fresh Produce

For years now, supermarkets have used, and continue to use, Bale Arm Crates to handle their fresh produce. Mainly seen in fruit and vegetable aisles this type of crate will be a familiar site to

anyone, not just those with an interest in the product handling industry. This however is set to change, with one major UK supermarket already making the switch to the solution that’s set to improve fresh produce handling, the Folding Crate.

So, what is a folding crate and what’s the significance of the change? Folding Crates have been on the market for years now, first making a significant appearance on the UK market in 2015, but until now they haven’t broken into the major supermarkets of the UK. This is down to cost. The fact is Bale Arm Crates are cheaper and often available through resellers at lower cost compared to a folding crate. So, what’s changed? Major UK businesses are starting to understand the reality of the efficiencies and long-term savings that can be made when switching to a Folding Crate system.

Folding crates provide an excellent method of moving produce around. Their collapsible quality means they take up much less space on a return journey and save huge amounts of storage space when they’re not in use. They are designed with ease of use in mind, the ergonomic handles mean it’s simple to collapse the crate and easy to assemble them. Folding crates are ventilated meaning they are perfect for use with food produce. If you’re working in a system which requires virgin material this is available, recycled options are on offer too.

The Folding Crate is not just designed for food produce, ecommerce businesses are rapidly turning to these innovative crates when they design their warehouse system. This is for the same reasons that supermarkets are making the switch, these crates save businesses money in return carriage, and they save space in your company facilities.

What’s on offer at Exporta?

At Exporta we have an award-winning crate, receiving an industry packaging award on its release in 2017. This crate is available with a footprint of 600x400mm, and it comes with five height options, 115mm, 150mm, 185mm, 219mm and 259mm. This crate is available in virgin material as standard, and we can supply a recycled option. This crate can be recycled with us at the end of its use.

Also on offer is our 400x300mm version. This crate comes in a height of 170mm and has the same spec as our 600x400mm option.

As with all our plastic container range, you can add your logo with our in-house printing system to enhance brand awareness, reduce losses and improve identification. We also have accessories available to enhance your system. Insert tubs allow you to segregate your goods within these folding containers and we also offer a picking trolley designed to work with these crates. A more economic solution to identification in picking systems is our identification pins which can simply be added to the crates.

If you’re looking to discuss how a folding crate can enhance your system, get in touch with one of our retail handling experts by emailing sales@exportaglobal.co.uk or calling 0800 294 4394. You can also submit a contact form with your enquiry.