When a meat processing
plant serving 230 stores throughout Texas and Mexico decided to change their supplier of
delivery containers, who did they turn to? ORBIS.
"Choosing ORBIS was a no-brainer," says HEB Meat
Processing Manager, Bruce Quenstedt. "The old containers we used had no lids, which
made stacking difficult. We didn’t want to deal with the logistics of matching
detached lids with containers. Containers with attached lids are easier to palletize
because they can be quickly placed anywhere on the stack."
HEB was accustomed to the benefits of returnable plastic containers and pallets. They
use plastic returnables for meat processing as well as bakery, dairy and general
merchandise distribution. The conversion from HEB’s previous tote supplier to ORBIS
HEB has seen a cost savings of roughly $6/tote, as well as
50% increase in storage efficiency. "We could only fit 20 totes to a pallet with our
previous system. They were just too big. This caused a problem in the warehouse because we
had to accommodate for the overhang off the pallet," said Quenstedt.
Since the switch to ORBIS, HEB comfortably fits 30 totes to a pallet,
without overhang. "Another thing I like about this line is that we didn’t have
to design the entire warehouse around a tote," said Quenstedt. Extra time was spent
configuring pallets so meat totes were positioned on top.
ORBIS totes are not only easy to stack, but they also nest
efficiently when empty. HEB prefers ORBIS model GA6040-27 for its Laughlen conveyor system
which is used for filling and palletizing. The container met their needs and no adjustment
to their conveyor system was necessary. Plus, the ORBIS model weighs around 5 lbs. (3.5
lighter than the previous container) and the solid construction holds up to 45 lbs.,
providing easier maneuvering and shipping.
"This has increased the weight efficiency of the HEB delivery trucks. We
generally ship between 4,000 and 6,000 totes per day," Quenstedt said. "These
containers work very well within our delivery system."