There are very few businesses that don’t make use of containers and boxes in one form or another. You might immediately jump to the conclusion that there are many businesses which do not have any use for boxes or cartons, such as hairdressers, for instance. However, even hairdressers have a use for containers: they use shampoos, soaps, lacquer, and so on, and these are delivered to their door in some sort of a container. It may be a disposable container, such as cardboard, or it may be that their supplier delivers their order, and when it comes to the next one will collect the empty box and take it back to the factory or warehouse to be used again.

If you go to any large retail chains and buy a half dozen bottles of Hardy’s VR Chardonnay, they will come in a cardboard box which you put in the car and take home. You then flatten the box and put it out with the rubbish (after drinking the Chardonnay of course!).

However, many businesses use boxes and containers which can be used time after time. Today, of course, these are largely made of plastic of one sort or another, and there is an almost endless list of different types and styles of boxes and crates which will vary considerably according to the use to which they will be put.

For example, in the catering business it is necessary to box up plates, cups, saucers, glassware, and so on, in order to put them through a commercial washing machine. These boxes and crates are manufactured with ventilated sides and bases so that the water can get to all the surfaces of the items to be cleaned and so that the warm air used to dry them can also do the same. There are many, many different types of ventilated crates, some of which do the job of allowing the water to reach all surfaces better than others, depending upon the design of the crate. Some items can be very difficult to clean, such as glassware with lipstick on it, so if you are in the catering industry and need these types of crates, you should carry out thorough research before purchasing.

If you are in the outside catering industry you will need boxes and crates which are NOT ventilated in order to transport them to venues and bring them back again. You won’t want those ventilated because dirt and dust could easily contaminate the items while they are being transported. You may also want them with lids.

Of course, if you have a solid side box with a lid you can’t see what is in the box, so manufacturers have thoughtfully allowed for this by producing boxes in different colours, so that all the wine glasses may be in a  blue box and the beer glasses in a red one, for example. Another way of identifying what is in each box is by using colour coded clips which attach to the box somewhere. A third method is the use of clear plastic boxes so that you can physically see what is in each one.

You might be in a completely different business and need to transport items of value. In this case you will need containers that are lockable, and you definitely won’t want clear plastic because you don’t want anyone to be able to see what you are transporting or storing.

Of course, boxes and crates take up a lot of space, so manufacturers produce them in standard sizes so that they can stack one on top of another. This can save a lot of floor space because some can be stacked up to ten units high.

You can also get folding crates in the UK. These can really save you money because when they are empty, they can be folded down, taking up much less space. For example, if you deliver goods in these you might have to deliver four lorry loads to a customer who then uses the contents over time. When they are empty and you need to collect them from the customer to re-use them, you may only need to send one lorry to pick them all up. Thus, folding crates in the UK can save on fuel and they are also environmentally friendly.