Now that summer has finally arrived, farmer’s markets are popping up in communities coast to coast. At these weekly marketplaces, consumers can gain access to fruit and produce that is at its absolute freshest. In many cases, the produce available for purchase has been harvested that same day.
Transporting delicate fruits and vegetables to market can be challenging for farmers. While they are looking for strong, durable and lightweight bins that will minimize damage and product loss, because the profit margin on produce is so low, farmers need to minimize the costs of their containers.
Plywood and OSB Containers
For many farmers and others, plywood containers or those made from oriented strand board (OSB) are the solution.
For example, a pear and apple farmer turned to plywood bins to ship his harvest to market. These durable, reusable and stackable bins provide strong protection for fragile contents and stand up to repeated handling. They are tough enough to be shipped on trucks, go in and out of cold storage, and even be stacked in blazing heat.
Yet plywood and OSB bins are extremely light. Plus, they have the dimensional stability to stack up to 12 high. And with an average lifespan of 10 years, they are extremely durable.
Easily Repaired and Modified
Another benefit of plywood and OSB containers is that they can be easily repaired. If a side panel is damaged, for example, it can be easily replaced without having to trash the entire unit. For transporting produce, they also have the added advantage of being easy to modify. Slots for cooling or holes for draining water can be added quickly and easily.
Plywood and OSB panels come in many different sizes, grades and surface treatments. The specifications can be affected by product dimensions and weight of load, mode of transportation and type of handling equipment, from forklifts to conveyors to racks and automated storage and retrieval systems.
Collapsible bins, containers with plastic liners for liquids, bag-in-a-box containers, containers with build-in pallets and other types of plywood and OSB containers can ship everything from delicate produce to heavy machine parts. Plus, collapsible boxes allow for efficient return shipment or storage when not in use.
When lined plastic liners or bags, plywood and OSB containers can be used for transporting liquids or granular materials.
Strength and Stiffness
One of the biggest differences between plywood and OSB containers — compared to those made of plastic or other materials — is their strength. Plywood and OSB resist bending or deflection, racking or shape distortion, and can absorb impact damage. Due to their split resistance, they also provide excellent fastener-holding properties and can be nailed very near panel edges. Yet they are lightweight, making them easy to handle, transport and install.
Finally, they provide outstanding stiffness. This is measured as resistance to deflection under uniform and concentrated loads to forces that would tend to distort the panel from its rectangular shape. The stiffness of plywood and OSB containers can permit the panels to be used with a minimum of framing or bracing when compared to other materials.
Whether you are transporting fruit to the farmer’s market or heavy machinery across the country, you may want to consider using plywood and OSB containers.