MULTIFUNCTIONAL, REUSABLE X-BIN CONTAINER

The development and production of the reusable X-Bin container, designed to replace wooden crates and single-use packaging [1], are presented in this article. X-Bin is an innovation in design which has the purpose of improving the distribution of goods presented to customers on pallets in stores.X-Bin plays an important role in the storage, transport and sale of fruits and vegetables. Since the cost of packaging in the agricultural industry is not negligible, any cost reduction in this process can increase the industry’s profit. Packaged fruits and vegetables can remain in cold storage for up to six months at low temperatures and high humidity. Cold storage requires the use of high-quality materials produced from high-quality raw materials. Previous studies and practical experience in cold storage facilities show that humidity significantly influences the firmness of the packaged product. X-Bin is therefore an excellent solution which eliminates the disadvantages of wooden and cardboard boxes in the conditions of low temperature and high humidity in the cold storage of fruits and vegetables.In cooperation with the stakeholders in the supply chain (the producers of fruits and vegetables, transport companies, retail stores, etc.), different types of handling bulky goods [5], especially fresh goods transported in large packages, were compared. Through extensive analytics, a new type of handling of a wide range of goods, both from the food industry and from other industries, has been perfected. The reusable X-Bin container uses security design and security graphics [6] for a multilevel verification of authenticity both of the packaging producer and of the contents of the packaged product [3]