Storage and Warehousing of Glass Bottles and Jars

Storage and warehousing of glass bottles and jars comes with some unique challenges. Warehousing processes cover a lot of bases to reduce errors and accidents, but there are still problems that teams need to be on the lookout for. The Glassworks International warehouse has been in operation for many years, and with time comes experience of how best to handle the warehousing of glass bottles and jars and ensuring we keep the standards that our customers have come to expect.

Safety

As any warehouse manager will tell you, the single most important part of the job is ensuring that safety procedures are adhered to. Every employee is fully trained on every piece of equipment that they are required to use, and certification is obtained where possible. Specific procedures relating to the handling of glass bottles and jars are also in place, ensuring the safety of our staff, the products being handled and the staff of our customers further down the line.

To ensure the safety and security of the glass bottles and jars, HACCP processes are in place across every stage of the product journey. Our warehouse supervisor and technical manager are HACCP certified, and Glassworks International pride ourselves on our commitment in these areas.

Storage

Keeping a handle on stock levels and locations is a fundamental part of managing the warehouse. As such, all glass bottles and jars are delivered to Glassworks International on wooden pallets, stacked as arranged between our customers and suppliers.

Each pallet is labelled with a unique code and then catalogued on our electronic database. This ensures that Glassworks International has a full handle on what stock is available and in which location at all times. When orders are raised, the system directs our warehouse operatives to the specific bay to collect the pallets being sent out, and keeping operations streamlined.

Environment

Warehouses have a reputation for being the source of a lot of unnecessary waste. At Glassworks International, we are constantly reviewing our processes to cut down on waste and improve service levels. All of our scrapped glass is recycled, with plastic packaging such as layer pads sent back to the manufacture for future use. Our paper-based waste such as cardboard is disposed of in recycling bins, keeping our landfill footprint to a minimum.

The environmental impact doesn’t stop at waste though, as fuel consumption is a significant element of reducing the impact of running an organisation. Glassworks International have installed skylights on our warehousing facilities, reducing the need for electrical lights to be in operation throughout the day. Our heavy machinery, such as forklifts, used to move the glass bottles and jars around the warehouse, are being phased into electric alternatives where possible. This transition from high emissions energy towards lower emissions alternatives across the business is part of our commitment to creating a sustainable future.

Quality Control

Unfortunately, there are occasions where bottles and jars reach us in an unacceptable state. It’s an inevitable part the storage and warehousing of glass bottles and jars process. When this happens, it is important that the problem is contained to be as limited as possible. The offending pallets are placed in a dedicated quarantine location and marked on the system as being unsuitable to send to customers. At a later point, these bottles and jars will be subject to further inspection to decide if the issue is salvageable or if they will need scrapping and recycling.

Pallets of glass bottles and jars can be quarantined for a range of reasons, including water inside, the wood of the pallet being unsafe, broken items in the rows or some other form of contamination. Clear and strong processes are essential with glass to ensure that high standards are maintained.