Third spruce tree on the leftRE: https://furry.engineer/@Jencen/116230174130792389
Ok you guys I just found out about a thing called the Eurobox and now I'm really upset that we don't have them over here in North America.
Modularized, standardized, stackable totes.
AI6YR Ben@tezoatlipoca So, these exist in the US, but apparently are owned by some kind of crate cartel, and are only provided to "members", ie grocery store chains, produce vendors, etc. And require some kind of subscription membership. Very standard across companies, collapsible crates, all the same size. Reusable, etc.
Bill, organizer of stuff@ai6yr @tezoatlipoca I've been buying flip top stackable crates from American Surplus and Global Industrial, and we're just a fledgling makerspace...
Similar enough?
clewThis isn’t as nuts as it sounds — the ones the cartel owns all have RFID and are for
A) tracking food backwards if people get sick but
B) fixing the problem that the unbroken crates vanish from the system and the dinged up barely usable ones are somehow the only ones in the system, especially for honest users.
(You probably know someone who has had to keep track of the Good Pallets; same problem.)
@clew @tezoatlipoca The one I ran across in the US is "IFCO". Collapsible, heavy duty, extremely standard size.
Lots of plastic crates in the us are standardized to US pallet size, though there are least two similar sizes, the smaller of which will leave a square in the middle empty (vegetable ventilation).
on futher thought: no I think they’re the same sizes arranged differently
Not so standardized that you want to stack trugs from different manufacturers on the same pallet full, but close
@ai6yr @tezoatlipoca
Jim Spath@clew @ai6yr @tezoatlipoca I have a couple of these *folding* stacking crates. Looks like Target is dropping them, so might get a few more.
(They have a rail for hanging folders, imperial size).
(They have a rail for hanging folders, imperial size).
@jspath55 @clew @tezoatlipoca The thing about the Eurocrate thing is they are standard sizes and (I assume) don't change from season to season. I notice stuff at Target/etc. all changes every six months depending on the fashion of the time... the problem of course is 2 years later you want another one, and you can't find anything that matches!
@ai6yr @clew @tezoatlipoca Right, that's why I need to get "more of the same'" while they last (I had omitted this salient detail: *clearance*).
@jspath55 @clew @tezoatlipoca Oh, that's a great price! Yeah, if you can get enough for your needs that's reasonable, just knowing you won't be able to restock later.
The industrial stuff is standardized too, like Cambros and sheet pans
But domestic furniture is often a leetle too small, often justifiably
LD510I keep a couple IFCO crates in the back of my car, rescued out of the dumpster of a local grocery store. Just because they're reusable doesn't mean stores and restaurants always take the time to give them back.
@ai6yr @clew @tezoatlipoca
@ai6yr @clew @tezoatlipoca
me_valentijn@ai6yr @clew @tezoatlipoca
We get these from one of the major Dutch grocery stores with our deliveries. The deposit for each is credited when we return the empty ones during the next delivery.
Presumably the full ones stack nicely in the delivery vans.
cpm@ai6yr
yeah
the one I have is very much akin to the ifco containers.
again, ifco is a closed loop, leased product line aimed at larger scale orgs.
considerably more sensible than 1way single use containers, esp in the food side of logistics
bit out of reach for us regular folks
@clew @tezoatlipoca
I’d be so happy to beep in my good-crate number when I left the grocery (and when I came back with one)
not too big for a rear rack even
@clew
yup
there are so many cool things that *can* be done, for broad benefit.
logistics is fascinating stuff.
JL Johnson 
@ai6yr @clew @tezoatlipoca late to the conversation here but we scored a bunch of the ifco crates from a guy on craigslist. Which in hindsight was kind of shady. But we love ours.
Do you use the ID codes or is it just the general sturdy ?foldingnrss?
@clew @ai6yr @tezoatlipoca Ours have codes, I'm not fancy enough to use them. Though that'd be pretty sweet for organization "oh yeah the good set of allan wrenches is in as8asd-998"
@User47 @clew @tezoatlipoca I once prototyped a QR-code based inventory management system for my son's scout troop, which worked great, but involved potentially swiping poison oak oils onto your phone 🤪
Brian Davis
Velocipedestrienne 🇿🇦@ai6yr @tezoatlipoca You can get them here from Grainger. That's where I got mine for my GSD front rack. https://www.grainger.com/category/material-handling/storage-workspace/storage-containers-bins/totes-storage-boxes/straight-wall-containers-lids/straight-wall-containers?sst=4&tv_optin=true&searchBar=true&searchQuery=eurocrate
MsMerope
@ai6yr
I have 1, that's "one", eurobox folding stackable crate.
40x30x17cm
love it, very strong, well built.
want many more, you know, for my #cargobike.
then I found some! Yay!
bought 16, complete with storage bags, some 'soft cooler' inserts, etc, to use for catering runs (when I was still doing that on my bike)
good price too!
but they were not that, at all.
serviceable, but awkwardly sized, flimsy, facsimiles from China.
Oh well
@cpm @tezoatlipoca The IFCO's are 40x60xheight cm (with varying heights). At least the one I ran across, lol.
@ai6yr
yes
the 40x60xX still nest with the 40x30xX
that's the beauty of that system.
And
*AND*
they publish stacking height:weight parameters
good stuff
further
for food:ag
they go right through that big hobart washer:steam sterilizer
@tezoatlipoca
@cpm @tezoatlipoca Oooh, nice! Is that just strapped down to a rack? Or is it secured in another way?
Lev1a@cpm @ai6yr Unfortunately for you, the foldable crates ( https://www.europoolsystem.com/trays/ ) I sometimes work with in my job are -AFAIK- not for sale. They can carry a lot, fold down pretty small, are sized for Euro-pallets (4x 60cmx40cm fills the base area perfectly). Maybe there's an equivalent in the US?