More than 20,000 votes were cast between December 2020 and February 2021 in the reader poll conducted by materialfluss, the trade journal for logistics and intralogistics. Five solutions and products competed for victory in the containers, boxes and pallets category.

material flow PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2021
Container category

1st place: SSI Schäfer with the RL-KLT GGV
With the RL-KLT GGV, SSI Schäfer has developed a hazardous goods container that meets the safety requirements for transporting solid hazardous materials in packaging groups II and III. As a type-tested and approved container for the transportation of hazardous goods by road, it complies with the regulations of ADR 6.1.3.1. and GGVSEB. The removable lid of the hazardous goods container is equipped with a sliding closure including a spring-loaded four-way locking mechanism and can be used flexibly with the closure to the front as well as to the rear. Seals on the locking mechanism prevent unauthorized access. Special inserts can be used to center and secure the hazardous goods in the container. The handling of the hazardous goods container can be integrated intuitively and quickly into existing manual and automatic processes.

2nd place: bekuplast - contecline container series
The contecline container series is specially designed for use in small parts warehouses and shuttle systems. The containers have a low tare weight. The all-round closed base is designed for high loads of up to 50 kilograms. Thanks to the special base construction, the containers have good running properties. The containers are quiet during transportation on conveyor lines. The stable double-walled corner construction ensures a smooth process flow on conveyor lines, especially in curves. For use in high-bay warehouses, water drainage holes are provided in the base and side walls in accordance with fire protection regulations. For the side walls, you can choose between water drainage holes in accordance with VDS or FM Global guidelines.

3rd place: Utz and GS1 - GS1 Smart-Box
Efficiency is achieved through standardization and modularity. Based on a precise analysis of the process chains of various producers and retailers from the drugstore industry and GS1 Germany, Utz has developed a new packaging concept: the GS1 Smart-Box system. With the help of this new folding container family, handling costs can be reduced from production to the point of sale and disposable packaging can be saved. The container system is characterized, among other things, by volume-optimized return, automated loading handling, a container family with reduced sizes and digital recognition. This should reduce process costs by more than 40 percent and at the same time reduce the CO2 footprint by up to 80 percent.

2020 saw the premiere of the reader award materialfluss PRODUCT OF THE YEAR, the winners and best placed can be found here.