One of the questions I have heard is about the differences between plastic moving crates.  There are several manufacturers out there making  fine products.  Some of those out there make some pretty amazing claims that at the end of the day are not going to positively affect the performance of a product when used for the purpose they were designed for, nor will they affect the experience of the Facility Professional.

One common misconception is the notion that if a container holds 3.0 cubic feet of 'stuff' that's great!  The reality as many of you know is really in the products ability to move your office contents, which is predominantly...files.  Cubic feet will definitely help you if you're moving ball bearings and you need to fill up that crate to the brim.  But when relocating those 5-high laterals or desk drawers you will need to select a product that holds the largest, safe quantity of files.

Another misconception is that if you can stand on that empty crate without it collapsing around you then by goodness that product will secure your contents just great.  You've all seen the ads-very creative-and entertaining, but what does it really mean to you?  I thought I'd try that to see if my budget came in under or some other cosmic benefit was bestowed upon me.  I did get a slightly better view of my office but nothing else.

As facility professionals we're a fairly intelligent group that are agile, analytical and are not easily swayed by colorful claims and slick ad campaigns.  To the seasoned FM'r the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

More often than not we all get so inundated with juggling the day-to-day responsibilities of running facilities and managing time that we're not afforded the time to read all the articles that we'd like or network with peers.  So if you have a Facility-related question, just type it in the box below and click 'submit'.  We'll try to get you the answer as soon as possible.