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Containers#

Estimated time to read: 9 minutes

Overview#

A Container is a standardized physical carrier used to hold, protect, organize, and move Materials, parts, or other containers throughout manufacturing and logistics processes.

A Container acts as the interface between production, storage, and transportation. It ensures that items can be handled safely, efficiently, and repeatedly across the shop floor.

Manufacturers design containers to match:

  • The size and weight of the contents
  • The sensitivity of the Materials
  • The handling methods used on the shop floor, such as manual handling, forklifts, conveyors, AGVs, or robots

Industrial containers can be:

  • Returnable or disposable
  • Standard or custom-designed
  • Made from plastic, metal, wood, or composite materials

Beyond simple storage, containers support lean manufacturing principles by enabling:

  • Visual management
  • Work-in-process control
  • Ergonomic handling
  • Quality protection
  • Traceability

A container is therefore not just a box. It is a critical logistics and production asset that connects material flow, safety, efficiency, and quality across the industrial shop floor.

Examples#
FOUP for Semiconductor Wafers SMT Board Magazine
FOUP container used in semiconductor manufacturing to transport silicon wafers safely between processing tools SMT board magazine used to store and transport printed circuit boards in SMT production lines
Pallet Trolley of Boxes
Industrial pallet used to move and store large quantities of materials using forklifts or automated systems Trolley with stacked material boxes used for manual transport inside the production floor
SMT Feeders Cart ESD Box
SMT feeder cart used to transport multiple feeders that supply electronic components to placement machines ESD-safe plastic container designed to protect sensitive electronic components from electrostatic discharge
Tray Hopper
Tray container with multiple slots used to organize and transport individual parts or components Industrial hopper container used to hold and dispense bulk materials during automated processing

Containers in MES#

A Container is an object of the Container entity that can hold Materials, Resources, or other Containers.

A Material Container has a capacity defined by positions available for a given Material unit. A Container can hold multiple Materials, but each position can contain only one Material.

Each position:

  • Is identified by a unique number
  • Has a defined capacity based on specific units

The same concept applies to:

  • Containers that hold Resources
  • Containers that hold other Containers (SubContainers)
flowchart TD

    SC[Sub Container]
    C[Container]

    F[Facility]
    MC[Material Container]
    CR[Container Resource]

    M[Material]
    R[Resource]

    SC --> C

    C --> F
    C --> MC
    C --> CR

    MC --> M
    CR --> R

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    classDef mermaid_start color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, color:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, visibility: hidden;
    classDef mermaid_businessdata color:#000, fill:#65CDE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
    classDef mermaid_nonbusinessdata color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#B7DEE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
    classDef mermaid_entity color:#000, fill:#FB9F53, stroke:#FB9F53, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
    classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
    classDef mermaid_context color:#000, fill:#B9CDE5, stroke:#B9CDE5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
    classDef mermaid_optional color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
    class C,SC mermaid_entity
    class F,M,P,R mermaid_businessdata
    class MC,CR mermaid_nonbusinessdata

A Container can be modeled in different ways:

  • Magazine — one position with multiple units per position (for example, a tray holding several units of the same Material)
  • FOUP (Front-Opening Universal Pod) — multiple positions with one unit per position (for example, a wafer carrier)
  • Hybrid models — combinations of both approaches

Diagram showing container modeling examples with single-position and multi-position containers

A Container can also be associated with a Resource when the Resource supports the position unit types defined in that Container type.

State Model#

Containers have a system-defined state model:

  • Available — the Container can be used (empty or full)
  • Unavailable — the Container cannot be used
  • In Transit — the Container is shipping Materials to another Facility
graph TD
    Start -->|Create Container| A1
    A1[Available] -->|Make Container Unavailable| A2[Unavailable]
    A2 -->|Make Container Available| A1
    A1 -->|Ship Material| L1[In Transit]
    L1 --->|Unship Material<br>Receive Material| A1

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classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_state color:#000, fill:#d7e4bd, stroke:#000, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, font-weight:300;
class Start mermaid_start
class A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A6,A7,A8,A9,A10,A11,A12 mermaid_state
class L1,L2,L3,L4,L5,L6 mermaid_entitylinked

You can also create custom State Models for Containers.

Container Creation#

The Container creation wizard includes several required fields:

  • Name — identifies the Container
  • Type — used in configuration tables for container restrictions
  • Facility — defines where the Container will be used

Container creation wizard showing required fields such as Name, Type, and Facility

Additional configuration fields include:

  • Position Unit Type — defines whether the Container holds Materials, Containers, or Resources
  • Total Positions — defines the number of usable positions
  • Capacity Validation Mode — available only for Material containers

If the Capacity Validation Mode is set to Unit, you can define the maximum Material quantity per position using Capacity per Position.

Info

For more information, refer to the User Guide: Create Container

Container configuration fields including position type, total positions, and capacity validation settings

Container Operations#

Manage Positions#

Use Manage Positions to add or remove objects from Container positions.

The operation works the same way for all Container Position Unit Types:

  • Material
  • Container
  • Resource

For Material or Container:

Manage Positions operation showing assignment of materials or containers to container positions

For Container of Containers, define the relationship between the container and sub-container in the Container Type Relation Generic Table.

Generic Table configuration defining container-to-container relationships

Example configuration showing how containers can contain other containers

For Container of Resources, define the relationship in the Container Resource Relation Generic Table.

Generic Table configuration defining container-to-resource relationships

Example configuration showing containers that store resources

Empty#

The Empty operation removes all objects from the Container.

Store#

The Store operation places the Container in a Storage Resource located in any Area that belongs to the Container Facility.

Precondition:

The Storage Resource must have Position Unit Type = Container.

Store operation showing a container being placed in a storage resource

Example of a container stored inside a storage resource location

Retrieve#

The Retrieve operation removes the Container from storage.

Dock#

Use Dock to dock a Container to a Resource.

Docking can occur on Resources with the following processing types:

  • Load Port
  • Process

Load Port Docking#

Requirements:

  • The Resource must have a Load Port Type selected
  • The Position Unit Type must be Container

Dock configuration example for a load port resource

Example:

In SMT lines, loader and unloader machines handle magazines of electronic boards.

SMT loader/unloader machine handling board magazines

Process Docking#

Requirements:

  • The Resource must have Locations enabled
  • A valid Location must be selected

Docking configuration for a process resource with defined locations

When docking a Container of Resources (for example feeder carts), the system automatically considers the Resources as consumable feeds in the docking Resource.

Example:

In SMT lines, component placement machines can handle multiple feeder carts.

SMT placement machine capable of handling multiple feeder carts

Example of feeder carts modeled as containers of resources

The docking Resource must have:

  • Has Resource Locations enabled
  • Location Type defined
  • Dimensions configured

Resource configuration showing enabled locations and location types

Locations must include:

  • Location
  • Position Count
  • Position Consumable Feed Type
  • Enabled status

Example configuration of resource locations used for container docking

Undock#

The Undock operation removes the Container from the Resource.

Undock operation removing a container from a resource

Add#

Use the Add operation to assign the current Container to a Parent Container.

Define the relationship in the Container Type Relation Generic Table.

Generic Table configuration defining container type relationships

Add operation assigning a container to a parent container

Transfer#

The Transfer operation transfers the contents of a Container to another Container.

The operation name varies depending on the Container Position Unit Type:

  • Transfer Materials
  • Transfer Resources
  • Transfer Containers

You can transfer each position to a different Container.

Transfer operation moving materials, resources, or containers between containers

Make Unavailable#

Sets the System State of the Container to Unavailable. In this state, the Container is not visible in selection lists.

Make Available#

Changes the Container System State back to Available.

Container View#

The Container View displays the Container layout and contents.

You can:

  • Visualize positions and assigned objects
  • View details of the selected position
  • Customize visible columns in View Options

Container view showing positions and assigned objects

Container Maintenance View#

The Container Maintenance View displays scheduled and ad-hoc Maintenance Action Orders (MAO) related to the Container.

For more information, refer to Maintenance Management.

Container maintenance view displaying maintenance activities associated with a container

Material Container Type Context#

The Material Container Type Context Smart Table defines restrictions for container usage.

You can restrict container types based on:

  • Area
  • Step
  • Product
  • Product Group
  • Material Type
  • Material Form
  • Material State
  • Capacity Class

You can also define the maximum number of usable positions for a Container type.

Note

To select a Step in this Smart Table, enable the Use Container Restrictions property.

Example#

Example configuration using Step, Material Type, and Container Type.

Material Container Type Context Smart Table defining container usage restrictions

In this configuration, when you attempt to add a Material of type Production at the selected Step, only Containers of type Box appear in the selection list.

Example showing filtered container selection based on configuration rules

User interface showing available containers based on defined context rules