Second North American Production Site Supports Growing Automation Demand
ORBIS Corporation has announced that its Greenville, Texas, manufacturing facility is now approved to produce AutoStore bins, giving the reusable packaging provider a second North American source for the specialized containers used in the rapidly growing automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) market.
The company previously manufactured AutoStore-approved bins at its Toronto, Ontario, facility. The addition of Greenville expands ORBIS’ production footprint and strengthens its ability to support AutoStore projects across North America.
“As an approved AutoStore supplier, having a second designated location to manufacture Bins, marks an important step in expanding ORBIS’ role in the automation space of the reusable packaging industry,” said Norm Kukuk, president of ORBIS. “This approval further reinforces ORBIS’ commitment to supporting advanced material handling solutions and helping customers drive efficiency, sustainability, and operational excellence.”
The announcement represents the latest step in ORBIS’ growing involvement in warehouse automation solutions. Earlier this year, the company announced it had become an approved AutoStore bin supplier, enabling system integrators to specify ORBIS-manufactured bins for AutoStore installations.
Why Bin Quality Matters in AutoStore Systems
AutoStore has become one of the most widely adopted goods-to-person automation technologies in the warehouse sector. The cube-based system stores products in stacks of bins within a dense grid structure, with robots traveling across the top of the grid to retrieve inventory and deliver it to workstations.
Because the system depends on precise interaction between robots, grids and containers, bin consistency is critical. Small dimensional variations can impact system performance, making manufacturing precision and material quality essential.
ORBIS said its expertise in reusable packaging and plastic injection molding helps ensure bins meet the demanding specifications required for automated operations while delivering durability and long-term performance. The company also noted that its automation offering extends beyond the bins themselves. In addition to AutoStore containers, ORBIS supplies reusable pallets for inbound and outbound shipments and totes for work-in-process applications, helping customers standardize reusable packaging across multiple facility functions.
Building on Greenville’s Manufacturing Investment
The AutoStore approval adds another capability to ORBIS’ Greenville manufacturing campus, which was announced in early 2025 and formally celebrated during a grand opening event later that year. The facility includes 420,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 240,000 square feet of warehouse space. ORBIS repurposed and modernized the existing building as part of its sustainability strategy while creating additional production capacity for reusable packaging products.
At the time of the grand opening, company officials highlighted the facility’s strategic location and future growth potential. Situated approximately 50 miles northeast of Dallas, Greenville provides access to major transportation corridors and allows efficient service to customers throughout the United States and Mexico. The facility was also designed with significant room for future expansion, enabling ORBIS to add manufacturing capacity as market demand increases.
Supporting Continued Growth in Warehouse Automation
The addition of a second approved manufacturing location comes as investment in warehouse automation continues to accelerate. Retailers, distributors and manufacturers are increasingly turning to automated storage and retrieval systems to improve space utilization, increase throughput and address labor challenges. Having production capability in both Canada and the United States provides ORBIS with additional flexibility to support AutoStore integrators and end users as new projects come online.
Founded in 1996, AutoStore develops automated order fulfillment technology that combines hardware and software to improve storage density and retrieval efficiency. Its technology is widely used in e-commerce, retail, healthcare and industrial distribution environments.
ORBIS, headquartered in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, is a global supplier of reusable packaging products and material handling solutions, including pallets, totes, containers, dunnage and custom packaging systems. The company operates nearly 50 locations across North America and Europe.
Integrators seeking quotes for AutoStore bins can contact ORBIS directly through its automation solutions team.
Editor’s Note: One thing that makes this announcement noteworthy is that AutoStore approvals are not simply a matter of producing a similar-looking plastic container. Approved suppliers must demonstrate that their bins consistently meet dimensional, material and performance requirements necessary for reliable operation within the AutoStore ecosystem. The Greenville designation therefore expands not only ORBIS’ manufacturing capacity, but also its ability to provide geographic redundancy and supply chain resilience for automation projects across North America.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
