Warehouse inventories cost time, tie up staff, and often disrupt ongoing operations. This is especially true for small parts, serial components, or recurring components, where counting quickly becomes confusing if parts are stored loose in boxes or shelf compartments. Standard trays create a simple yet effective structure here for better warehouse organization. This article shows how trays optimize inventory counts in both the warehouse and production.
Nils Bothe
Updated on October 2, 2026
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A warehouse inventory is the complete stocktaking of all goods and components in a warehouse. It usually takes place once a year on the balance sheet date. During a warehouse inventory, it is checked whether the actual physical stock matches the stock recorded in the system. If the two values differ, this is referred to as an inventory discrepancy, which must be documented and corrected.
In addition to the classic warehouse inventory, there is also inventory in production: here, semi-finished goods, intermediate products, or components are recorded directly on the production line, often as part of ongoing (perpetual) inventory procedures.
Inventory processes tie up several days a year in many companies. Small parts stored loose are particularly critical: they are difficult to capture at a glance and therefore encourage counting and allocation errors, which noticeably reduces inventory accuracy. This becomes especially clear when large numbers of small parts need to be counted.
Typical sources of error in warehouse inventory include unclear storage locations, mixed stock in a single container, and a lack of visual structure. When employees have to take each component individually out of a box and count it, the time required increases significantly - and so does the error rate.
Plastic trays divide components into fixed compartments, creating a clearly defined storage structure. This makes it possible to record stock levels faster and identify shortages immediately.
| Tray Feature | Benefit for Inventory |
|---|---|
| Defined number of compartments | Stock can be captured at a glance instead of counting each component individually |
| Defined packing density | The total quantity can be calculated from the number of occupied compartments or fully filled trays |
| Empty compartment | Immediately signals a shortage |
| Fully filled tray | Confirms the intended quantity |
| Fixed compartment layout | Prevents components from lying loose in the container or getting mixed up |
For pure stocktaking purposes, standard trays with a suitable compartment size and number are often sufficient. They are available without individual tooling costs and fit common container systems such as SLCs or Euro containers.
If similar component variants need to be clearly distinguished from one another, or if sensitive components need to be held in an exact fit, a custom tray solution with component-specific mold cavities may be a better choice. This also supports the safety of sensitive small parts during transport. You can learn more about this in the article Standard Trays vs. Custom Tray Solutions.
Counting small parts is the most time-consuming part of any inventory. Trays reduce this effort because they shift counting from the individual-part level to the compartment level. Instead of manually counting each component, employees only need to check whether a tray is fully, partially, or not occupied at all. With a standardized packing density, the total quantity can be calculated directly from the number of occupied compartments.
Example calculation: A tray has 20 compartments, and each compartment holds exactly one component. During the inventory count, 15 fully filled trays are counted, plus one tray with only 12 occupied compartments. The calculation: 15 trays × 20 compartments = 300 pieces, plus 12 pieces from the partially filled tray, for a total of 312 pieces. Instead of counting 312 components individually, a glance at 16 trays is enough.
Sorting is the foundation of any functioning warehouse inventory. Without a clear separation between component variants, mixed stock arises that can hardly be correctly assigned later on. Trays with different individual mold cavities, colored stripes, colors, or markings enable a clear visual separation. Employees can see at a glance which tray belongs to which component or batch, without having to check individual parts.
| Feature | Function in Sorting |
|---|---|
| Component-specific mold cavity | Holds only one specific component, thereby preventing mix-ups |
| Color/color stripe | Enables quick visual assignment at a glance, without checking components |
| Marking/labeling | Makes component or batch numbers visible directly on the tray |
| Compartment layout | Cleanly separates several component variants within the same tray |
Correctly recorded stock and clearly sorted components also make order picking easier. Trays and inserts ensure that components are available in a defined quantity and orientation. The advantage: reaching and search times are noticeably reduced. This is especially true for recurring small parts that are regularly retrieved for orders or production lines.
This approach is suitable both for the classic cut-off-date inventory and for regular partial inventories of individual warehouse areas or inventory in production. You can find suitable standard trays directly in the online shop.
Plastic trays simplify inventory in both the warehouse and production: fixed compartments and defined packing densities speed up counting, make assignment easier, and create a reliable basis for order picking.
Whether a standard tray is sufficient for your stocktaking or a custom solution makes more sense depends on your components and how often you take inventory. Feel free to have your project technically reviewed with us and find the right tray solution for your inventory organization with formary. Our free white paper also offers a comprehensive overview of applications and tray concepts: Quickly Find the Right Plastic Tray Solution.
A warehouse inventory is the complete stocktaking of all goods and components in a warehouse, usually carried out once a year on the balance sheet date. It checks whether the actual, physically available stock matches the stock recorded in the system. If the two values differ, this is referred to as an inventory discrepancy, which must be documented and corrected in the system.
