16 BULKDISTRIBUTOR
Industrial Packaging
Save Food
awards at
interpack
All-in-one
N
BE has introduced an automated bulk material handling
and packaging system built on the firm’s integrated
construction and controls infrastructure.
The complete process sequence, from pallet/base supply, through
slipsheet pick-and-placement, bulk material infeed, packaged
contents isolated densification and NTEP-certified weighing, to
finished package accumulation conveyance, operates on a paired,
process-specific structural framework chassis with all automation and
control functions centralised to a single, menu-driven HMI to enable
standardised, system-wide data reporting.
The integrated construction and controls infrastructure provides the
basis for reduced total cost, NBE claims, compared with the common
systems integration concept of bolt-together ‘islands’ of equipment.
It is also said to improve process performance and data accuracy.
The automatic pallet dispenser phase eliminates manual handling
of pallets. The pallet stack, delivered by forklift, is conveyed into the
dispenser where the stack is automatically formed and each pallet is
aligned and staged to advance into the slipsheet dispenser, the
magazine of which can hold up to 2,500lb of sheet.
Sensors and automated controls guide the dispenser lift carriage
along horizontal and vertical flanged cam rollers to provide accurate
pick-and-place of up to 30 slipsheets an hour. The bulk bag filling
stage uses a cantilevered fill head/bag hanger carriage design with
July/August 2016
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pneumatic actions to bring the fill head and rear bag hooks to well
within the operator’s reach.
This design maintains safe and efficient posture for operators. The
8GPM hydraulic lift carriage easily lifts bag capacities up to 4,500lb,
far exceeding the lift speed and capacity of ball screw designs.
The NTEP-certified hang-weigh system provides valid, accurate, and
repeatable weighing of the bulk bags to an accuracy of +/-0.05
percent. A densification platform uses 3G of high-speed, low-intensity
vibration to settle material in the bag to a dense, stable, and safe load.
NBE says the system was built to be compliance-ready at start-up
and to conform to the specific, regulated processes and practices of
the Class II, Div 2, process area; including Type Z purge.
Schütz heads for Hamburg
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n the second quarter of 2017, Schütz will open a new plant in Hamburg, Germany, for the production of new IBCs
and reconditioning.
Equipped with state-of-the-art production technology, the new Schütz plant is currently being built on a site in the Billbrook
industrial area in eastern Hamburg, which has quick access to the A1 motorway as well as to rail transport.
Capacity for a high degree of automation in the future is being built into the plant.
Schütz sees the investment as enabling it to develop flexibility of products and services in one of Europe’s most important business
centres as well as strengthening proximity to customers in the north of Germany. The intention is to supply the whole of northern
Germany and parts of Denmark with new and sustainably reconditioned IBCs from the Hanseatic city as a trade hub.
Shorter and faster deliveries, combined with a higher degree of flexibility, are also being claimed as advantages, particularly for IBC
returns within the framework of the Schütz Ticket Service.
n anticipation of next year’s interpack, in Dusseldorf,
Germany, on 4-10 May 2017, the organiser is working with
the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).
As part of the co-operation, the WPO has extended its WorldStar
Awards to include the category ‘Save Food Packaging Awards’. The
WorldStar Awards commend best-practice approaches that have
already proven themselves on the national level, and the awards
will be presented at a ceremony during interpack 2017.
“We are giving the WorldStar Awards a platform in keeping with
the standing of these celebrated awards,” said Bernd Jablonowski,
global portfolio director packaging & processing at organiser
Messe Düsseldorf.
The Save Food Packaging Awards recognise packaging solutions
distinguished by their capacity to reduce food loss and wastage –
for instance, by prolonging the packaged product’s shelf life or
with intelligent concepts for portioning or protecting the contents
of packages once they have been opened.
In adjudicating the submissions, it is also important that the
package’s production is resource-efficient and makes use of as little
packaging material as necessary.
Overall, associations from more than 15 countries are
participating in the staging of the awards – including in Africa and
the Middle East. These will choose national winners in a variety of
categories in ad vance of interpack 2017. Honours will go to retail
and transport packaging, among other categories.
The national winners will then compete at interpack for the
WorldStar Award in the Save Food category and will be exhibited
at the ‘innovationparc’ special show.
“We are delighted to be able support the idea of Save Food with
an award. Good packaging can of course go a long way towards
reducing food loss and wastage,” stressed Dr Johannes Bergmair,
vice president sustainability & food safety at the WPO.
LC Packaging:
New generation of FIBC liners, smart procurement and sustainable solutions
Just last year, LC Packaging reported the expansion of its business to new markets by opening offices in Sweden and Ivory
Coast, to improve the service to customers in, respectively, the Nordic countries and West Africa. This year, the international
packaging producer and distributor of FIBCs and agri packaging proudly announced an expansion of the workforce in both
markets. Additionally, export sales in the Far East and South America are steadily increasing. That the company is still on the
rise is confirmed by the €157 million turnover in 2015, an increase of almost €7 million compared to 2014, making 2015 one of
the most successful years in the 93 years of history of the company.
Some of the most important developments in the FIBC area were surely the launch of the so-called cross border smart procurement
solution, a new generation of FIBC liners and sustainable solutions.
Cross border procurement solution
The cross border smart procurement solution was created especially for international key accounts, to simplify and combine the packaging
procurement activities for locations worldwide. All the systems are in place for dedicated international sales and service teams to offer high
level, cross border service, enabling customers to purchase their packaging centrally, instead of placing a separate order for each country
or area. The call-off process for packaging in stock and the billing process can also be done through one single contact. Delivery and local
service are in the hands of the 16 LC Packaging offices in Europe and Africa, with local logistics and packaging experts.
New generation of FIBC liners
Industry changes, like the development of new ingredients and specialty chemicals, and new export routes, require more protective packaging. As products have to travel longer
distances to reach their final destination, there is an increasing demand for high barrier bags, which can extend the shelf life of products. These changes also motivated LC
Packaging to search for optimised material combinations. As a result, the company expanded its range of premium liner structures, such as an aluminium inner liner and EVOH
barrier liner technology with anti-static properties. These EVOH liners, made with premium quality liner material, are produced under clean room conditions and are equipped
with benchmark barrier properties: an excellent option to better protect the product against water vapour, oxygen influence and light. Additionally, recently established capacities
to manufacture form stable liners in LC’s production locations in Bangladesh and India improve the logistics and total costs to the supply chain.
Reconditioning and recycling of FIBCs
With WorldBag, LC Packaging’s own sustainability brand, the company is responding to the growing need for customers to have a closed loop solution in industries such as
glass fibre, recycling, graphite powders and carbon blacks. WorldBag offers an FIBC reconditioning and recycling service: bag cleaning for reuse. Its customers can enjoy
considerable savings, while contributing significantly to preserving the environment. This year, WorldBag passed the recertification process for ISO 14001: an international
environmental management system, focusing specifically on improvements regarding the environment. The sustainable service company works with accredited transport
companies, dedicated to reducing CO2 emissions, and processes its waste streams in a sustainable manner, while reducing energy consumption.
High quality is sustainable
LC Packaging believes that in order for a product and service to be of high quality, it should be produced and offered in a sustainable and responsible manner. LC’s FIBCs are
produced using 100% virgin Polypropylene material, which is recyclable, to help reduce waste flows and offers customers the opportunity to have their FIBCs reconditioned.
Furthermore, production partners and locations are SA8000 certified: the leading global standard for corporate social responsibility. LC Packaging International is also EcoVadis,
ISO 14001, ISO 22000 and OHSAS 18001 certified, and is a member of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), following the UN principles on Business and Human Rights.
Recently, LC Packaging introduced the Supplier Code of Conduct, signed by all its production partners, prescribing the values and principles to which LC has committed
worldwide. This is a non-negotiable code of conduct, based on the SA8000 standards and the principles of the UNGC and International Labour Organization (ILO). For
customers, this means that they can be assured of sustainable products and services.
www.lcpackaging.com