Q. What are FIBCs? A. Also known as bulkbags, big bags or tote bags, FIBCs are woven
polypropylene containers designed to hold large quantities of product, from
500kg up to 2000kg.
Q. What are FIBCs
made from? A. FIBCs are manufactured from woven polypropylene with a variety of
different dimensions, filling, discharging and lifting facilities.
Q. How safe are
FIBCs? A. At Bulkbag Containers Ltd, all FIBCs are regularly tested to destruction
both in-house and at the National Engineering Laboratory. These tests
conform to BS EN 1898:2001 and EFIBCA standards. FIBCs are issued with
individual test certificates to the Safe Working Load and Safety Factor.
Q. What are the
governing bodies for FIBC manufacturers? A. EFIBCA (European Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container Association)
is a European Trade Association of manufacturers and distributors of FIBCs,
who advise the technical and safety standards within the industry.
Q. What is you
company's policy on quality assurance? A. Quality is fundamental and Bulkbag Containers Ltd have an approved system
of auditing performance, ensuring that the customer is supplied to
specification. Our company was first registered to ISO 9002 IN 1989.
Q. Are FIBCs easy to
handle? A. Very - FIBCs do not require specialised handling equipment. Most
common handling apparatus includes standard forklift, pallet truck or crane.
Q. Because they are
fabric and not steel, are FIBCs easily damaged? A. Although polypropylene is one of the strongest man-made fabrics
available, just like rigid bulk containers, FIBCs can be damaged if
carelessly handled. It is important that your equipment is regularly
checked. For example, forklift truck tines with rough edges may damage the
FIBC. If handled correctly, FIBCs can be used successfully for many trips.
Q. Are FIBCs stable? A. Once the product has settled, FIBCs are very stable. Depending on
the specific gravity/fill density of the product, it may be necessary to
remove some of the air after filling before stacking the bags, particularly
if the bag has an internal liner. It is recommended that the height does not
exceed twice the width of the bag to assist stability.
Q. Are FIBCs
stackable? A. When filled with most products, FIBCs can be stacked in a
warehouse 2 or 3 high. The stability and height of the stack is dependent on
the product being transported, together with the handling equipment
available. It may be preferable to stack 'pyramid' style depending on the
stability of the product itself.
Q. What about second
hand bags? A. We do not recommend the use of second hand bags.
Q. What about static
build up? A. If static is a problem, as the sole UK licensees for CROHMIQ® Blue
fabric, we can offer a concept big bag design manufactured from
static-protective fabric which eliminates the need for earthing techniques.
Alternatively we can offer traditional earthed bags.
Q. What about
leakage? A. For finer products and powders, we can offer our own brand of 'powderproof'
bag which was first introduced to the market place in 1984.
Q. What about more
fluid products? A. For fluid products we can offer internal liners, which can be
shaped to the bag itself and glued or tabbed if required.
Q. What about dense
product, which does not discharge easily? A. We can offer a cone base, which will assist discharging or even
full bottom opening bags.
Q. What about
re-using bags? A. This practice is perfectly acceptable in a closed loop facility
where valeting and inspection are part of the process.
Q. Do you
manufacture all your bags in the UK? A. We manufacture in the UK - and in addition have facilities in
Eastern Europe and Asia, accredited ISO 9002.
Advantages of FIBCs Over
Other Forms of Packaging Include
Each FIBC has integral
lifting loops, eliminating the need for pallets.
The woven polypropylene
properties of FIBCs allow for the printing of product information to
easily identify the product being transtported.
Efficient use of space
Simple to use
Cost effective
Very strong yet flexible
Low unit cost
Variety of dimensions
available
Variety of filling,
discharging and lifting facilities
Over 25 million FIBCs
are sold in Europe every year to a wide range of industries including
building and aggregates, chemical, pharmaceutical and food producers.
Can be used for
hazardous chemicals as specified in the UN Chapter 6.5 Recommendations.
