Bulk Distributor Jan/Feb 19 | Page 18

18 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR Industrial Packaging Greif boosts Spanish plant G reif’s most recent investment is in an IBC line at its San Roque facility in the Cadiz region of Spain. Greif’s existing plant has been producing large steel drums for more than 30 years. The upgrade now offers customers the world’s latest IBC technologies. Greif’s new investment includes a fully automated line, ensuring timely and uninterrupted delivery of IBCs. An additional investment has also been made in a new state of the art and fully automated warehouse where filled IBCs are stored. The upgraded facility is now equipped to produce the full Greif GCUBE portfolio, currently available across 12 sites around the globe. The San Roque facility will be well placed to deliver products to the olive oil industry, one of the most important economies in the region. Production of the GCUBE IBCs has started and is expected to reach up to 150,000 units a year. The Mayor of San Roque Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix officially opened the newly refurbished facility. Joaquim Duarte, Greif general manager Iberia, said: “This is a significant step forward for Greif and the local economy. It will allow us to serve better our customers and local market demands in southern Spain as well as the NortAfrican markets of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.” Greif entered the IBC market with the acquisition of Fustiplast in 2010 and in the past eight years has become the fastest growing and highest investing company in IBC production. Greif’s GCUBE IBC heralds the new generation of IBCs and is said to be ideal for shipping bulk quantities of hazardous and non-hazardous products. Greif currently has nine IBC facilities across EMEA and 13 globally. www.greif.com January/February 2019 Flexicon’s new discharger A new Bulk-Out bulk bag discharger from Flexicon features stainless steel open- channel construction for applications in which contamination of the product or equipment cannot be tolerated. Unlike hollow steel frame members, the open- channel frame is devoid of cavities or recesses where bacteria, mould and other contaminants can breed, allowing rapid, thorough wash down with water, steam or cleaning solution, reducing the risk of cross-contamination between changeovers and providing unobstructed inspection for verifying cleanliness. To meet food, dairy, and pharmaceutical requirements, construction includes continuous welds, ground smooth and flush with adjoining members. As a ‘BFC’ model, the discharger is equipped with a cantilevered I-beam with electric hoist and trolley for loading and unloading of bulk bags without the use of a forklift. It is also supplied with Flow-Flexer bag activators that raise and lower opposite bottom edges of the bulk bag at timed intervals, promoting continuous and complete discharge of free- and non-free-flowing materials through the bag spout. The bag spout interface features a patented Spout-Lock clamp ring that makes a high-integrity connection between the product side of the bag spout and the product side of the equipment, and a Tele-Tube telescoping tube that maintains downward tension on the spout as the bag empties and elongates, promoting total evacuation. Together, the devices prevent the escape of dust throughout the entire discharging process, from untying of bag spouts to retying of partially empty bags to collapsing and retying of empty bags. The open-channel stainless steel construction of the Flexicon bulk bag discharger eliminates internal voids where contamination can breed, and allows rapid sanitising and inspection. BFC series dischargers are available in over 30 configurations constructed and finished to pharmaceutical, food, dairy or industrial standards. Also available are BFF series dischargers with a removable bag lifting frame for loading and unloading of bulk bags using a forklift, and BFH half frame models that rely on a forklift to suspend the bag during discharge. www.flexicon.co.uk