14 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
Flexitanks
Rishi ramps
up flexitank
capabilities
R
ishi FIBC is well-known for producing
quality FIBCs and liner bags.
But in recent years the company has been
ramping up its design and production of bulk
liquid flexitanks.
Joseph Fransis, executive director & CEO, points
out that the flexitank market is growing in
double digit figures, and the company wants to
be a technology leader here just as in the FIBC
business.
“Today, we are the second largest manufacturer
of high end FIBCs in the world with a capacity of
10 million bags a year and now we have installed
a new 7-layer barrier film plant supplied by
Italian firm Bandera, the first 7-layer plant
commissioned by Bandera in Asia.
“With a total investment of some US$15
million we have created a facility with a capacity
to make 300,000 flexitanks a year in a 250,000
sq ft fully air conditioned facility in Mysore, near
Bangalore. This is the largest flexitank
manufacturing plant in the world under one
roof.”
Similarly, both the woven and LDPE container
liner businesses are also growing sectors and
Rishi now has the capacity to make 500,000
container liners a year. Another growing business
is container liners with barrier properties (EVOH
& Nylon) where the aroma of the filled product
needs to be retained during transport.
“The advantage of the 7-layer film plant is that
it is used to deliver high dart impact and better
mechanical properties to the flexitank and
container liner which will improve the overall
performance of these two products,” says
Fransis. “This 7-layer plant will help us in
producing barrier flexitanks mainly for the
transport of wine, edible oil, fruit juices, etc.”
Maintaining the aroma of products like wine
and fruit juices during transport is an extremely
important factor and a high quality EVOH and
nylon film can ensure this. EVOH film prevents
oxidation and keeps aroma of the wine intact,
and Rishi has developed its own flow control
valve in the past two years to ensure the quality
of the product. With the development of the
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L-r: Arvind Nopany, Rishi managing director, and Joseph Fransis, executive director & CEO
valves, all the materials needed for
manufacturing the flexitanks are now produced
in-house to ensure quality of product.
Since the beginning of operations 12 years
back, 95 percent of Rishi’s products have been
exported to various countries in the world,
mainly the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan.
“For the flexitank as well, our main target is
exporting to those same markets as we have
created a solid reputation over the past 12 years
as a quality manufacturer,” Fransis adds. “We
have been growing at a CAGR of 41 percent in
the past 12 years which is one of the highest
growth rates in the manufacturing sector
worldwide. We are just as confident of having
the same growth in the flexitank business.
“We have been importing films in the past
three years to make flexitanks. In-house film
manufacturing will definitely lead us to a
respectable position in the flexitank and
container liner market in the world in the years
to come.”
India is also an important source country for
the transport of edible oil to various European
markets and Rishi has been supplying to this
business over the past three years.
In terms of quality control, the new facility can
manufacture flexitanks with food grade
certifications. All Rishi’s factories are BRC ‘AA’
rated certified units since inception which reflects
the company’s obsession with cleanliness,
hygiene and quality levels.
Rishi has created a world class quality control
laboratory, costing €1 million, in the new facility
by installing various types of testing machines.
These include LS1 Lloyds from USA for checking
tensile properties and puncture resistance, BYK
Gardner - Haze Guard I from Germany for
checking optical properties, a breakdown voltage
testing machine from Labordata, Germany, FTIR
and UV Vis spectrophotometer from Agilent
Technologies, USA for checking composition
analysis, light transmission & reflectance studies,
QUV weathering testing machine from QUV Lab,
Xenon Arc weathering from USA for checking
the weatherability of film, and various other
testing machines for checking surface resistivity,
flow characteristics of polymer, drying/
conditioning, mechanical properties, dissolution
of polymer, surface characteristics, MFI, etc.
Fransis says the company wants to ensure
quality of the product from the manufacturing
stage itself rather than understanding it from the
market.
Rishi’s offering is not restricted to the
containment and shipping of the product. The
company also provides a number of value-added
services that are now seen as crucial in the
flexitank business.
“We provide the owner of the cargo the
financial protection through product insurance
against all risks of physical loss or damage from
any external cause,” adds Fransis. “The
insurance provides risk coverage for ocean, air
and road freight and our skilled technical staff
provides detailed insight into the product.
“Moreover, to ensure safe fitting of each
flexitank we have produced a video of the
installation procedures and we share this with all
shippers for their better understanding and safe
handling .We also consider ourselves as a special
cargo loading supporter and all applicable
procedures and guidelines are followed as per
the COA Flexitank Code of Practice.
“Furthermore, we have product liability
insurance to cover all issues of flexitanks related
to possible leaking, fitting issues, manufacturing
defects, etc.”
www.rishifibc.com
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Rishi installed a new 7-layer barrier film plant supplied by Bandera, the first 7-layer plant commissioned by Bandera in Asia
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16/10/2019 16:53:00