8 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Containers July / August 2016
8 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Containers July / August 2016
Chinese box makers unite to commit to waterborne coatings
Four of China ’ s biggest container manufacturers are now in the process of changing their box production from solvent-based coatings to waterborne paint . According to the latest report from the Alternative Materials Committee of the Container Owners Association ( COA ), factories in South China began the changeover from 1 July 2016 . Those in the rest of China will implement the change from 1 April 2017 unless major problems are encountered by the manufacturers in South China . This switch results from an initiative by the China Container Industry Association ( CCIA ) in response to new environmental regulations in China to reduce VOC emissions , with the threat of tough penalties being applied to both the container manufacturer and the paint supplier if any containers are painted using solvent-borne paints after these dates . The CCIA is an association of the four main container manufacturers ( CIMC , Singamas , CXIC and Dong Fang International ). Under the CCIA ’ s ‘ VOCs Governance Self-Discipline Convention ’, these manufacturers have voluntarily agreed with Chinese central and regional government to switch to the use of waterborne paint for container production . As partners in the convention , paint suppliers Hempel , COSCO Kansai , Chugoku Marine Paints , KCC , Valspar , Dowill , Jointas , Baojun and Mega have agreed to support the container manufacturers to achieve this objective . Some 95 percent of the world ’ s container production takes place in China and the industry is a substantial contributor to the high level of air
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pollution – so joint action was necessary to tackle the problem . Recognising that the cost of manufacturing containers using waterborne paint is higher than solvent-based paint and that container buyers would suffer a price penalty by nominating waterborne paint , the CCIA ’ s members agreed that the only way to achieve ‘ fair competition ’ would be to “ commit together and act together ”. Hence , the decision for all CCIA members to agree to switch to the exclusive use of waterborne paint in all factories on specific dates . Expert opinion suggests that factories will have to improve air circulation , increase air exchange , add heat and add several stations to the production line to ensure good application of waterborne paint . Excluding any one of these will add to the risk of problems being encountered . The manufacturing conditions required for the successful application of waterborne paint favour modern , high-volume factories in South or Central China . Some of the older , smaller factories may have difficulty extending and modifying the production line and could have to close . There are two factories that have already made the full conversion to the use of waterborne . The first , a few years ago , was CIMC Dalian in response to local environmental pressures . However , demand for new containers in Dalian is limited so it is now only building containers on an occasional basis . More significantly , Maersk Container Industry ( MCI ) – which is not a member of the CCIA – has been pioneering the use of waterborne coatings on containers in China , having converted its dry box factory in Dongguan to the use of waterborne paint at the end of 2013 .
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Jacob Jensen , head of project department , Maersk Container Industry , demonstrating last year the benefits of waterborne coatings
MCI has only used waterborne products since then – last year it built 166,000 TEU . The company reported some production problems following the change , but advised that these were quickly overcome and within two months , the line speed using waterborne paint was the same as they achieved using solvent . According to Nigel Stribley , moderator of the COA ’ s Alternative Materials Committee and author of the COA Report : “ Container buyers risk production problems when the factories first switch to waterborne paint but everyone in the container industry has to play their part in reducing the air pollution in China . The benefit of the CCIA ’ s action is that the risk is the same for all buyers and it is difficult to see how anyone can secure a competitive advantage from the switch .” He continued : “ Waterborne paint will initially be more expensive than solvent-borne and the application and drying of the paint on the containers will add cost so it is anticipated that the price of containers will rise but the exact premium is difficult to forecast as it will depend upon commercial considerations as well .”
Tare weight database goes live
The new database of container tare weight data recently announced by the Bureau International des Containers ( BIC ) is now live , with more than half a million containers already uploaded and new files being added daily . Container owners and operators are being encouraged to sign up to upload their fleet files to the database , and shippers are invited to start using the data . The pilot database , which was launched by the BIC in response to the new SOLAS mandatory container weight verification requirements , which came into effect on 1 July , provides an easy-toaccess source of container tare weight data to help support carriers , shippers , forwarders and other intermediaries . “ Following months of working closely with container owners , operators and shippers , the TCD was developed to provide a simple , effective tool that helps shippers , owners and operators to reduce their workload and improve efficiency ,” explained Bertrand Geoffray , BIC secretary general . “ For simplicity , the sole focus of the TCD is to capture the technical characteristics of a container , including tare weight , alongside the container ’ s operational number .” Once fully populated , the database will enable all users to access a vast source of container tare weight and other technical characteristics simply by querying the container number . The API , which will be live shortly , will also provide the option to automatically integrate data into shipper and forwarder systems . Either method offers a simpler alternative to visiting multiple websites or obtaining this information from the container door . Geoffray continued : “ There has been a lot of support from across the industry since the BIC announced the launch of the TCD , recognising the importance of a central source of this type of container data . However we are keen for more parties to contribute to this significant project in the coming weeks . We urge owners and operators to get involved and start uploading container data to the database now .”
The minimum data elements required to participate in the TCD are the container number and tare weight , but , to achieve the full benefit of the database , the BIC is encouraging owners to upload as many of technical details as possible . The database is particularly useful for ‘ Method 2 ’ shippers , those adding cargo and securing material weight to the tare weight to obtain the verified gross mass ( VGM ) as required from 1 July this year , and also benefits carriers and leasing companies , who will be able to provide automated tare weight access without having to invest time or money on multiple integrations or requests for individual tare weights . It also simplifies access to tare weights in the event of containers being traded between parties . Beyond the benefits related to compliance with SOLAS , the database will allow companies such as terminals , rail operators and hauliers to improve efficiency by conveniently accessing container details using only the operational number , while in the event of an accident , insurers and investigators may benefit from the database with access to technical details . In addition , including the manufacturer ID number within the technical characteristics of a container will make the database useful in the event of container loss , insurance claims and recoveries . The pilot phase of the database , which is expected to last until the end of the year , is being provided free of charge to all parties . After this , the programme will be evaluated with industry partners before full roll-out . In any case , the TCD will only be operated as a non-profit , non-commercial service . The Technical Characteristics Database is accessible at the designated BIC site : www . bic-boxtech . org