Flexitanks & Bulk Liners
November / December 2017
Tree huggers
liquid container system produced by Structure-flex Ltd is being used in
A a unique way by a landscaping contractor to provide trees in urban areas with much needed water . The trees , which are situated in public areas such as pedestrian precincts , highways , and parks , are always in need of additional water to help them establish as they are surrounded by impermeable material in a man-made environment . Landscape and arboricultural contractor Street Tree Care Ltd purchased Structureflex ’ s Eclipse containers to transport water directly to hundreds of trees around inner and outer London . Director at Street Tree Care , Michael Gargan , said : “ The first container we purchased was back in 2000 when we first launched the company and were looking to find a reliable system that enabled us to transport water safely throughout the city . “ We operate a system using an Eclipse container and it makes the discharge of the water to the trees very easy . We are able to re-fill it throughout the day for multiple activities and , as it is collapsible , it is very easy to transport and store when not in use .” Each Eclipse container has a 1,000 litre capacity and is designed to meet the packaging needs of any non-hazardous bulk liquid handler . The container consists of three essential elements ; an inner disposable polythene liner , the outer reusable PVC bag , and a metal frame that provides a support structure . Family-owned Structure-flex is based in Norfolk , UK and has manufactured a range of heavy-duty flexible fabrics for 46 years . Managing director Paul Reeve added : “ The Eclipse system is one of a wide range of heavy duty reusable bulk packaging methods we offer and can be used for transporting granules , powders and liquids . “ Because the design of the system is so flexible , it has been an attractive solution for clients in the many different industries in the past from food and drink to oil and hazardous waste , but Street Tree Care is the first customer to use it in this way .” Structure-flex won a Queen ’ s Award for International Enterprise in 2013 for increasing its export sales by more than 250 percent over the previous three years . Michael Gargan concluded : “ We have been delighted with the Eclipse container and have purchased four over the past 17 years . It has helped us to maintain around 12,000 trees over that period and enabled us to build a reputation for maintaining our client ’ s tree stock to a high standard .” www . streettreecareltd . co . uk www . structure-flex . co . uk
Flexitanks & Bulk Liners
Landscape contractor Street Tree Care brightens up urban environments by planting and maintaining trees
Each Eclipse container has a 1,000 litre capacity
BULKDISTRIBUTOR
15
Asia food market to drive ���������������
According to a study by Technavio , the global flexitank market is expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 16 percent until 2021 .
According to Sharan Raj , a lead analyst at Technavio for logistics research , Asia Pacific ( APAC ) has been an emerging market for flexitanks due to higher demand from the food industry in this region . One of the main reasons for the popularity of flexitanks in APAC is the cost advantage . Since the region has many developing countries with a higher middle income population , the spending level for cargo movement in the region is economical . “ Manufacturers are unable to afford more expensive transport and logistics costs in developing countries . Hence , these countries are the major growth drivers for the rising demand for flexitanks ,” says Raj . Growth in the vegetable oil , fruit juice and cold drinks market is expected to influence the growth of the global market . www . technavio . com
Growing middle income populations in Asia could boost demand for foodstuffs transported in flexitanks