Bulk Distributor Nov/Dec19 | Page 16

16 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR Industrial Packaging November/December 2019 Greif continues Russia expansion A second IBC production plant in Russia has been opened by Greif. Located on Vorsino Industrial Park in Kaluga, adjacent to Greif’s steel drum production plant, the new hi-tech, food-grade IBC facility covers an area of 5,500 sqm and will allow Greif to double production capacity of IBCs in Russia. Konstantin Savinov, director of operations EMEA Eastern Europe, said: “The opening of a new IBC facility in Russia underlines Greif’s commitment to the market. Continued investment from local government and multinational corporations, as well as its proximity to several of Greif’s key customers makes Kaluga an attractive region. “The investment will allow us to serve better our existing customers by offering more flexibility, reduced lead times and lower transport costs as well as the ability to dispatch combined batches of steel drums and IBCs. It will also mean we have the capacity to secure new contracts, particularly in the food industry, as well as coatings, petrochemicals and specialty chemicals.” Greif opened its first IBC facility in Russia in Kazan in 2007. The company also operates seven steel drum production facilities, the Greif’s new IBC production plant in Kaluga, Russia most recent of which was opened on Vorsino Industrial Park in July 2018. • Greif president and CEO Pete Watson was the keynote speaker at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) annual meeting dinner, kicking off the four-day event. “It is our honour to support an event that gathers representatives from more than 200 global companies dedicated to working together to create a sustainable world,” Watson commented. The 2019 WBCSD Council meeting took place 14-17 October in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s theme was Lead, Transform and Succeed. Greif sponsored the council dinner on 14 October, where Watson provided remarks focusing on the linkage between servant leadership and sustainability. “Applying a servant leader approach to sustainability means finding ways to serve our colleagues, customers, shareholders, ecosystems and communities where we operate,” he said. “It’s about taking care of and serving all of our stakeholders and our planet.” Dust-free dumping A new mobile drum tipper-conveyor system from Flexicon allows dust-free dumping of bulk solid materials from drums, and/or conveying it to process equipment and storage vessels throughout the plant. The system’s Tip-Tite Drum Tipper accommodates drums from 114 to 208 litres, weighing up to 340kg and measuring 90-120 cm in height. Mounted on a mobile frame with quick-action floor jacks, it raises the drum hydraulically to form a dust-tight seal between the rim of a drum and the underside of the discharge cone. A separate hydraulic cylinder tips the platform-hood assembly and drum, stopping at dump angles of 45, 60 or 90 degrees with a motion-dampening feature. The vertically-oriented cone mates with a gasketed inlet port fitted to the hopper of the system’s flexible screw conveyor, and to any low profile equipment throughout the plant. A pneumatically-actuated slide gate valve prevents material flow until the discharge cone has been properly seated in the gasketed receiving ring. The mobile Flexicon screw conveyor, which can operate independently or when mated to the drum tipper, can feed material to elevated process equipment and storage vessels. The only moving part contacting material is a rugged inner screw which can move both free- and non-free-flowing materials with no separation of blended products. The screw is driven beyond the point of discharge, preventing material contact with seals or bearings. Removal of the hopper lid allows manual dumping and feeding from upstream equipment. Flexibility of the tipper and conveyor to handle a diversity of materials independently or in tandem throughout the plant enables the system to satisfy a range of current and future requirements, according to the manufacturer. Ready to plug in and run, it is constructed of carbon steel with a durable industrial finish, and is available with stainless steel material contact surfaces or in all-stainless construction, finished to food, dairy, pharmaceutical or industrial standards. The company also manufactures high-lift drum tippers, drum fillers, box/container tippers, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, pneumatic conveying systems, tubular cable conveyors, bag dump stations, weigh batching and blending systems, and engineered plant-wide bulk handling systems with automated controls. www.flexicon.co.uk The Mobile Tip-Tite Drum Tipper and Flexicon conveyor can perform a diversity of tasks independently or in tandem throughout the plant