Flexitanks Blog

How To Prepare A Flexitank Container

Herb Firestone — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:09:38 +0000

It is critical to prepare the container properly and thoroughly to avoid container flaws puncturing or damaging the flexitank. If the walls or floor of the container are in bad condition, DO NOT USE.

Open container and sweep out all dust and dirt.
Use duct tape to cover the corner welds of the container. There are typically 2 welds on each side of the container and 2 more on the front wall. Put duct tape from the floor of the container to approximately ¾ the height of the container wall. This is to prevent the rough welds from chafing the flexitank.
Using your hand, feel the walls of the container for rough spots. Cover any rough spots with duct tape. Use corrugation to cover any rough wall areas.
Inspect the container floor for nails, screws, or anything else that might puncture the flexitank. Remove any sharp objects on the floor. Use duct tape or corrugation to cover any rough spots on the floor of the container.NOTE: The flexitank box may be used to cover large portions of the floor if required. Use of corrugation does not replace correct container preparation.
If the container does not pass all categories of the checklist, reject the container and use another one.
For a pdf copy of this post, click the following link which will take you to the LinkedIn Profile of EPT Flexitank Sales Manager, Jennifer Phillips. Scroll down to the bottom and click How To Prepare A Flexitank Container. You may need to log into your existing LinkedIn account.

This is the second in a series of Flexitank Training Posts.

Click the following link to go to the previous post: How To Select A Flexitank Container.

How To Select A Flexitank Container

Herb Firestone — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:51:59 +0000

Containers selected for flexitank transport must have a gross weight rating of at least 30,480 Kgs.
Containers must be no more than 10 years old.
Both side walls should be corrugated for the entire length of the side wall. Any container with flat decal panels must be rejected.
There should not be any deformation to any of the container walls.
Each door must have a minimum of two locking bars and each locking bar must be retained by a minimum of three locking bar brackets.
All locking bar cams should lock into both top and bottom locking bar cam retainers correctly.
Handles should position freely into door handle retainers and door handle catches should fully close.
Structural parts of the door; vertical sections, upper and lower ‘C” sections should be free from buckling and dents. All hinges should be in working order and free moving.
The floor must be free from splinters and protruding nails, screws, and other fixings.
Any container with any of the following features should be rejected:

Gouge greater than ½” (15mm) deep irrespective of length
Gouge more than ¼” (6mm) deep and greater than 6” (150mm) wide irrespective of length
Repaired sections larger than 2’ (610mm) x 2’ (610mm)
De-lamination of the floor boards or any other damage affecting floor strength
Difference in height between adjacent plants/panels greater than ½” (15mm)
Holes in the floor or walls other than nail holes/li>
Excessive rust

For a pdf copy of this post, click the following link which will take you to the LinkedIn Profile of EPT Flexitank Sales Manager, Jennifer Phillips. Scroll down to the bottom and click How To Select A Flexitank Container. You may need to log into your existing LinkedIn account.

This is the first in a series of Flexitank Training Posts.

The State Of US Manufacturing In December, 2011

Herb Firestone — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:25:02 +0000

December ISM Report

According to the latest ISM Manufacturing Report on Business, dated January 3, 2012, “economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in December for the 31st consecutive month. ”

In addition, new orders, production and employment all grew, supplier deliveries were faster, and inventories again contracted during the month of December.”

December Dow Jones Industrial Averages

With regard the U.S. stock market, December’s positive news from the manufacturing sector seems to have had a positive effect on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, at least during the last half of the month. As always, however there were many other contributing factors.

On November 30, 2011, for example, the Dow closed at 12,401.58, gaining 489-points, the largest one day gain of 2011 and the best percentage gain since March 2009.

Seemingly having nowhere to go but down, the close on December 15, 2011 was 11,870

Then on December 31 the close was back up at 12,218.

So, in summary, the DJIA started the month with its expected downswing, but by the 31st managed to recover and even ended the year with a 5.5% year to date increase.

Breakdown By Industry

The December report’s breakdown by industry seems to indicate that once again not everything’s coming up roses in the manufacturing sector.

“Of the 18 manufacturing industries, nine are reporting growth in December in the following order: Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Textile Mills; Petroleum & Coal Products; Machinery; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Primary Metals; and Paper Products.

The nine industries reporting contraction in December — listed in order — are: Plastics & Rubber Products; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Furniture & Related Products; Chemical Products; Wood Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; and Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components.”

December Manufacturing Direction & Rate Of Change

The report also includes A Manufacturing At A Glance Chart for December, 2011 that features, among other things, direction and rate of change as follows:

Overall Economy: Growing faster
Manufacturing Sector: Growing faster
PMI: Growing faster
New Orders: Growing faster
Production: Growing faster
Employment: Growing faster (from slower in November)
Supplier Deliveries: Faster at the same rate (from slower in November)
Inventories: Contracting faster (from slower in November)
Customer’s Inventories: Too low (from unchanged in November)
Prices: Decreasing slower (same as November)
Backlog of Orders: Contracting slower (from contracting faster in November)
Exports: Growing faster (from unchanged in November)
Imports: Growing (from contracting faster in November)

Of particular interest to flexitank manufacturer, EPT is the fact that chemical products reported contraction in both November and December of 2011.

7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Flexitanks

Herb Firestone — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:31:21 +0000

The earliest forms of flexitanks can be dated back to the early 1960s. They were rubber sealed tanks that were used for static storage of water and diesel fuels and developed for use by the US Military.
Approximately 31% more liquid product can be shipped by using a flexitank versus drums or intermediate bulk containers (IBC’s)
Global use of flexitanks increases annually surpassing conventional methods of shipping unitized bulk liquids.
Flexitanks are used globally to transport 50-60 primary commodities; however, dependent on the materials of construction, several thousand products may be compatible.
At some destinations, services are readily available to recycle the empty flexitank following discharge.
Products that are compatible for transport in a flexitank are approved from the data obtained in a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and product specification. Hazardous, flammable, or regulated products are not certified for shipment in a flexitank.
Flexitank operators offer various sizes of flexitanks that can be installed into a 20’ dry cargo container. The correctly sized flexitank is determined by the specific gravity of the product to be transported.

Personal Holiday Greetings From The EPT Family To You And Yours

Herb Firestone — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:58:33 +0000

In the coming year we hope that you go somewhere that you have never been, do something that you have never done, and open yourself up to possibilities that you cannot even begin to imagine.

Wishing you a new year full of possibilities.

Jennifer Phillips
Flexitank Sales Manager
Environmental Packaging Technologies

We are quickly coming to a close for 2011 and I would like to thank all of our Customers, Vendors, Depots and Partners for helping us with our continued success.

I am looking forward to working with all of you again in 2012 and helping to make it a more prosperous year than 2011.

From our office in Houston Texas, Merry Christmas and a Happy & Safe New Year!

Mele Kaliki Maka
Al Miner
Business Development Specialist
Environmental Packaging Technologies

Thanks to the support of all our clients, this has been a year of ongoing growth and evolving change for EPT. We’d like to thank you and take this opportunity to wish you and yours a healthy and successful 2012 from all of us.

Elena Vanderloo
Logistics Manager
Environmental Packaging Technologies

Must Read Report On The State Of US Manufacturing In November 2011

Herb Firestone — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:10:39 +0000

The ISM Report

According to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business, “economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in November for the 28th consecutive month and the overall economy grew for the 30th consecutive month.

In addition, production and employment both grew, supplier deliveries were faster, and inventories contracted during the month of November.”

So, if everything’s so peachy in the manufacturing sector, why did the Dow Jones go down the tubes again in mid to late November? I know it’s pretty much already come back, but believe it or not, and I actually do believe that the market takes manufacturing reports into consideration. It just takes other factors, for example, the instability in global financial markets into consideration more, but that’s a subject for another time.

Breakdown By Industry

The report’s breakdown by industry seems to indicate that not everything’s coming up roses in the manufacturing sector.

“Of the 18 manufacturing industries, eight reported growth in November, in the following order: Wood Products; Textile Mills; Petroleum & Coal Products; Primary Metals; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; and Paper Products.

The nine industries reporting contraction in November — listed in order — are: Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment and Machinery.”

Manufacturing Direction & Rate Of Change

The report also includes A Manufacturing At A Glance Chart for November 2011 that features, among other things, direction and rate of change for the following:

Overall Economy: Growing faster
Manufacturing Sector: Growing faster

PMI: Growing faster
New Orders: Growing faster
Production: Growing faster
Employment: Growing slower
Supplier Deliveries: Faster from slowing
Inventories: Contracting slower
Customer’s Inventories: Unchanged from too low
Prices: Decreasing slower
Backlog of Orders: Contracting faster
Exports: Growing from unchanged
Imports: Contracting faster

So, What Does All This Have To Do With Flexitanks?

While food, beverage, and petroleum products grew faster in November, chemical products did not,

Click here for a list of bulk liquid products that may be safely and economically transported in flexitanks.

Bulk Packaging Glossary

Herb Firestone — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:46:38 +0000

Whether you’re reading the EPT Flexitank Blog for the first time or as a frequent visitor, we understand that you are (more than likely) already familiar with bulk packaging terms. In other words, to arrive here in the first place, you probably entered the word flexitank or flexitanks in one of the search engines and then clicked the link to this blog.

So, the purpose of covering the basics in this short Bulk Packaging Glossary is not to take you back to what you already know, but rather to encourage you to forward alink to this post to a supervisor or executive who may not be as knowledgeable as you when it comes to bulk packaging terminology.

Bulk Packaging

Any packaging, including transport vehicles, having a liquid capacity of more than 119 gal (450 L), a solids capacity of more than 882 lb (400 kg), or a compressed gas water capacity of more than 1001 lb (454 kg).

Source: TermWiki

Bulk Cargo

Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities and is classified as liquid or dry.

Source: Wikipedia

Polypropylene

Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including bulk packaging.

Source: Wikipedia

Flexitank

A large-multi-layered (polypropylene) flexible bag that goes inside a large rigid shipping container as a container liner. Flexitanks offer an alternative to ISO tank containers for shipping oils, juices, wines, food-grade liquids and nonhazardous chemicals across the globe. Flexitanks may be loaded into 20′ food-grade containers for maritime transport.

Sizes range from 16,000 to 24,000 liters. The materials used in the production of flexitanks must meet the US Food and Drug Administration, Food and Drug EU food-grade or German BGA standards. The idea is to isolate the liquid being transported from ambient air to avoid oxidation.

Source: Wikiipedia

BIG Red Flexitank™

BIG Red Flexitank™ is the bulk liquid shipping container liner trademarked and exclusively manufactured by Environmental Packaging Technologies (EPT) in the U.S. according to strict ISO 9001-2008 quality control standards.

While all BIG Red Flexitanks™ are flexitanks, all flexitanks are not BIG Red Flexitanks.™

Source: EPT’s BIG Red Flexitank™ web page

EPT Wine-Pac™ Flexitank

A flexitank container liner trademarked and manufactured exclusively in the U.S. by Environmental Packaging Technologies (EPT) for the purpose of safely and economically transporting bulk wine.

Source: EPT’s Wine-Pac™ Flexitank web page

Dry Liner

A shipping container liner designed for transporting dry bulk goods.

Source: EPT’s Dry Bulk web page

BIG Red Dry Liner™

The shipping container liner trademarked and exclusively manufactured by Environmental Packaging Technologies (EPT) for the purpose of safely and economically transporting bulk dry goods.

Source: EPT’s Dry Bulk Cargo web page

Intermodal Transport

The movement of goods in one and the same loading unit (container) which uses successively several modes of transport, for example, truck, railroad tank car, cargo ship without handling of the goods themselves in changing modes.

Source: Francoudi and Stephanau Shipping Terminology

One of the primary benefits of both flexitanks and dry liners is that they can be easily and cost-effectively loaded and unloaded from one transportation mode to another.

As pointed out in the hypothetical example in the previous blog post, Exporting Bulk Liquids, flexitanks may be easily transferred between truck, railroad tank car, or ship.

Exporting Bulk Liquids

Herb Firestone — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:31:04 +0000

See what EPT Port Partners can do for your bulk liquid exporting business in the following hypothetical example:

Step 1

Railroad tank car(s) leave manufacturing plant headed towards an EPT Port Partner location.

Cost-effective Bulk Liquid Transport

Step 2

Bulk liquids are pumped from tank car into BIG Red Flexitanks.

Step 3

Containers with BIG Red Flexitanks inside are loaded onto ship and travel to worldwide destination port.

Step 4

Containers with BIG Red Flexitanks inside are off-loaded at destination port.

Step 5

Containers with BIG Red Flexitanks inside leave port on trucks
or are transloaded onto tanker trucks and leave port headed for end-user destination.

EPT Locations

With corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas, all manufacturing in the U.S.A, regional offices in Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, The Netherlands, China, Singapore, South Korea, India, and Malaysia, EPT also has more than 130 agents, offices, and certified fitting depots around the world. Click here to view a world map of EPT Port Partner locations.

BIG Red Flexitank Internal Rail Testing Video

Herb Firestone — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:13:05 +0000

Before embarking on the AAR, CN, RZD, and Marine Container Consultants tests EPT President, Nancy Wendrock said in a Railroad Industry News article,“EPT spent more than a year re-engineering their flexitank and performing rigorous internal testing.

“Our goal was to prove that the BIG Red Flexitank surpasses the quality and performance of all other flexitank products in the industry,” she said. “To ensure the safety of the cargo and the integrity of the flexitank, we designed a unique bulkhead system specifically designed for rail.” The system is called the Rail Swept-Bar Bulkhead.

“We are dedicated to being technology leaders and providing our customers the highest quality flexitank available,” said Wendrock in a February 2010 Bulk Distributor Online article.

Even earlier, “the improvements and product enhancements we’re introducing in 2009 represent our ongoing commitment to provide the highest quality and safest flexitanks in the industry,” stated EPT Founder, Tatiana Golovina.

To learn more about Environmental Packaging Technologies bulk packaging solutions, visit the EPT website.