The big bags, also commonly referred to as Flexible Intermediate Big Containers (FIBC) are an excellent tool for shipping goods, but they seem to have difficulty gaining acceptance within some industries. In Europe, the bags are more common and their use is much more widespread across a variety of industries. In the UK bags are utilized extensively in certain industries, whereas other industries haven’t adopted bags as their primary packaging.
What is an FIBC?
An FIBC (also known as a big bag) is in essence a bag made from woven polypropylene strands of thread. The fabric used for bags is produced the same way you would make cotton clothing, where the threads are created and put together. The distinct difference is that the bags are able to hold a significant deal of weight. In general, they are packed with between 2200 and 3000 pounds of various types of materials. However, when the appropriate processing equipment and equipment are in use, the bags can be produced to hold 12,000 lbs of material.
What kinds of goods or materials can be kept in FIBCs or large bags?
Numerous industries are already using large bags such as agriculture and aggregates, grains, fertilizer, plastics mining, powders, and so on. The most frequent markets that utilize bags are food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and chemicals.
Every market would prefer to ship in large quantities, but this isn’t always feasible. Certain customers are not able to take large trucks and need a smaller quantity of material. For example farmers who require just 2,000 pounds of fertilizer or seeds might not take an entire truckload. Therefore, big bags are perfect. A different scenario is when you ship out of the country in shipping containers, large bags can be a convenient way for developing countries to get items. Shipping chemicals to be used in gold mining to Africa does not lend itself to big transport. The chemicals must be packaged delivered in small bags or big bags which enables them to handle them even in the absence of a proper infrastructure (dirt roads, insufficient equipment).
Why aren’t FIBCs and big bags more popular?
The reasons why FIBCs are not widely used are either skepticism or misconceptions regarding the product. As for skepticism, many don’t believe that a 5 lbs plastic bag can safely hold 3,000 pounds. until they’re in an industry where they can see it all the time being performed. It is because many people do not know how they are used and are convinced that an extensive network is required to load or take the boxes off. Big boxes are simpler for some industries to associate with, because they know how a box works. Additionally, certain companies have substantial investment already for equipment to unload boxes, such like box tippers. Stacking can influence the decision too. Many companies stack on the floor 3 high which means boxes can be stacked three-high with little effort. However, large bags require more analysis and understanding of the product.
Why You Should Use Large Bags?
Easier to store
On average, big bags with the same amount as a large box contain around 200 bags per normal sized pallet. So, on average, 7000 bags cover the same amount of space as 500 large boxes. For businesses that are strapped in space, this can be an enormous benefit.
Simpler to acquire
For boxes that are new procurement managers need to continually procure boxes to fill need. With used boxes, which many industries use, these are not always available, which is why the need to seek out numerous suppliers (each monthly) is essential. Finding used gaylord boxes depends on the amount of manufacturing that produces the boxes to be disposed of. If the production of industrial units is down, there will be fewer boxes on the secondary market to purchase. Bags, on the other hand, may be less frequent, as the space used for one load of bags will be as big as one container truck.
Simpler to work with
A large bag weighs between 4-6 pounds on average, so one female worker can carry them without difficulty. Conversely, an octagon big box will require two people to prepare for loading and weighs between 30 and 45 pounds.
Capacity to hold more weight
A big wall of 4-5 inches holds between 1800 and 2,000 lbs. whereas a big bag can be built to hold up to 4,000lbs. in the same footprint big boxes. Thus, you’re in the same footprint but double the size.
Landscaping Supply Companies
There are a few companies that deliver mulch, rocks, stone, sand, dirt and so on. in big bags. More should utilize these bags, since they can easily transport loads of five or more components at the same time in individual bags which keeps each product separated. Also, each bag could be carried to the specific location it will be utilized. The majority of large trucks are used, which means that the materials will be mixed in the shipment, or they will have to send several trucks. In addition, they’ll dump it in one central location. After that, it will be transported using a hand or another means to where it is required.
Construction
What kind of building materials are there? Construction companies could benefit by using bags, as they could place the bag right where the material is either being used or discarded. So, they do not have to move materials around multiple times which is a great deal of work. For example the pipe fittings are concrete ties rebar, mortar, bricks or other materials. Additionally, if the materials are being removed from construction such as a renovation project, the bags could be close to rehab location to be loaded at one time, later taken to the dumpster. Bags that are large can save time.
Recycling
If you recycle plastic, metal or clothing, these bags can offer a major benefit over large boxes. If you’re shipping these materials overseas baggies can be stacked two on a shipping container . They can be made to remove any wasted space. You can also eliminate the need to purchase expensive pallets treated with heat. For boxes, you need to use pallets, so prices are more expensive.
Charitable Organizations
Charitable organisations take in many different items such as clothing, books, toys, shoes, and many others. They are required to manage all this material to either resale it to a retailer or to prepare it for shipment out to other countries. Bags can be constructed at different sizes and heights in order to accommodate diverse kinds of materials that must be handled. For example bags could be made up to 84″ tall, meaning there’s only a requirement for one bag for every two boxes that would be placed in an overseas container. The largest bags could measure 24″ tall to be placed near a table to sort it into the various bags, which means there is more room for flexibility.
As described above, there are many advantages to using big bags Therefore, some businesses or industries need to consider what they need to move to big bags. They will not be satisfied. If you’re looking for more information make contact with a big bag supplier to get more details.
