Displaying items by tag: Bags

UK: Mannok has commissioned a Euro2.1m bagging system supplied by Germany-based Haver & Boecker. The order included a Roto-Packer Adams 10 spout bag filling system and a new automatic film reel changer, designed to run at 1200 bags/hr. Installation took place in the second quarter of 2021 and the new bagging unit is now in production. The upgrade now gives Mannok the capacity to pack around 50t/hr of cement in weatherproof bags.

Chief executive officer Liam McCaffrey said, “This is a major investment in our Cement operations which completes the second phase of our investment in our weatherproof bagging line, upgrading it from a single to a double bagging line with a significant increase in output capacity. Our initial investment to bring our weatherproof polyethylene bags to the market was in response to demand from Great Britain-based merchants and we later introduced the bags to the Irish market, where the response was equally positive.”

The cement producer operates an integrated plant at Derrylin, Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. It previously installed a weatherproof bagging line in 2018 that allows it to extend its range of bagged cements.

Germany/Sweden: Sweden-based BillerudKorsnäs and Germany-based Haver & Boecker have decided to continue jointly developing further standards for sack packaging following positive feedback in 2020. The sack packaging norms include recommendations for the development and use of packaging solutions and processes and define basic standard know-how or standard procedures. They are intended to provide orientation for regular questions that manufacturers of bulk materials face.

"Together BillerudKorsnäs and Haver & Boecker now offer a set of recommendations to minimise problems and maximise performance in the packaging chain. If manufacturers and users of paper sack packaging follow the recommendations and guidelines and implement usage of these norms in their supply chain, efficient and effective packaging production, filling, handling, storage and transport of the end products will be ensured," says Mikael Peterson, Technical Service Director at BillerudKorsnäs.

BillerudKorsnäs has contributed experience in packaging paper production as well as analytical tests, design and developments at the BillerudKorsnäs Packaging Development Centre. Haver & Boecker has contributed its experience in filling technology and handling of powdered bulk materials.

Vietnam: Siam City Cement subsidiary Insee Vietnam has ordered an Autopac 3000 truck loading system from Germany-based Beumer. The supplier said that the fully automated system palletises and loads cement at a rate of 3000 bags/hr.

Chief executive officer Philippe Richart said, “As we are continually implementing a fully automated dispatch process in Insee Vietnam, we will continue to look to invest in new technologies that Beumer are providing in this area.”

Pakistan: House of Habib subsidiary Thal Limited has invested US$11.0m to establish a polypropylene woven bag plant in Hub, Balochistan. Germany-based Windmoller & Holscher will supply the plant. The Business Recorder newspaper has reported that it will have a capacity of 90m bags/yr.

Chief executive officer Syed Umair Ahmed said "Thal Limited also has a paper production capacity of 250m bags/yr and with a polypropylene woven bag production capacity of 90m bags/yr we will be able to cater to not only the local market but also grow our export business."

Colombia: Grupo Argos subsidiary Cementos Argos has recycled a total of 7m cement bags since 2013 under its Green Bags recycling initiative. The El Nuevo Siglo newspaper has reported that the recycled bags contained 1000t of paper. In water savings alone, the figure corresponds to 80,200m3 - enough water to supply 472,000 people for a day. 159 commercial customers have so far contributed their used bags. In the Medellín metropolitan area, the programme achieved a bag return rate of 95%.The group overcame coronavirus pandemic-related challenges to recycle 15,900 bags in 2020.

China: Starlinger says that its Ad*Star bag has received designation as one of three types of national standard cement bag type specifications by the Chinese government. The supplier developed the block bottom valve bags made of woven polypropylene tape fabric in 1995. Global production was 15.7bn in 2020.

The new Chinese standard for cement packaging was released in October 2020. It applies to cement bags holding up to 50kg and lists laminated woven plastic bags (made of one layer of laminated plastic fabric or with additional paper liner), paper bags (three-layer, three-layer with PE liner, four-layer bags), as well as paper-plastic composite bags (paper bags with plastic liner) as possible packaging options. All three types of bags must be designed as block bottom valve bags.

The standard specifies the dimensions as well as physical and mechanical requirements of the cement bags. Regarding break resistance, for example, a cement bag has to survive a drop from 1m height a minimum of six times before it breaks. Furthermore, printing and marking, general bag appearance, testing methods, and rules for quality inspection during bag manufacture are established in the standard. It also stipulates that each bag must be provided with a certificate before selling.

Local cement companies have been given a transition period until 31 March 2022 to adapt to the new standard. Starlinger expects to deliver and install machines for an additional production capacity of more than 2 billion Ad*Star bags on the Chinese market in 2021 and 2022.

Liberia: The FrontPageAfrica newspaper has alleged that CEMENCO (Liberia Cement Corporation) has been using imported Lion Pro cement bags from Sierra Leone displaying the grade ‘42R’ for cements with a grade of 32.5R. The newspaper reported that the Liberian government certified the cements in question 32R. No comment from the cement producer has been published. CEMENCO, a subsidiary of Germany-based HeidelbergCement operates a grinding plant in the country.

Colombia: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim Colombia has launched Eco, a cement bag label detailing products’ CO₂ emissions reduction by comparison to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), on its Boyacá Súper Fuerte and Holcim Maestro cements. The La República newspaper has reported that the labels signal the company’s commitment to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C anti-climate change initiative.

Executive president Marco Maccarelli said that the launch is one more step on company’s path towards Net Zero and sustainable construction, engaging the entire value chain.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos is testing using dissolvable cement bags in a pilot project with paper and bag manufacturer Klabin. Following development, the new bag type will be tested in a pilot project in the south of the country based around the Rio Branco do Sul cement plant in Paraná state. The bags can be dissolved directly in a mixer when making concrete to speed up the process.

Germany: Beumer Group has published a technical report detailing changes to its operations due to the on-going Covid-19 outbreak. The group says that cement producers in some markets have changed to 50kg to 25kg bags. It also reported an increased rate of digitisation, less personal interaction with customers and an increased reliance on alternative fuels.

Cement head of sales Kay Wieczorek said, "Over past months, Covid-19 has forced us to cope with some changes. This will probably bother us even more in the colder months." He added, "Even if the Covid-19 figures are currently in progress, I am sure that BEUMER Group will come through this crisis pretty well; we just have to be well-prepared for it."