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Special Solutions for the Chemical Industry: Schütz Demonstrates Industry Expertise at Expoquimia
IBCs and drums for an array of applications
Selters / Barcelona. The Spanish subsidiary of Schütz GmbH & Co. KGaA, Selters, Germany focuses strongly on the chemical industry at Expoquimia, the international trade fair taking place from 20 to 24 October 2008 in Barcelona (Hall 3, Stand B314). At the fair, one of the largest platforms for the chemical industry in the Mediterranean region, Schütz Spain is exhibiting a wide selection of the intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) as well as plastic and steel drums produced by the company’s Industrial Packaging Division to meet the needs of the trade public.
Aspects such as explosion protection and permeation behaviour of special packaging play a key role. Schütz has taken some pretty innovative steps forward in the past few years and opened up new perspectives for its packaging solutions. A main development here has been the invention of Security Layer Technology, an extrusion process during which up to six dif-ferent functional materials can be simultaneously plasticized.
Focusing on permeation, light and UV protection
This particular new technology has, for example, made it possible to pro-duce IBCs and plastic drums with properties equal on all counts to those of the conventional steel alternatives. This applies especially to requirements for transport and storage in ex zones and with regard to permeation, light and UV protection. The Schütz products are therefore potentially suitable for a wide variety of applications – and for a broad spectrum of industries, from chemical to food.
The Ecobulk MX-EX produced by means of Security Layer Technology fea-tures an array of special technical features. The MX-EX IBC is, for in-stance, equipped with an antistatic, translucent inner bottle as well as an optional white, UV-screen layer. It can also, however, be supplied to speci-fication with a conductive, black inner bottle. The necessary earthing of valves is done individually – depending on the type of valve. The contain-ers are therefore suitable for the transport of filling goods with a flash point lower than 60° Celsius.
Filling products are given optimal protection
In the six-layer MX-EX-EV model, the IBC offers the added advantage of an EVOH oxygen and permeation barrier in addition to the standard fea-tures of the basic version. It reliably prevents the penetration and leakage of oxygen, carbon dioxide and gases as well as and especially of solvents through the container walls. This ensures lasting protection for sensitive filling goods. With permeation of O2, CO2 and N2 reduced practically to zero, the shelf life of the filling products is considerably prolonged.
The MX-EV FDA Schütz is exhibiting at Expoquimia is an IBC that features the same excellent properties, but additionally satisfies the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the transport of foodstuffs.
Basic IBC with plastic composite pallet
The new LX 3 IBC, which stands for the basic Schütz Ecobulk IBC with a plastic composite pallet, also attracted particular visitor interest in Barce-lona. The amount of timber used in the four-way pallet has been reduced to a minimum for environmental reasons and for improved handling. It has been thermally treated in line with FAO/IPPC guidelines, to satisfy trans-port regulations for overseas goods traffic. The pallet has three plastic runners plus corner feet made of plastic that guarantee greater stability and as a result greater safety during transportation, storage and move-ment on transport conveyor belts. Due to the smaller proportion of timber, tare weights differ less between different moisture levels compared with the conventional wooden pallet. Schütz Spain is one of the first Schütz branches to produce this type of IBC and to sell it on its regional markets.
Quantum leap in drums, too
Schütz has also made a quantum leap in the PE drum segment. The IBC is no longer the only viable packaging alternative to steel drums. In fact, the new F1-EX conductive tight-head drum now makes it possible to re-duce expense and effort on smaller filling volumes. Thanks to multi-layer extrusion, the drum can have an outer layer of conductive material (black), while a contact strip serves to earth the filling goods. The drum has passed the requisite electrostatic safety test to qualify for use in ex zones 1 and 2. The F1 tight-head drum is generally an outstanding per-former, featuring exceptional cold-temperature impact strength, improved stacking-pressure resistance and tremendous resistance to stress crack-ing.
What’s more, Schütz Spain has an array of open-head PE drums from the tried and tested SDS1 range plus steel drum models on display at Expoquimia – as well as the open-head and tight-head drum models.
All in all, at Expoquima Schütz underscores its position on the interna-tional market as a producer of transport packaging as well as a solution-oriented partner for the packaging, storage and transport needs of cus-tomers in the chemical industry. This applies not only in terms of products, but above all of a highly diversified service offering, first and foremost the Schütz Ticket Service, a retrieval and reconditioning system for used in-dustrial packaging.
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