How To Ship Bulk Bags On A Cargo Container

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1 Case studies

2 FirmaLoad carriers reduce shipping costs FirmaLoad carriers cut container costs in half for leading producer of powdered lactose. A West Coast company that produces more than 500,000 pounds of whey protein and lactose powder each day for shipment around the globe was wasting money every time a cargo container went out. Bulk bags filled with powdered lactose could not be stacked on top of each other, because the height of the wood pallets on which they shipped made a double stack too tall for the height of the container. Much to the dismay of the CFO, every 40-foot cargo container shipped half full. When the company filled bulk bags to the level dictated by specifications in their customer s facility, the bags were too tall to stack two-high in a shipping container using conventional pallets. Under-filling the bags, of course, was not an option. The company wanted a more sustainable solution that would allow them to double-stack the bags, filling the container space more efficiently and saving shipping costs and fuel. By eliminating wood pallets the company now ships an entire load with product double-stacked in a 20-foot cargo container, saving $1,500 per load. Even though the lactose producer was initially concerned with rackability, FirmaLoad carriers proved to be tailor-made to address the shipping challenge. The rackability issue was easily solved by using a slave pallet on the rack. With 500 shipments a month, the company is gaining total annual savings of $340,000. Compared to incoming wood pallets, FirmaLoad carriers save space in storage and trailer shipments. Pallet users ordinarily receive 540 wood pallets per trailer. The same trailer can hold more than 1,200 FirmaLoad bulk bag carriers so the freight cost and time required to unload incoming shipments is reduced by more than half. FirmaLoad also achieved some unexpected advantages for the company s customers, The company can now ship an entire product load of bulk bags doublestacked in a 20-foot cargo container. FirmaLoad carriers enabled a forklift to primarily related to ease of handling. Since move two bags at a time instead of one, time and labor needed to unload a container at the customer s facility was cut in half. 2

3 FirmaLoad carriers improve food safety Breading manufacturer keeps major customer by innovating with FirmaLoad carriers. A large U.S. producer of customized food coatings uses a network of R&D, manufacturing and service facilities around the globe to serve the needs of customers in dozens of countries. For one of those customers, use of wood pallets to transport bulk bags filled with coatings and breading was no longer an acceptable practice. The customer stated that wood pallets caused problems with food safety, cleanliness, product losses and international issues with pest infestation. Facing the loss of a major customer, the food coatings company had to find a new solution for shipping bulk bags that didn t depend on wood pallets. FirmaLoad carriers offered the ideal option a greener, cleaner freight-smart solution without wood pallet drawbacks like protruding nail heads and wood splinters that can tear bags, waste product, necessitate clean-up and pose liability issues. FirmaLoad carrier designs would allow bulk bags of food coatings to stack tall and straight, making them safer, more stable and highly space efficient, as well as lighter and easier to load and the carriers are ISPM 15 exempt. The only barrier to implementing use of FirmaLoad carriers made from sustainable and recyclable recovered paper was that the customer was accustomed to hosing down its production facilities to reduce airborne powdered materials that coatings leave behind, such as flour, salt and other ingredients. In the facility rooms where widespread water spraying made floors excessively wet, slave pallets were used to maintain the integrity of FirmaLoad carriers. FirmaLoad sustainable pallets continue to eliminate the bag punctures, tears and splinters and other food safety issues wood pallets can cause, delighting the customer with reduced product waste, as well as cleaner, safer shipping of critical food ingredients. FirmaLoad sustainable pallets eliminate the bag punctures, tears, splinters, infestation and other food safety issues that wood pallets can cause. 3

4 FirmaLoad carriers enhance product handling Kaolin clay company chooses FirmaLoad carriers for cost and safety advantages. Frequent handling needed for transport and storage is such an integral part of the kaolin clay production process that it can dramatically affect efficiency, quality and profit margins especially since the industry has long used conventional wood pallets to transport bulk bags. Kaolin goes into the production of coated paper, paint, medicine, toothpaste and many other product additives. It s no secret that wood pallets are heavy and often difficult for workers to handle, increasing the likelihood of on-the-job injuries. Safety also becomes an issue when bulk bag contents shift out of position on wood pallets, increasing the likelihood that a stack of bags filled with powdered clay will tilt or fall. As our kaolin clay producing customer discovered, FirmaLoad bulk bag carriers work to effectively remove all those issues and more. These innovative carriers weigh 82 percent less than wood pallets, so they re much easier to lift and carry. They re also engineered to help the contents stack straight and provide stability. When the flexible bag settles on top of the raised fork-tine entry channels, it is far less likely to slide out of position. This stable design has made our kaolin clay producer more comfortable about stacking bags higher for storage and transport. Switching to FirmaLoad carriers also saved forklift drivers time and effort. The customer found that using FirmaLoad carriers was the best solution for bags of FirmaLoad carriers are designed to stand powdered clay. They made it easy to load and unload taller, stack straighter, and keep bulk bags stacks in the truck and just as simple for their customers more stable when moved and stored. to remove and deliver individual bags at each production line. It was no longer necessary to get off the forklift or employ an assistant to put the top bag s loops over the forks. Because the company s product is exported, the switch to ISPM 15-exempt FirmaLoad carriers also eliminated the expense of heat- or chemically-treated wood pallets. 4

5 Firma brand carriers and pallet components are engineered to address problems of traditional pallets. Made from a variety of sustainable materials such as recovered paper, recycled plastics and compressed wood, the Firma product line includes patented and patentpending designs developed by Sonoco s packaging design engineers. Driven by Sonoco s commitment to sustainability, product development teams sought environmentally responsible materials and production methods for the Firma brand carriers and pallet components. Firma carriers address the total supply chain from careful selection of recycled raw materials, to packaging weight, to how using the carriers will impact people and environments. They are 100 percent recyclable, so they don t become solid waste landfill contributors like many traditional pallets. Space and transit cost savings deliver additional advantages over traditional pallets, and Firma carriers are exempt from ISPM 15, a global export regulation controlling the spread of pests and disease. Learn more about FirmaLoad bulk bag carriers by using the value calculation tool and other resources available at sonocotranspack.com Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a $3.6 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with about 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI), a global composite index that recognizes leading global companies in terms of economic performance, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. For more information, visit sonoco.com Sonoco Sonoco, FirmaLoad, FirmaCore, FirmaDeck, FirmaGuard and FirmaMax are registered trademarks. sonocotranspack.com 888/ STP10116/PDF1010 5