Rigid IBC's for Hazardous Chemicals
10 October 2004
Francis Ward has had fifty years of history working closing with the hazardous goods market. Through pioneering rotationally moulded plastics technology, Francis Ward developed free-standing plastic drums that are now the industry standard. It was therefore a natural move for Francis Ward to expand its hazardous container range, when it purchased IBC manufacture Bison IBC Systems Ltd last year.
Managing Director Jonathan Wurr believes the acquisition has enlarged the company’s standing in the UK hazardous market and opened up new markets for existing products.
Out of the standard 21 different IBC’s Francis Ward manufacture and supply, 11, are compliant with UN Group II. It is this strong product range and market knowledge that allowed for strong growth the year before.
Francis Ward has not sat back on this success! In light of a number of serious work accidents related to attaching an air hose to the top of a pressurised discharge container, Francis Ward reacted to chemical industry concerns and developed the patented ‘Safety Air Feed’. Now the air hose can be coupled to the container at chest height, preventing the need to work on top of the container. The patented ‘Safety Air Feed’ improves the health and safety regulations for working at heights, but also speeds up the process of delivering chemicals. The patented ‘Safety Air Feed’ has also been designed so that it can be retrofitted to existing IBC’s in service.
Continuing with the theme of health and safety, Francis Ward is fully aware the risk static electric charge presents to some chemicals. That is why Francis Ward offers static-conductive IBC’s. For plastic bottle IBC’s, Tecrothene is used in the rotational moulding process. This powder contains carbon, which absorbs and prevents the build of static charge. For metal bottle IBC, they are mounted on to rubber bungs in the cage and a conductive metal strip added which is earthed.
Francis Ward has seen an increase in the demand for re-usable IBC’s in the hazardous chemical industry. Jonathan Wurr believes that demand for more environmentally friendly packaging is as a direct result of the removal of the UK derogation on hazardous packing waste at the start of 2004. Now within the industry all hazardous packaging is obligated to comply with this new change. Packer fillers can now see the increased advantage of buying or renting reusable packaging which is obligated only on its first trip. Wurr believes that it is this that is causing the increase in multi-trip IBC’s and slowly tacking demand away from one trip/limited life IBC’s.
