Does your FIBC fit your filling process?

When an FIBC is positioned underneath a filling station, product, packaging and filling equipment come together. Once that combination works, there may seem little reason to question it. But a change in product, filling weight, equipment or logistics can alter what is required from the FIBC.

In practice, the reason to review an FIBC is often not the bag itself. Something around it has changed. This is why we start with the process in which the FIBC is used. How is the product filled? How does the bag connect to the equipment? What happens as it fills? And how is it handled, stored and transported afterwards?

Looking at these stages together helps us understand whether the current specification still matches the way the FIBC is actually being used. The complete application needs to keep working.

A different product can change what you need from an FIBC

Consider a company that wants to use an existing filling line and FIBC for another product. The target filling weight may remain 1,000 kg, but that does not necessarily mean the same FIBC specification will work in the same way. Bulk density directly affects the volume required. A product with a lower bulk density needs more volume to reach the same filling weight, while a denser product requires less. Flow behaviour and the way the product settles during filling can also influence the shape and dimensions of the filled bag.

This is where filling weight alone is not enough. Together with the customer, we can look at the product characteristics, current FIBC dimensions and filling process to assess whether the existing specification still fits the application. Production experience can be particularly valuable here, because the people working with the filling line see how the FIBC behaves in practice.

What happens when the filling equipment changes?

The filling spout is the physical connection between the FIBC and the filling station. Its diameter and length need to match the equipment and the way operators attach, fill and remove the bag. When filling equipment changes, the existing FIBC may still work, but it makes sense to check whether the specification still matches the new setup.

The same applies when the FIBC itself is changed. Different dimensions or a change to the filling construction may look like an adjustment to the packaging, but can also affect the production process. Looking at the equipment and packaging together helps identify these effects before a new specification is introduced.

This is also why a packaging discussion can involve more than purchasing. Production knows what happens during filling, while logistics sees how the filled FIBC performs once it leaves the line. Both perspectives can matter when deciding whether a change is an improvement.

Why review an FIBC that already works?

Products and processes develop over time. Filling equipment is replaced, filling weights change, logistics are reorganised and companies set new objectives for material use and recyclability or cost. The FIBC may not have changed at all, while the process around it has. That does not mean the packaging needs to change. In some cases, reviewing the product, filling process and logistics simply confirms that the existing specification is still the right choice. In others, there may be a reason to adjust dimensions, construction or another part of the specification.

For us, the starting point is what the customer wants to achieve and what is happening in the current application. From there, we can look at the FIBC in the context of the product, filling equipment, handling and logistics and assess the available options.

An FIBC is one part of a larger industrial process. The question is not only whether it can hold the required amount of product, but whether it still fits the process in which it is being used.

Does your current FIBC still fit your process?

Our packaging specialists can review your current FIBC specification together with your product, filling process, handling and logistics requirements.