Transports of delight

An estimated 45 bn litres of filled goods are transported in intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) worldwide each year, amounting in value terms to approximately €160 bn p.a. Bulk liquids commonly handled include liquid food, hazardous goods and pharmaceutical fluids. Handling pharmaceuticals is complex and requires specialised shipping methods to ensure it is safe, hygienic and complies with national legislation and trading standards.

The priority in this type of shipping is to protect the goods from the outside environment. The end product must be uncontaminated and safe to use or consume. Most pharmaceutical products require a basic form of hygiene in transit and storage. Until recently, common methods included pails, stainless steel drums, stainless steel IBCs, road and rail tankers, pipelines and sea freight containers that are used for bulk deliveries.

However, each of these delivery methods have their associated problems: Metal containers can be susceptible to rust and corrosion, which can cause contamination; reusable stainless steel IBCs need to be sanitised after each use, but can they be cleaned well enough to ensure they are completely sterile time after time?

Containers of this sort can also be expensive to purchase, maintain and clean. Metal is heavy, hard to handle and can have dangerously sharp edges.

In logistics, the return of empty containers is a key issue. Traditional containers have the same shipping volume whether empty or full. Ideally an empty container would collapse or fold to reduce the shipping volume when being returned, saving transport and fuel costs.

Some pharmaceutical goods have to be moved about and stored on pallets. Traditionally, these have been made of wood, but wooden pallets are hard to sanitise. It is a time consuming, expensive process. They make a perfect breeding ground for pests and where the wood sections come together, bug traps are formed. In addition, recent legislation in the form of ISPM15 means they have to undergo sanitation processes before they are shipped abroad.

The demands placed on transit containers are high. Pharmaceutical products can be very valuable and there is no leeway for wastage. So leaky containers, prone to contamination are unacceptable. Goods can often be subject to handling rigours during loading, unloading and transportation - so robustness and reliability is essential to protect the goods and maintain hygiene in transit. As well as these practical issues, increased competition among logistic providers has led to growing cost efficiency pressures, forcing providers to simplify their logistic operations where possible.

Plastics

Recent years have seen enormous developments in the plastics sector and this in turn has led to a new breed of IBC container and pallet that is safer, more hygienic and more cost-effective. Plastic offers many advantages over traditional materials. It is immune to moisture, fat, acids, solvents and chemicals and is easy to clean using steam or pressure washing. Plastic is light, yet strong and durable. It also benefits from being easy to handle and is recyclable.

Plastic IBCs feature rounded corners and edges, making them far easier to clean. Some also have bases that allow four-way forklift truck access. This makes them easy to manoeuvre round a warehouse or depot. Plastic pallets harbour fewer bugs and no pests compared with wooden ones, making them the more hygienic choice. Because of this, they are exempt from ISPM15 laws and are thus more economic. Such considerations have made shipping pharmaceuticals in plastic packaging a realistic option.

Some pharmaceuticals are very susceptible to contamination and require aseptic handling. When transporting goods aseptically, it is essential that air-tight, germ free sanitation is maintained and plastic IBCs have been designed specifically for aseptic transport. They benefit from the same advantages as normal plastic containers but offer a greater level of hygiene.

The plastic aseptic IBC concept is based on large foldable containers with flexible inner liner bags. They also incorporate an integral aseptic filling and discharge valve, which means that fluids can easily be transferred to and from the container. During filling and discharging, the valve is connected to the plant’s feeding or discharge line. Both the liner and valve are gamma irradiated to ensure they are sterile and the fluid product remains free of harmful bacteria when being packaged. The valve can also be steam sterilised before being opened to avoid any further risk of contamination.

Designed with an inner liner bag, plastic aseptic IBCs come in capacities ranging from 100 -1000 litres and require little maintenance. Integrated hoses allow them to be easily plugged in to a production line, which means the whole filling and discharging process can be automated for optimum efficiency.

Some applications are so specific, they require bespoke products but plastics’ low production costs make this is easily achievable. In 2006, a major sterile liquid provider required a strong, light aseptic IBC for one of its biopharmaceutical customers. The IBC needed to be able to accommodate the provider’s own disposable liner bags and to have a bottom drain discharge facility. It also had to be capable of withstanding the rough treatment of road transport.

To achieve these specific requirements, the company worked with Schoeller Arca Systems, a major plastic packaging corporation. Engineers from both sides jointly created a modified version of the 1000 litre plastic Combo, a popular Schoeller Arca Systems aseptic container. Combo is foldable and stackable, saving up to 60% space on return journeys, cutting transport costs. The end result of the collaboration was a cost-effective option for biopharmaceutical customers that had previously used stainless steel drum containers. The provider was supplied with 200 of the adapted units.

With increasing demand for better hygiene and lower costs, plastic is a force to be reckoned with in the transit industry. The market share of plastic IBC containers and pallets is steadily rising, as companies discover the advantages and benefits of these products.