34
BIG IN BRAZIL RECONDITIONING • THE WORLD OF INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING IS NO STRANGER TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY CONCEPT. SCHÜTZ VASITEX IS EXPANDING ITS CAPABILITIES IN BRAZIL
drums and canisters at the Schütz Vasitex headquarters, located some 3 km away. “The investment in this comprehensive plant expansion in Brazil is in line with our strategy of responding to the current requirements of customers from a wide range of industries around the world,” says Schütz. “Schütz Vasitex offers the right packaging solution for every application. The company supplies the markets with its comprehensive product portfolio of IBCs, drums and a wide range of different types of canisters. “As an added bonus: Schütz Ticket Service unites the advantages of a manufacturer-led, environmentally friendly collection system for empty containers and their subsequent processing in state-of-the-art facilities.”
EXTENSIVE INVESTMENT OVER recent months has doubled reconditioning capacity at Schütz Vasitex, the Brazilian wing of industrial packaging giant Schütz, based in BonsucessoGuarulhos near São Paulo. The work not only involved the expansion of the site itself but also optimisation of internal logistics, the production of high-quality HDPE recyclate from used inner bottles of composite intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), reprocessing of steel cages and base plates of IBCs and the loading of reconditioned containers. All this is helped by the Schütz Ticket Service, which ensures the return of used IBCs. In addition, a new automated three-layer blow-moulding machine is used to produce new inner bottles, which are fitted into
Schütz notes that the site, which is certified according to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, is also the only facility in Brazil so far to be authorised by the country’s environmental authorities to recycle unrinsed, contaminated agrochemical packaging. Another part of its operations is to produce F1 RECO tight-head drums, manufactured from 100 per cent recycled materials. This too has been recognised by the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Standardisation and Industrial Quality as complying with national regulations and safety standards. THE RIGHT PACKAGING The investment allows Schütz Vasitex to
DOUBLE WALLS Schütz has also been working on improving the safety of its IBCs used in the food supply chain, adding an integrated liner that ensures maximum purity; this is also suitable for industrial users who have particular cleanliness and hygiene requirements. The new ‘Dualprotect’ system is used in
reconditioned cages and returned to the market as Recobulk IBCs.
pool its most important reconditioning and recycling activities, expand its capacities for sustainable packaging and increase flexibility and supply security for its customers in one of South America’s most important industrial regions. The reconditioning plant also complements production of new IBCs, plastics
the Ecobulk IBC to complement the Foodcert and Cleancert labels. Liners are pre-installed at the factory and IBCs are UN-approved for use with dangerous goods. The liner is welded to the container’s outlet valve and consists of a high-quality LDPE film that includes an ethylene vinyl
SCHÜTZ IS INVESTING HEAVILY IN NEW RECONDITIONING FACILITIES AROUND THE WORLD
HCB MONTHLY | JANUARY 2021
