Industrial packaging products and services provider Greif has invested in another blow molding machine to boost its in-house intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) production capacity at its facility in Ede, the Netherlands.
Image: A Grief's food grade IBC. Photo: courtesy of Greif.
The new blow molder machine, which has been located in a cleanroom environment, operates with food safe hydraulic oil, active carbon filtered air and bacteria free cooling water.
The firm will use the machine, which was purchased from an undisclosed firm, to meet the growing demand for food grade IBCs. The machine is expected to boost Greif’s Ede facility output capacity to twofold to reach over 1,500 per day.
Greif EMEA IBC and plastic product manager Luca Bettoni said: “Demand for IBCs continues to grow in the food sector where product integrity and shelf life storage are becoming increasingly important.
“This additional investment boosts our in-house capacity and offers customers the reassurance of product protection against contamination.
“Furthermore, the Ede facility recently achieved the FSSC 22000 certification for food safety, clearly demonstrating our commitment to providing the best level of service and quality of product to our customers.”
Opened in 2018, the Greif’s Netherlands facility comprises a warehouse and production plant with two IBC lines. It is spread over an area of 90,000m² in total.
The facility’s clean room blow molding capabilities comply with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and ISO 22000-4 standards, the firm said.
Commenting on the new facility, Bettoni earlier said: “Located in the heart of the Netherlands with excellent transport links means we are ideally placed to serve customers in the Benelux region, and allows us to offer them our full portfolio of GCUBE IBC solutions.”
Greif plans to make investments in new facilities across EMEA over the next few years, including Russia in 2019.
Greif operates nine IBC facilities located across EMEA as well as 13 across the world.
Greif’s product categories comprises steel, plastic, fiber, flexible, corrugated, and reconditioned containers, intermediate bulk containers, containerboard and packaging accessories.
It also provides filling, packaging and industrial packaging reconditioning services for a wide range of industries.