Commodities like cement, grains, and liquids are expected to use flexi bags for movement through containers ahead
Containerization in India is growing faster than growth in other cargo. It will provide secular growth ahead, with higher permeation of bulk and liquid cargo, which is case globally. We recently visited Comsyn’s manufacturing facility in Indore and Lancer Container Lines in Mumbai to understand the role of containers in storage, transportation, and handling of bulk and liquid cargo. Comsyn is a leading FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers) bags manufacturer, offering cost-effective container solutions used for bulk packaging. The flexi bags are fabricated from FDA-approved virgin polyethylene and polypropylene, which are suitable for a wide range of food grate and non-hazardous liquid and bulk cargo.
In India, most bulk material is moved in loose form; liquid is transported through tankers. The container bags are designed to transport large quantities of bulk materials in standard ISO containers (20 ft.) The flexible storage bags go inside the container, bulk or liquid materials are then pumped inside these bags for loading. This normally takes 20-40 minutes. One container can carry 14,000 to 24,000 litres of liquid and are suitable for petroleum oil, edible oil, latex, and chemicals industries. After loading, the container can be moved by road, railway or sea to any point worldwide. The material is unloaded at the destination via pumps. These flexi bags cost significantly lower than transporting liquid cargo through metal tanks (iso-tanks), which need to be cleaned before use. Flexi bags are light weight and disposable. In the same 20 ft. container, a flexible bag can load 30-40% more cargo than via conventional liquid logistics.
Standardization is important to reduce unit cost of transportation in global supply chains, and containers are a preferred transport mode due to international standard sizes. The cargo in containers is also safe; containers are handled, not the cargo. Containers also act as temporary warehousing space.
Globally, there are limits on manual labour in terms of weight lifted – up to 20kg – and manual transportation (up to 55kg). In India, manual labour is used for lifting and handling cargo parcels of up to 100kg and more. After GST, cargo movement will move to multimodal larger logistics parks with handling equipment compared to current movement through small parcels and godowns. With increasing labour cost and health norms, the logistics industry needs to find sustainable solutions – with standardization in parcel sizes. Container rail operators like Concor are already working with bulk manufacturers and IFCI to provide supply-chain solutions through containers.
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