Innovation in the FIBC Industry

The FIBC industry is continually evolving in response to the changing requirements of end users. As the industry evolves, so do the products offered by vendors. At National Bulk Bag, we are continually excited by the new and refined products entering the market. Many of these product innovations offer promising benefits for specific industries and use cases.

However, one of the most surprising and welcome trends is where the innovation is coming from in the industry: overseas suppliers. Over the years National Bulk Bag has cultivated a chain of overseas suppliers by vetting them, visiting their facilities, and continually seeking innovators. These suppliers have enabled us to offer new and exciting products to end users around the country.

Local Distributors, Overseas Suppliers

As the industry has continued to expand, so have the industries and applications that use bulk bags in their everyday operations. The increase in applications and users has led to a corresponding increase in demand for quality overseas suppliers (as overseas suppliers are the dominant players in bag manufacturing – check out this article: https://blog.nationalbulkbag.com/fibc-bulk-bags/5-things-quality-distributors-do-to-vet-their-overseas-suppliers-manufacturers). However, not all US-based distributors properly vet their overseas suppliers often leading to a significant product quality difference from distributor to distributor.

One of the largest indicators of the quality of an individual manufacturer is their facilities. Are the bags your distributor is selling coming from modern facilities? Are they being kept up to date? Are they following ethical and safe practices? Because the distributors and local and suppliers are overseas, it’s more important than ever that your distributor vets their suppliers.

Another major indicator of a quality that we’ve observed and is the subject of this blog is innovation. Quality suppliers are constantly innovating. How are they doing this? What evidence is there of this innovation? Let’s explore.

Innovation In the Industry

At National Bulk Bag, we’ve seen our quality vetted overseas distributors start to drive innovation on their own. No longer are new bag types tailored to specific applications being completely driven by the custom bag demands alone. Innovation in the industry is now being led largely by these overseas suppliers making key advancements to increase the applications where these bags can be effective.

Let’s take a look at some examples of specific bags offered by our suppliers:

1. Food and Pharmaceutical Grade Bags
   • Overseas suppliers developed new facilities and processes to manufacture FIBCs with 100% virgin resins ensuring an extremely low amount of contaminates make their way into the bag during manufacturing. The result is bags that can be used not only in the food industry for human consumption, but in pharmaceutical applications as well. For more information on this, check out this article: https://blog.nationalbulkbag.com/pharmaceutical-fibc-bulk-bags/dangerous-chemicals-pharmaceuticals-fibcs
2. Flame Retardant Bags
   • Developed by an overseas supplier, these bags have specific chemicals mixed into the resin during manufacturing that give the bulk bags flame-retardant properties. There are even options to get halogenated bags with even more advanced flame-resistant properties. For more information on these bags, check out these articles: What Are Flame Retardant Bulk Bags? And What is Halogenation? What does it have to do with FIBCs?
3. Tamper Proof and Security Bags
   • Another innovation, these bags have specific security features that alert the end user if the bag contents have been tampered with, notably during storage and/or transportation. For more information on these bags, check out this article: https://blog.nationalbulkbag.com/bulk-bag-construction/how-to-know-when-a-bulk-bag-has-been-tampered-with
4. UV Resistant Bags
   • Very handy for outdoor use, UV resistant bags have specialized polymers added to the bag’s resin during manufacturer that make them particularly resistant to the harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. This makes them ideal for outdoor use and gives them extended life outdoors. For more information on these bags, check out this article: https://blog.nationalbulkbag.com/bulk-bag-construction/what-is-uv-stabilization-how-does-it-impact-fibc-bulk-bags

As Always, Talk to Your Local Distributor

As you read this article, did you know about these various innovations in the industry? If not, it may be a good time to talk to your local distributor. Are they vetting their overseas suppliers for the discussed criteria? Bulk bags are an extremely flexible product that can be used for many applications, however, not all bags are created equally. It’s more important than ever to make sure your local distributor is doing their due diligence.