It is a challenging prospect to transport any food-grade liquid, more so when it is the wine that needs to be handled in the right conditions. To maintain the right conditions while the transportation of bulk liquids is not at all easy.
For decades, the transportation of wine especially in bulk cargoes posed a lot of challenges. Over a period of time, with several trials and errors, we have reached a stage wherein we are successfully able to deliver wine in huge quantities with minimal effort and cost. Let’s see how.
Evolution of Wine Transportation Methods
The means of delivering large quantities of wine to customers has changed over the years. In ancient times, due to capacity limitations, the wine was transported in small quantities. From clay containers, oak barrels, to glass bottles, each of the vessel used for sending out large cargoes of wine in, had their own pros and cons. Somewhere in the mid ’50s a container box was developed with the possibility of using the container as an outer packaging to the original cargo.
The development of the ISO Tank Container made possible the carriage of all types of liquids, such as food-grade, hazardous and non-hazardous liquids, including corrosives, flammable, toxics, as well as explosive. Tank Containers are proven to be safe, economical, and a viable mode of transportation as they reduce risks in the process of transferring liquids from one vessel to another.
Flexitanks showed up in the mid1970s when shippers from the United Kingdom experimented on moving liquids in heavy-duty rubberized bladders overseas. They gained more popularity among chemical shippers, for the transport of non-hazardous liquids. However, shippers were not satisfied with the fact that they had to fit the tanks into containers. As a result, Flexitank manufacturers began to offer ‘supply and fit’ service options for their customers.
One of the major reasons Flexitanks was preferred amongst shippers was because they were much lighter in weight compared to the alternative metal drums loaded into containers. In 2000, Flexitanks became a one-way, disposable market with convenient pricing for customers. The product further evolved and started being made from multiple layers of thin polyethylene.
Challenges of Bulk Transportation of Wine
Oxidization during transport is one of the challenges in the transport of wine. Exposure to excessive oxygen leads to flattening, the loss of flavor, color, and aroma. It needs to be shipped in an airtight container. Another factor that must be considered in this case is also the fluctuations in temperature, as changes in the temperature of the wine can create undesired chemical reactions. Other challenges of bulk wine shipping, is contamination and taint. Contamination is likely to occur when the residues from previous cargoes taint the wine being shipped. Besides this, there’s always the concern of container leaking. Container leakage can bring huge losses, to both the shipper and customer.
Advantages of Using Flexitank for Wine Transportation
There are various other options for bulk shipping besides Flexitanks, however, the Flexitank overcomes the classic challenges of transporting wine hands down. Flexitanks have the special benefits of being resistant to breakage due to sudden impact and are also sturdy enough not to tear or leak. Additionally, Flexitanks these days are made with polypropylene, a type of plastic that does not interact with the wine, avoiding chemical reactions.
Let’s have a look at some of the major advantages of using Flexitank for transporting wine:
Flexitank is much easier to fill up. Unlike drums, you don’t have to fill up multiple containers at once, and load them onto the truck. Not only is that procedure time consuming but it also is difficult to get done without a lot of manpower.
While a Flexitank, on the other hand, can hold so much more quantity in one go. On average, they can hold up to 24,000 liters, depending on the type you decide on. As you’re only filling up that one tank, it makes loading much easier. They require filling from the nozzle at the top once they’re already on the truck and can be easily done by only two people saving your labor cost.
Flexitanks Are FDA Approved. For transporting any kind of food-grade liquid, using the right containers for it is imperative—one that is approved for use in transporting edible liquids. Therefore, Flexitank for wine is the best option, as they’re approved by the FDA.
Flexitanks keep wine safe from cross-contamination. One of the issues with using a regular tank is that after transporting your goods, it needs to be sent back for a cleaning. However, sometimes some residues are left behind in the tank and that cross contaminates the liquid inside. That leads to losses and wastages. That’s the reason why many businesses are switching to Flexibags, as they are meant for one-time use. Once they have been filled, transported, and emptied, they cannot be reused. So, every time you would be getting a brand-new tank that has a 0% chance of cross-contamination.
Flexitanks saves you a lot of money. Flexitanks cost very little to store. They can be folded flat before they’re used, so they don’t occupy too much storage space and you would be able to fit a lot more into the space you would normally use for drums. Since they are one-time use only, they don’t need to be sent back to be cleaned and sent out again saving you precious fuel, labor, and time. As they save you the risk of contamination, it won’t lead to losses leaving you with much more profit.
Finally, Flexitanks are great as they use up all the space in the container they’re put in. With drums and smaller tanks there will be gaps in between no matter how densely you stack them. With a Flexitank though, you can fill it all up in one space and that can get a lot more on one truck. As a result, you reduce the number of trucks you send out, saving a lot of money.
Flexitanks are environment-friendly. As they increase capacity on your trucks as described above, you will be sending out lesser trucks so you’re reducing your emissions. The tanks are recyclable too. Even though they are a single-use item, that does not need to end up in the landfill. They can be recycled, thereby not contributing to more waste.
Rishi FIBC Solutions (P) Ltd is Asia’s most modern and fully integrated FIBC and Flexitank manufacturing facility, delivering products with global standards of quality. Our Flexitanks are made from FDA approved virgin polyethylene and polypropylene which are suitable for a wide range of food-grade and non-hazardous liquid cargos, including wines.
Our Flexitank brings you all kinds of benefits when it comes to transporting wine. Right from avoiding cross-contamination, easier loading to getting a lot more wine into each container, we ensure that you get the best of all. We offer Flexitanks with capacity ranging from 16 KL to 24 KL with an option to customize Flexitanks as per the requirement of customers. Please get in touch with our team to know more.
