Schoeller Arca Systems

Packaging & logistics

The dominant packaging method today for filling, preserving and storing fruit and vegetable juices, concentrates, purees, medicine and creams is the Bag-in-Box system, developed during the 1970s.  A sterile, disposable liner bag (usually made from PE film with an oxygen barrier) holds the liquid product.  The bag is placed in an outer, rigid packaging solution – the storage box, made from plastic, wood, cardboard, aluminium or steel.

The complete packaging system (a liner bag plus outer storage box) is filled, transported to its destination, and then emptied.  After emptying the liner is removed and the container folded for return transport.  The liner bag is discarded whilst the storage box, if made from plastic, can be reused.

Asceptic liners are specially manufactured from materials to provide protection against oxygen, water and odour, and can be supplied to suit all types of collapsible IBCs.  Used with an IBC storage box, the plastic liner dramatically reduces packaging costs compared to traditional alternatives. It also simplifies handling throughout the logistics process and provides safe and hygienic storage and transportation of liquids.  Standard and bespoke versions are available.

Over the years, as the bag-in-box system has developed and matured, the focus has shifted from the bag itself to the outer packaging.  During the late nineties, issues like user-friendliness, ergonomics, safety, hygiene and cost-efficiency gained importance, leading to a demand for improvement in the plastic storage box.

The COMBO, a storage box made from 100% plastic, is the result of a €7 million development project. The aim was to create a system that considerably reduces costs per trip compared to conventional systems.  Every stage of the handling chain was analysed to find a simpler solution for filling, emptying, storage, transport and cleaning.

The project was designed and refined in cooperation with international food and beverage companies, which handle large volumes of liquids. So the COMBO was born: a new handling system for liquids that fulfils requirements on safety, hygiene and the environment.  The storage box, due to its plastic, robust and versatile design, has become increasingly popular within the food, drink and pharmaceutical industries.  New accessories for the COMBO are continuously being developed to improve the fluid handling process.


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