HYBRIDPRO: combining the best of both worlds
Mondi makes further progress in the evolution of industrial paper bags by launching a bag that offers uncompromising weather protection and significantly extends the shelf life of its contents. The HYBRIDPRO is a technically demanding combination of paper and plastic, and is suitable for many industries and applications, particularly construction materials.
Conventional industrial bags made of paper tend to be vulnerable to rain and moisture. When exposed to direct rain on an unprotected pallet, a standard paper bag absorbs water and may weaken as a result. Handling may then become awkward, and the shelf life of the contents may be affected. In some cases, a switch to plastic bags is the answer. But this may not be the optimum approach, as the cost of investing in form-fill-seal (FFS) machinery tends to be high. Mondi, ever conscious of its customers' needs, has come up with a hybrid solution to the dilemma: the HYBRIDPRO bag, offering the advantages of a plastic bag, yet fillable on conventional paper bag filling systems.
With the HYBRIDPRO, paper combined with plastic really can provide the best of both worlds: uncompromising weather protection thanks to the bag's outer PE barrier layer, allowing genuine outdoor storage for lengthy periods and extended storage stability, without the need to invest in expensive FFS filling systems.
The next generation of water-repellent paper bags from Mondi
The HYBRIDPRO bag, which will be marketed under the slogan 'Made of PaPEr - combining the best of both worlds', represents a whole new concept in industrial bag design. Like a hybrid drive in a car, the HYBRIDPRO is an excellent combination of the available options: the inner ply is made of 120 g/m2 Mondi Advantage ONE sack kraft paper; the outer ply is a 40 µm-thick layer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The innovative step here is that the HDPE forms a protective layer on the outside of the paper. Other bags also use a combination of paper and plastic, but not in this way. This is a considerable technical achievement that brings a new dimension to industrial bag design.
The HYBRIDPRO belongs to Mondi's next generation of water-repellent bags, developed as part of the company's focus on exciting new solutions achieved through ongoing R&D. The bag - for which a patent is pending - is yet another successful outcome of Mondi's strategic emphasis on collaboration with customers during the product development process.
The benefits
With the HYBRIDPRO, building materials such as gypsum and cement enjoy excellent protection against direct rain during shipping or on site. The HYBRIDPRO also provides excellent protection against gradual moisture ingress during outdoor storage, thanks to the 40 µm thickness of the unperforated HDPE film. This means shelf life is longer than with standard paper bags. For example, according to building materials producer Knauf, who collaborated in developing the HYBRIDPRO, gypsum packaged in the HYBRIDPRO enjoys an eight-month shelf life when stored outdoors with no further protective layer - twice as long as if packaged in a standard paper bag.
This impressive performance outdoors makes the bag very user-friendly and has benefits when it comes to streamlining the supply chain of fillers and end-consumers: with longer shelf life, order sizes can be larger, for potential reductions in shipping costs.
Since the bag can be filled on conventional paper bag filling systems, investment in FFS systems, which tend to be expensive, is not required.
Compelling additional benefits
The bag's outer ply - which forms the barrier against rain, moisture and dust - is made of plastic film, giving it an attractive, modern appearance, an important factor in many markets. The HDPE film can be printed in up to eight colours, including on the bottom patches, for a glossy, premium look, and the paper ply is available in a bleached or an unbleached version.
The HYBRIDPRO allows high-speed filling, with de-aeration twice as fast as with a standard three-ply bag (35 m3/h versus 18 m3/h tested on Mega Gurley equipment at Mondi's R&D centre BAC in Austria).
Workplaces, such as construction sites, are cleaner with the HYBRIDPRO, as less of the contents adhere to the outer layer - a benefit sure to appeal to end users.
The HYBRIDPRO is an eco-friendly solution: the total grammage of material used is less than with standard three-ply designs used for the same purpose.
Last but not least, the plastic and paper components are easy to separate, for optimum recyclability.
Applications
The HYBRIDPRO is a high-quality packaging solution conceived for high-quality contents. It is particularly suitable for building materials, including gypsum and cement, as well as many other moisture-sensitive products. The bag is suitable for filling contents at temperatures of up to 90 °C.
The HYBRIDPRO was developed alongside Mondi's showerproof paper SPLASHBAG (launched beginning of 2015) as part of Mondi's next generation of water-repellent bags, in keeping with Mondi's strategic orientation to ongoing innovation. 3
The brand-new HYBRIDPRO will be presented to the public during upcoming packaging trade shows in Europe and internationally. The first trade show at which visitors will be able to explore the new bag is FachPack in Nuremberg, Germany. Mondi will be exhibiting from 29 September to 1 October in Hall 7, Booth 254.
Contact
Sabine Ehrlich-Zingel, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel.: +43 1 790 13 - 0, Fax: +43 1 790 13 964, Email:
sabine.ehrlich@mondigroup.com
Mondi Industrial Bags GmbH
Marxergasse 4A, A-1030 Vienna www.mondigroup.com
