Horen Plastics released for the first time to the U.S. market its FruTocon 330 IBC (FC330/330 gallons) at November’s Pack Expo in Chicago. The FC330 has been designed to provide the bulk fruit and tomato products industry a cleaner, stronger and safer storage alternative to the aging solutions currently available on the market.
“The FruToCon was extremely well received as it has the highest folding ratio of 4:1 in the IBC market and is able to be stacked five high when loaded, providing significant space saving benefits when in use or being relocated,” stated John Wissing, Horen’s Director Business Development USA.
Horen developed the FruToCon330 to address the issue of the tomato and juice industry using outdated bulk packaging items such as drums, poor folding ratio IBC’s and wooden IBC’s to transport their products. Made from polypropylene, HOREN’s FruToCon330 features a hygienic ‘bag in a box’ system that allows tomato paste & fruit juice to much more easily safely hygienically fill, transport and discharge product.
Also on display were Horen’s range of Optoflow IBC’s, designed for the efficient storage, transportation, and release of liquids. These included Horen’s large capacity Optiflow 330 and the IF1040 (1040 L/270 gallons), designed to maximize utilization of sea containers allowing 20 IBC’s to be loaded into a standard 20ft container.
Horen’s new integrated Aseptic LatchPlug valves also attracted customer interest as the valves are a step up from currently available valve systems. Horen’s unique full flow valve (instead of traditional butterfly valve) enables faster discharge rates and the glands can be pre-fitted and welded easily to the liner’s, making it more efficient and hygienic for the liner manufacturers.
‘This was our first real showing of Horen’s capability in the US, and we were constantly engaged by potential customers who were impressed with our range of our IBC and valve solutions’ said John.
Pack Expo also provided the first glimpses of Horen’s Zero Residual System (ZRS) for viscous product discharge, which combines a patented roller system with complementary liner bags. ‘The ZRS was hugely popular’ said John. ‘We were constantly asked ‘when can we have one’ and are looking to release the system formally in the next few months.’