2010 – 2012: Liquid Bulk Dispensing and Storage Program
LIQUID BULK DISPENSING and STORAGE SYSTEM
Service industries (janitorial, hospital, industrial, automotive, etc…) are heavy users of liquid solvents and cleaning products. In most settings the products are packaged using the same type of packaging (pour & spray bottles and packaged aerosol cans) used by the everyday household.
A review of the professional service market indicated that there exists an opportunity to significantly reduce the type and quantity of packaging used and deliver the added benefit of lowering the cost of the cleaning products and lower the amount of waste generated from the single package format. To achieve this it was necessary to provide solutions to the following expectations:
Provide a cost effective alternative dispensing solutions that deliver the same ease of use as the commercially/consumer packaged products
- Provide a cost effective alternative dispensing solutions that deliver the same ease of use as the commercially/consumer packaged products
- Durable re-usable bottle pour and spray dispensers
- Refillable and locally pressurized aerosol dispensers with actuators specifically suited to the products being used and delivering the same pressure and results of the commercially packaged disposable products
- Gas being used to pressure re-usable aerosol dispensers must be non-ozone depleting
- The bulk cleaning and solvents must be packaged in bulk sizes that deliver lower cost as well be packaged in package size that is easily handled, stored and deliver an improved ROI
- The bulk package sizing reduce the space required to store the inventory
- All labeling to meet the workplace health and safety regulations
SimplyBulk was created to specifically address the issues identified in the research. The market potential was assessed and it was determined that the market for bulk sizing liquids for commercial applications was largely an unexplored opportunity. The team at SimplyBulk developed a broad range of products and programs to remove or reduce the barriers to implementing the bulk use of cleaning products and solvents. To date SimplyBulk has developed and commercially made available the following programs:
- Innovative stacking and side to side interlocking liquid bulk system designed. The program includes the ability to store both 5 gallon/20 liter plastic or metal pails, 1 gallon/5 liter plastic jugs, drip tray to collect drips and spillage (exceeds EPA requirements) and storage area for all dispensing canisters
- 5 Gallon/20 Liter universal stack-able storage cradle. Space requirement is reduced as in the area to store one pail, three cradles can be stacked.
- Develop a refillable and reusable aerosol dispensing program to meet the professional user requirements as identified in the research stage of the project. The program consists of aluminum canisters with unique spray actuators designed to deliver the product based on the product being dispensed. Most importantly, the cans are pressurized using compressed fresh air, a non-ozone depleting pressure source.
- For the automotive service channel, a series of service tools were re-engineered to be primarily filled using product packaged in bulk and stored using the storage system
The program is innovative and provides its users with several benefits.
- Storage and dispensing system as a total solution
- Storage and dispensing program contributes toward creating less waste from single use packaging (3 pails stored in place of one)
- Space required to store inventory or packaged products is eliminated. A 5 gallon/20 liter pail of cleaning product is equivalent to 40 bottles or cans of the same product packaged in a 500ml size. This packaging can occupy a large portion of the space allocated to waste disposal
- Lower per unit cost for product due to elimination/need for packaging
The program offers cleaning solvent manufacturers with the ability to be the first to market with the option to provide a bulk storage and dispensing program option. The addition of the storage program into their product packaging strategy demonstrates innovation, can provide the organization with new sales opportunities and also help to improve its environmental image.