A jumbo bag carries up to a tonne or more of product above people and equipment. Customers, and often their auditors, expect FIBC manufacturers to show that each lot was made to its design and tested. Good records are part of the product.
1. The bag design
Every lot should link to a design that defines the bag: construction, dimensions, fabric GSM and coating, loop type and size, spouts, liner, baffles, labels, the safe working load (SWL) and safety factor, and where required the electrostatic type and any food-contact or dangerous-goods requirements. If the design changes, record it as a new version so older lots still point to the design they were made to.
2. Material and fabric records
- Resin, UV masterbatch and other material lots used at the tape line
- Tape denier, tenacity and elongation for each tape batch
- Fabric roll numbers with GSM, width and mesh
- Coating weight, where the fabric is coated
- Webbing, thread and liner lots
3. Production records
Record which rolls were cut for which lot, which operators and lines stitched the bags, and in-process checks on dimensions, loops and stitching. These details make it possible to answer a complaint about one bag without recalling a whole month's production.
4. Test records
FIBC designs are tested for their safe working load with the specified safety factor, typically through top-lift testing to the standard the customer requires. Record the test, the design, the result and the date, and link it to the lots it covers. Many plants also hold each lot until its inspection results are entered.
5. Dispatch records
Bale labels should carry the design, SWL and lot, so bags can be identified at the customer's site. The packing list, invoice and test documents should come from the same lot record, so what was shipped matches what was tested.
Keep it linked, not filed
The value of these records depends on the links between them: lot to design, lot to rolls, rolls to tapes, tapes to resin lots, lot to test results and lot to customer. Paper files can hold the data, but only a connected system can answer "which customers received bags from this resin lot?" in minutes.
What customers usually ask for
- A test report or certificate for the design or lot they received
- Confirmation of safe working load and safety factor
- For food or pharmaceutical use, confirmation of clean production and packing
- Labels that show the design, SWL, lot and date of manufacture on every bag or bale
Electrostatic types
Bags used with flammable powders or in flammable atmospheres are specified by electrostatic type, commonly called Type A, B, C or D. The type is part of the design, so it must be recorded on the design and confirmed on the documents for every lot that needs it.
How long to keep records
Keep records for as long as your customers, certifications and local regulations require, and at least for the expected service life of the bags. Digital records linked to lots are far easier to keep and search than paper files.
Formezy keeps FIBC designs with SWL and safety factor, tracks rolls through coating and stitching, and stores test results against the design and lot. See FIBC ERP software and the FIBC process flow.
