Monthly Archives: November 2025

Often the problem is not “which big bag to choose,” but “how to manage it over time.” Warehouses full of unused big bags, lack of stock during production peaks, difficulty in managing different codes-all of which generate hidden costs. A structured approach to buying and stocking big bags frees up space, cash, and time.

The first step is to analyze actual removals: monthly volumes per item, seasonality, difference between forecast and actual consumption. Optimal minimum batches, reorder thresholds , and safety policies can be built on this data. In many cases it pays to reduce variances by standardizing sizes and configurations, and to use printing or labels to distinguish different products.

Just in Time logic applied to big bags means having a supplier capable of:

• Ensure fast and stable deliveries,
• Maintain a dedicated (or shared) stock quota,
• Support the company in planning on a quarterly or semiannual basis,
• Handle urgencies and peaks with a flexible logistics network.

A partner such as Sebino Pack can, for example, propose framework contracts with prices and conditions fixed for a period, combined with split deliveries according to actual needs. This allows the company to plan the cost of packaging, but without immobilizing large quantities of packaging in the warehouse.

Finally, it is useful to define a clear coding system shared between corporate ERP and supplier: internal codes, standardized descriptions, references to technical drawings or product sheets. In this way, even a change of buyer or logistics contact person does not generate confusion and wrong orders.

Optimizing the purchase and management of big bags is not just a matter of price: it means reducing errors, downtime, stock costs, and improving the reliability perceived by the end customer.

Choosing the right big bag means avoiding downtime, breakages, safety issues and disputes. This is why it is essential to start with an essential data sheet: what the big bag should contain, for how long, under what storage conditions, and how to load and unload.

The base material for big bags is woven polypropylene(PP) fabric, in different weights. Lighter fabrics are suitable for medium-low capacities and nonabrasive products; heavier weights are needed for high loads, aggressive products or repeated use. The fabric is often joined by internal plastic film liners, useful when a barrier against moisture, oxygen or contamination is needed.

The choice of load capacity(SafeWorking Load) and safety factor is a key step. The SWL indicates the maximum weight that the big bag can bear in operation, while the safety factor (e.g., 5:1, 6:1) describes the safety margin with which the bag has been tested. For single-use products in many industrial settings, a 5:1 is sufficient, while higher factors may be required for reusable big bags or for critical industries.

Another key element is the loading and unloading system. At the top we can find:

• Open top (for rapid loading of aggregates),
• fill skirt (which facilitates loading by reducing dust and dispersion),
• loading valve (ideal for connection to hoppers and closed systems).

At the bottom, the most popular options are:

• Closed flat bottom (for single use and discharge by tipping the bag),
• Conical discharge valve (for controlled emptying),
• Quick opening systems (“star”, “trap door” or similar bottoms).

Finally, the accessories: document pocket, sewn-in labels, additional tipping straps, specific seam colors, reinforcement bands, anti-UV treatments. Every detail can make a difference on automated lines or in harsh environments.

To avoid mistakes, it is helpful to share department photos, layouts, and handling methods with the supplier. Sebino Pack, for example, often starts with physical samples and inspections to propose a configuration that holds together safety, practicality , and cost per duty cycle.

Big bags, also called FIBCs (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers), are polypropylene fabric bags designed to contain and handle bulk materials in large quantities. They were created to make the handling of powders, granules, and aggregates easier, safer , and more efficient in all those cases where traditional bags or drums become inefficient or too expensive.

A standard big bag can hold from a few hundred kilograms up to 1,000-1,500 kg of product, depending on the rated capacity and safety factor. The woven polypropylene fabric provides mechanical strength, breathability or barrier (when combined with internal liners) and excellent handling during loading, unloading and storage. The four upper slots allow quick gripping with a forklift or crane, speeding up all logistics operations.

Big bags find application in a wide variety of sectors: construction (sand, gravel, rubble), chemical industry (powders, granules, additives), agriculture and animal feed (grains, seeds, feed), food (flour, sugar, milk powder), waste management and recovery. Wherever there is bulk material to be handled repetitively, the big bag makes it possible to reduce manual steps, loading times and risk of spills.

Compared with other industrial packaging, such as 25 kg bags, octabins, drums or cisterns, big bags offer some key advantages: reduction in the number of packages, optimization of travel and warehouse space, simplification of handling activities, and a better cost/ton handled ratio. In many cases, they also make it possible to reduce secondary packaging (films, additional pallets, cartons).

However, they are not always the ideal solution: for very small quantities, very high-value products or lines already optimized on 25 kg bags, the switch to the big bag should be carefully evaluated. A specialized partner such as Sebino Pack can support the company in the cost/benefit comparison, simulating impacts on warehousing, transportation and packaging lines.

In summary, big bags are the industry standard for handling large volumes of bulk materials. They become especially convenient when it is necessary to handle the same products often, reduce manual loading, and make the logistics flow from production to the end customer more seamless.

Flour, cereals, rice, sugar, and many dry bulk ingredients are increasingly handled in big bags. This choice optimizes flows from milling to final packaging, reducing intermediate steps and improving process cleanliness. But the “food + powdered product” combination requires some extra attention.

Operationally, the density of the product must be considered: very light flours volumetrically fill the big bag before reaching the weight limit, while high-density grains can quickly bring it to capacity limit. Properly defining the size and capacity of the big bag avoids both underutilization and overloading.

Dust and electrostatic charges are generated during filling and emptying : in some cases, especially in potentially explosive atmospheres, antistatic or conductive big bags (type B, C, D) and appropriate ATEX procedures should also be evaluated. The design of loading and unloading ports (valve, skirt, dust suppression systems) contributes greatly to the containment of dust emissions in the department.

Finally, logistics: big bags must integrate with silos, packaging lines, and automated warehouses. This means defining dimensions compatible with lifting systems, belts and storage spaces, but also providing identification systems (barcodes, QR codes, labels) that facilitate FIFO management and traceability by lots.

Sebino Pack can support mills, rice mills, confectionery companies, and ingredient manufacturers inanalyzing flows, proposing food grade and, when necessary, anti-static big bag solutions with configurations suited to the different steps (from harvesting to processing to final packaging).