TERMS OF USE

Choice of packaging

• Define primary and secondary packaging as a system to pack your product, taking into account:
• compatibility between product and packaging
• compatibility between packaging components
• handling and storage conditions during the entire logistic chain
• end user requirements
• legislation and regulations
• Nervia Plastics Sales and QA departments are at your service for advice on any of these aspects above.
• Dimensions and nominal capacity are indicative. Acceptance levels for tolerances can be agreed.
• Raw materials and/or color masterbatch specified by imposed supplier reference are considered indicative. It is Nervia Plastics role and integral part of our business to provide economically viable alternatives of at least equal quality and performance.
• Further recommendations and conditions, typical for the use of plastic bottles and canisters are listed below.

 

Storage & handling of empty bottles/canisters:

• Inform Nervia Plastics about delivery and unloading conditions or constraints (height of docks, of warehouse doors, de-palletizing equipment, site requirements for safety and security, …)
• Avoid outside storage and direct exposure to sun light during longer periods (UV radiation can degrade molecular structure of PE)
• avoid t° fluctuations, humidity and dust in your warehouse
• respect stacking height and recommendations
• to cut film wrapping bottom up will reduce the risk of bottles falling off the upper layers
• Avoid using cutter knives, or be very careful not to cut the bottles.

 

Maximum utilization time:

• Empty bottles: use within 60 days from delivery date
• Filled non-UN bottles: 6 months from delivery; you could increase or should reduce such period following compatibility tests.

 

Filling:

• Check (chemical and/or organoleptic) compatibility of contents with container as well as with closure and seal
• Respect all related legislation and regulations; when applicable pay extra attention to UN/ADR regulations on hazardous goods
• Use individual positioning of bottles/canister under the filling heads
• Avoid that your liquid could wet the necks, or that the filling pipes could damage them
• Avoid internal pressure in bottles/canisters. Even limited overpressure will cause bottle/canister deformation, and may cause stacking issues, even danger.

 

Warm / hot filling

• It is possible in the filling process to use product temperatures up to 80°C for a short period. For longer periods, do not go beyond 60°C.
• Verify chemical and/or organoleptic compatibility at the temperatures actually used. Some chemicals react differently with PE at increased temperature.
• Assure that the canisters are on a flat, even surface during filling
• After warm filling, cool the bottles or canisters to room temperature before closing (or use “reversed venting” closures)
• Do not stack plastic bottles or canisters while still warm

 

Closing

• Choose a closure to fit the liquid and the functionality of the entire package
• In the case of hazardous goods use only approved closures as mentioned on the UN certificate
• Verify closure/neck compatibility
• When sourcing closures not from Nervia Plastics, regularly provide us with sufficient samples to allow us to perform closure/neck compatibility control and leakage tests
• Apply any necessary closing technique in order to assure adequate closing
• Equip closing machines with flexible closing heads
• Use recommended closing torque and/or application force. When sourcing closures from Nervia Plastics recommended torque is provided.
• Integrate regular checks of actual closing torque and/or application force in your process controls, and on your control charts
• Closures must never be used more than once

 

Storage, handling and transport of filled bottles/canisters:

• Respect UN/ADR regulations when applicable
• Determine storage, stacking and transport conditions; and check in practice. Nervia Plastics  warrants only that bottles/canisters, after production, resist to the agreed level of dynamic vertical compression.
• Theoretical calculation of admissible stacking height can be useful but it implies acceptance levels for deformation. It cannot replace live testing of both static and dynamic stacking and transportation.
• In order to resist the vertical pressure they are designed for, the containers must be stored on a leveled surface in contact with the entire base surface of the container. Punctual or continuous pressure on only part of that surface reduces the vertical compression resistance and weakens the container.

If the customer decides to pile up containers (f.i. display pallets), he must test in practice and pay special attention to:
-     the number of layers
-     choose sufficiently rigid and resistant interlayers
-     avoid that the chosen pattern (f.i. cross) will weaken resistance.

• The use of cardboard or boxes does not automatically increase admissible stacking height. Cardboard of insufficient strength may even reduce stackability due to uneven deformation and therefore uneven weight distribution. Nervia Plastics cannot be held responsible for consequences of a wrong choice of cardboard specification.
• When piling stackable bottles/canisters only use containers of identical type, size, design and weight.
• Use good quality pallets of a suitable size for the bottles/canisters
• Make sure that the bottom of the bottles/canisters, and especially the corners, rest on the wood itself, not on the empty spaces between nor outside the pallet perimeter.
• When packed in cardboard boxes, make sure that the boxes are stacked straight and that they stay within the pallet perimeter.
• Store on a solid, leveled and horizontal warehouse surface, resistant to the load.
• Store bottles in an upright position, especially when using venting closures.
• Assure that stretch film, shrink film, stretch hood or strapping keep filled pallets together, without causing a risk of deformation of the bottles/canisters by excessive tension. Nervia Plastics can share a method for measuring film tension.
• On your cartons, indicate that is not advisable to use cutter knives to open, so as to avoid damaging the bottles

 

Returnable packaging materials

Cardboard, trays and/or boxes:

• stack returnable materials on a pallet
• assure straight stacks
• preferably tie with a rope; please do not use film over cardboard

Pallets:

• stack pallets on straight stacks of truck height (approx. between 2,6 and 2,8 m)

Storage:

• store pallets and cardboard in a dry area in your warehouse

Return:

• Transports have to be planned and ordered to our haulers; please do not offer to truck drivers without prior agreement with your Nervia Plastics contact.

Quality - Control (at reception)

• there should be no necessity to control aspects that have been controlled during Nervia Plastics  manufacturing process
• when sourcing closures not from Nervia Plastics, regularly provide us with closure samples to allow us to perform closure/neck compatibility control and leakage test (closures should never be used twice)
• If controls are performed Nervia Plastics suggests:
• dimensional : use calibers
• vertical compression resistance: test filled closed bottles for agreed compression values
• visual : look for functional aspects on agreed risk spots

 

Quality - Eventual Complaints

In the unexpected event of a complaint:

• address correspondence, especially e-mail, to minimum 2 persons (preferably QA and sales)
• if the complaint is about delivery or documents: please identify the delivery by date, delivery note number and CMR number
• if it is about bottles/canisters: please identify bottles by full article description and pallet nr (copy of  pallet label)
• and send samples (and/or photographs)

Emergency:

in case of urgency call your sales contact and/or the QA manager of the supplying plant. Mobile telephone numbers available on www.nerviaplastics.be  

 

Please contact your Sales or QA contact at Nervia Plastics for additional information on subjects such as:

• Packaging legislation and regulations
• Regulations and UN testing  
• Choice of closures and accessories
• Closing torque
• Stacking height: theoretical calculation
• Internal pressure
• Measurement method for stretch film tension
• Vertical dynamic compression resistance