New product protects cargo from moisture damage

Takes no space and is easily disposed of ALAN PEAT ALTHOUGH JUST recently launched in the SA market, the Absorbag desiccant system has already found a niche in protecting moisture-sensitive products during international freighting, according to Andre du Toit of the sole southern African distributors, Specialised Shipping Supplies. “Every year thousands of containerised cargoes are damaged by moisture problems,” he told FTW. “Metal parts arrive corroded, cardboard boxes mouldy and wet, and food commodities unfit for consumption. Millions are spent on protective packaging, coatings and silica gels – and often they don’t solve the problem.” The solution, Du Toit added, is to create a dry environment within the shipping container, and the Absorbag fulfils this function - based on the proven ability of calcium chloride to aggressively remove moisture from the air. The unit also consumes no cargo space, fitting into the corrugations in the container wall – and Du Toit highlights the advantage of the system basically costing only US$50 (R300) for a standard TEU. “For that,” he said, “you have a full container load of cargo totally protected from the ravages of moisture.” The product has already proven itself in aluminium exports, where it is used to prevent corrosion. “We have also made an impact with furniture companies and the removals industry, where mildew and mould are recurring problems overcome with the use of Absorbag,” said Du Toit. Disposal is also an easy task, he added, with the product made only of the non-toxic and recyclable materials, polyethylene/polypropylene plastics and calcium chloride.