Greif, a world leader in industrial packaging products and services, has launched real-time tracking technology for composite Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) in its drive to help customers increase performance, reduce costs and improve their carbon footprint.
Developed in conjunction with a French specialist in IoT monitoring solutions, Nanolike, the GCUBE Connect smart packaging technology provides real-time tracking information about a user’s IBC. A customer-based dashboard displays in real-time where an IBC is located, the level of the filled product and the environmental temperature.
GCUBE Connect is currently available to customers across Europe and will be showcased this month from 8th to 11th September at the LogiChem virtual conference.
“Much of our innovation strategy for our GCUBE IBC portfolio of products and services is driven by the need to develop more sustainable, added value solutions for customers”, says Luca Bettoni, EMEA IBC and Plastic Product Manager at Greif.
“GCUBE Connect improves visibility across the entire supply chain. Through the Internet of Things-based device customers receive live data about their product allowing them to increase sales, reduce freight costs, optimize production planning and automate procurement and sales processes.
“The combination of real time geolocation and filled product-level data enhances the proactive information that an IBC can provide to fillers making GCUBE Connect much more than just a packaging solution. Ultimately it helps save valuable time, money and resources.”
Over the past several years Greif has steadily grown its IBC production for example with organic IBC investments completed at Houston, Spain and Russia to expand presence in key geographic end markets and through its joint venture partnership with Delta Containers (the UK’s leading independent supplier of reconditioned IBC’s) in August 2020. Greif focus areas include expanding the influence of sustainability in its offering by the further expansion of its IBC collection and reconditioning network and further enhancing its product and services offering for specific market segments such as the food and beverages segment.
Greif’s GCUBE IBCs are efficient, safe and rugged, ideal for shipping bulk quantities of hazardous and non-hazardous products. Greif has eight IBC facilities across EMEA and 14 globally.