| Custom
Blended Herbicides in Returnable/Refillable Containers
• Eliminate One Way Container Disposal
• Increase Applicator Safety
• Reduce Mixing Errors
• Maximize Productivity
• Just in Time Inventory
CWC offers closed loop, custom blended herbicides designed to reduce
container costs, accurately track orders and provide increased employee
productivity and decreased container handling costs. With an increased
emphasis on environmental stewardship the use of returnable refillable
containers eliminates the disposal of one way containers in our
ever increasing landfills. The use of camlocks at all transfer points
makes the entire system closed until the time of applications thereby
reducing exposure and increasing applicator safety. Custom blended
herbicides maximize mixing accuracy by enabling the applicator to
only be responsible for the addition of water to achieve the desired
end use solution.
Concept
Custom blended herbicides are delivered on a pallet of
nine, fifteen gallon containers. The containers may be blended in
a ready to use format or a diluted concentrate format. The ready
to use product is pulled directly from the drum and may be applied
to the target species. The diluted concentrate is pulled from the
drum and added to a mix tank where additional water is added to
make the desired end use solution. Each format in which the herbicide
is delivered will have one to three herbicides, surfactant and dye
included in the blend.
Each drum is bar coded for accurate
tracking of the material. The drums are checked out to a location
with tracking via the internet. Upon return the drums are checked
back in allowing complete accountability of the use of the product.
History
The current management of CWC Chemical, Inc. has been involved
with chemical distribution for over 20 years in the agriculture
industry. This experience has been instrumental in the development
of the custom blended, returnable/refillable process. In 1993, returnable/refillable
containers were not available in the non-crop specialty markets.
In 1994, packaging agreements were developed with major manufacturers
in the agrichemical business to offer products packaged in returnable/refillable
containers. By 1996, over 200,000 gallons were packaged and shipped
in returnables, eliminating the disposal of 82,000 one way containers.
By the year 2000, over 500,000 gallons were packaged in returnables,
eliminating disposal of over 200,000 one-way containers. The 500,000
gallons were shipped to over 260 locations with a customer base
of over 180 endusers nationwide.
Facility
Our facility is located in Cloverdale, Virginia. We have
access to two custom blenders that service the non-crop industry.
Aqumix, Inc., one of the custom blenders shares the facility with
CWC. The current capacity at this facility is 120,000 gallons. The
tank systems hold 6000 gallons of liquid chemical which are dedicated
to an individual product. Each tank has a dedicated pump and metering
system that is computer controlled and integrated with the tracking
software.
Drums
The fifteen gallon returnable drum sits at a height of
approximately 30 inches. This height makes it easier to move the
drums when they have to be relocated from the pallet to the truck.
Each drum has a micromatic valve on the top for accessing the contents
inside. The micromatic valve is a one way valve that only allows
product to be pulled from the drum which ensures the integrity of
the mix. To access the contents of the drum you must have a micromatic
coupler to join to the micromatic valve. The micromatic valve and
coupler are similar to the couplers they use in the beverage industry.
Each drum has a sump in the bottom where the entire product will
drain allowing complete evacuation of the drum. The drums also have
volumetric measurements on the side that allow for incomplete batches
to be blended when the need arises. The drums arrive on a returnable
pallet that has been made from recycled drums.
Tracking
Each drum comes complete with a unique bar code. The bar
code keeps information that is unique to the order and contents
of the drum. The information that it includes is the name and address
of the customer, ship to location, contents of the drum with specific
trade names and EPA registration numbers, mixing instructions, and
end use customer (ex. Utility used on). All of this information
is accessible on the internet with the use of a username and password.
Through the use of the internet tracking you can maintain just in
time inventory. With access to the internet you will always be able
to keep accurate records of how much product you have in inventory
and how many drums have been shipped into a single location.
Examples
Ready-to-use
• 20% Garlon 4 Ultra, 1% Stalker, 79% Hy-Grade I (basal oil)
Diluted Concentrate
• 15 gallon drum makes 150 end use gallons
• 10% solution
• Diluted Concentrate Rate: 39% Accord Conc., 5% Arsenal Powerline,
10% Aqufact
• End Use Rate: 3.9% Accord Conc., 0.5% Arsenal Powerline,
1% Aqufact
Equipment
The following pictures are some of the equipment options
that can increase your efficiency of using custom blended herbicides
in a returnable refillable format.
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