1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168 
New container material
Page 55
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A MATERIAL designed to meet the needs of the container industry has been announced recently by Flexo Plywood Industries Ltd, Marketed as Cargoboard, it consists of a resin-bonded plywood core faced on both sides with a strong glass-fibre-reinforced polyester skin.
Cargoboard enables the container manufacturer to produce standard ISO containers on a steel platform and supporting framework only, thus dispensing with bracing bars, internal supporting steelwork, etc. Inside walls of containers can therefore be completely flush with a minimum reduction in interior dimensions.
The material is claimed to have high torsional resistance and yet be sufficiently flexible to take all the impact loads, internal and external stress loads called for in an ISO container. Twenty-foot containers incorporating Cargoboard panels are said to have undergone the normal proving tests successfully, and the company is currently awaiting Lloyd's certification.
Apart from its relatively light weight, Cargoboard is non-corrosive and hence maintenance expenditure should be low. Flexo emphasizes that the repair of steel or aluminium containers requires skilled labour, but in cases of accident damage to Cargoboard containers. repairs can be effected with a minimum of knowledge by using special repair kits.
The initial cost of Cargoboard, is somewhat greater than steel and on a par with aluminium. However, it is claimed that construction costs are considerably reduced, side panels being one-piece as against the numerous riveted panels on a standard metal container.
One container manufacturer is presently designing a collapsible ISO container based on Cargoboard. It is expected that its use will reduce the amount of shipping space required when such containers are being returned empty.
Flexo states that test marketing results have been favourable, and the initial order book now stands at £85,000—£90,000. With a production capacity of about seven container sets a day—and there are plans to at least double this figure—Flexo hopes to reach a market of over Lim within two years, with between 60 and 70 per cent in the export field.