Do Your Flexible Connectors Reinforce Your Firm’s Sustainability Initiatives?

Modern manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to retool and rethink their machines and manufacturing processes. A little-known but vital component on shop floors is the flexible connector – a critical one for transferring items such as powders from machine to machine. While tiny in stature, their impact on the environment is huge.

The Role of Flexible Connectors in Manufacturing

Flexible connectors are inevitable in the majority of manufacturing processes, joining equipment such as hoppers, sifters, and dryers for efficient material transfer. They must be strong, flexible, and leak-free. Traditional flexible connectors, typically rubber or certain plastics, are highly environmentally challenging since they are only slightly recyclable and are short-lived.

If a connector fails, the waste created, product loss, or contamination is high. Product leakage, particularly in powdered form, is generally caused by poor clamping systems or material defects. Beyond health and safety risks, incremental product loss over time results in inefficiency and wastage.

For example, according to McKinsey (2022), 16% of the world's food loss during processing translates into added carbon emissions and water consumption.

Sustainability Problems in Flexible Connectors

Flexible connectors are normally treated as throwaway products, but the reason behind it is most often because of poor design and manufacturing levels. These are three main reasons why majority of conventional flexible connection systems fail to meet current sustainability levels:

1. Unrecyclable Materials

The majority of flexible connectors are made of unrecyclable materials, causing industrial waste. Rubber and certain hard plastics utilized in making connectors stay in landfills for decades.

2. Short Lifespan

Repeated replacement for wear and tear contributes to waste generation. In heavy-duty environments, standard connectors have to be replaced in months, producing lots of landfill waste in the long run.

3. Operational Inefficiencies

Inadequately designed or inferior quality connectors may lead to product leakage or contamination. Apart from generating material waste, it also compromises overall production efficiency, thereby resulting in more energy usage and resources.

The BFM® flexible connector fitting system has a distinct advantage, establishing a new benchmark for sustainability in manufacturing.

Produced by BFM® Global, BLUEBAND™ flexible connectors address most of the environmental issues of traditional sleeves and actually contribute to more sustainable processing procedures.

Reducing Waste as a Priority from the Start

BFM® Global manufactures all its products in New Zealand, which is famous for its high environmental standards.

The company's waste reduction program maximizes raw material usage, minimizing offcuts created during the manufacturing process. Scrap materials such as Seeflex polyurethane and excess steel are recycled wherever possible, minimizing the environmental footprint of the manufacturing process.

BFM® Key Sustainability Benefits

While the BFM® fitting system has many benefits in terms of hygiene, safety, and installation, it also has three key sustainability advantages:

Eco-Friendly Materials

BFM® connectors are made of Seeflex polyurethane, which is a biodegradable thermoplastic recyclable under special landfill conditions. This reduces the amount of non-recyclable materials like rubber used, allowing manufacturers to achieve their sustainability targets.

Improved Durability

More than 50 times longer than traditional connectors in some applications, BFM® connectors reduce waste and replacement costs significantly. Fewer connectors end up in landfills and higher productivity result from their extended lifespan.

Improved Production Efficiency

Airtight design of BFM® connectors virtually eliminates product leakage and contamination. This saves material, reduces cleanup cost, and enhances overall production efficiency.

The airtight seal of the BFM® fitting system eliminates any ounce of material from leaving the production process, which reduces cleanup and disposal costs.

Case Study: Richard Whittaker Ltd

A leader in the blending, packing, and supply industry for over 50 years, UK-based Richard Whittaker Ltd operates 24/7 with multiple production lines. The company’s frequent product changeovers – up to 10 times per week per line – posed significant challenges in terms of sustainability and efficiency.

Their previous flexible connectors were “carrier bag-like” and secured with jubilee clips, leading to frequent product leakage and time-consuming replacements.

Every changeover also took around 20 minutes per line, generating massive downtime. In addition, these throwaway connectors were not recyclable and needed to be replaced after every change, which meant thousands of plastic connectors were discarded yearly.

In 2015, Richard Whittaker Ltd turned to a more environmentally friendly option and implemented the BFM® fitting system.

The snap-in technology of the BFM® connectors provided a 100% dust-tight seal, cutting product leakage and downtime by half.

Changeover time was cut by 75%, conserving around 250 hours annually. The life of the Seeflex 040E connectors, three years, replaced the utilization of thousands of throwaway connectors that generated a vast amount of waste.

The Long-Term Impact

The BFM® fitting system is an excellent example of how innovation can contribute to sustainability in manufacturing.

By treating waste at every step – production to end-of-life disposal – and delivering unprecedented durability and efficiency, these connectors reflect a systems-level definition of sustainability. The case of Richard Whittaker Ltd illustrates the tangible benefits of using such solutions: reduced waste, enhanced efficiency, and a dramatically lower environmental footprint.

For production plants aiming to minimize their environmental footprint, the BFM® fitting system provides a roadmap. It's not only an intelligent option – it's an environmental one. Manufacturers can make truly significant strides towards a greener future by choosing wisely when it comes to equipment.

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Since 2007 ProSpare have been the sole UK distributor for BFM® fitting – one of the first appointed in Europe. The team is dedicated to helping you get the most from the BFM® range, including technical support and field-based application assistance – all of which is backed-up by over £450,000 BFM® stock in their UK warehouse.

To learn how investing in a BFM® fitting system can benefit your facility in terms of efficiency and environmental sustainability, contact ProSpare on sales@prospare.co.uk or visit www.prospare.co.uk.