At a glance
Granulate repackaging is a SMIALA warehouse service converting material from one packaging format to another — with batch tracking documentation and full ISO 9001:2015 compliance. Most common: big-bag → 25 kg sacks or big-bag → octabin for distributors serving smaller end customers.
| Operation | Time/ton | Most common materials |
|---|---|---|
| Big-bag → 25 kg sacks | ~70 min | PE/PP standard |
| Big-bag → octabin | ~30 min | PA, PET, premium |
| Big-bag → big-bag (re-tag) | ~10 min | Any |
| Bulk → big-bag | ~20 min | PE/PP |
| 25 kg → big-bag (consolidation) | ~60 min | PE/PP |
When customer needs repackaging
Distributor with mixed customer portfolio
Typical scenario: distributor imports 24 t PE-HD in 20’ container (24 big-bags). Portfolio:
- Customer A: film extruder with silo infrastructure — receives in silo trailer (pneumatic unloading at their site)
- Customer B: medium injection molder with big-bag ramp — receives in big-bag
- Customer C: small 3D printer producers — receives in 25 kg sacks
- Customer D: prototype shop — receives in 25 kg sacks with additional master batches
Distributor needs:
- 16 t to silo trailer (customer A — fastest)
- 4 t left in big-bag for customer B
- 2 t repackaged to 25 kg sacks for C
- 2 t repackaged to 25 kg sacks with added master batch for D
SMIALA executes entire sequence in one container visit — logistics compression for distributor.
Regranulate producer
Recycler receives material from multiple sources (PET recycling plants, consumer bottles, industrial fractions). Each source delivers in different format. After regranulation at producer — resulting regranulate must reach end customers in consistent format (typically big-bag).
SMIALA receives mixed lots, consolidates, repackages into uniform big-bags with regranulate producer’s lot number.
Quality control and segregation
Producer suspects specific lot may have inconsistent quality. Material goes to SMIALA where:
- Operator performs visual inspection of each big-bag
- Big-bags with clear anomalies — set aside
- Remaining — segregated by parameters (e.g. MFI sample from customer’s lab)
- Repackaging into 3 groups: grade A (premium), grade B (border), grade C (off-spec)
Re-branding / re-tagging
Distributor changes brand of their product — material same, labels different. SMIALA executes:
- Opening each big-bag
- Discharge into new-branded big-bag with new labels
- Maintaining traceability (original lot number → new lot number)
Procedure — detailed workflow
1. Notification and confirmation
Customer notifies:
- Material (type, quantity, source format)
- Target (target format, sub-lot count)
- Special requirements (food-grade, segregation, additives)
- Deadline
SMIALA confirms within 2 business hours with:
- Transload slot
- Required operation time
- Cost estimate
2. Material arrival
Standard reception procedure:
- Inbound weighing
- Document check
- Source label scanning
- Unloading to dedicated repackaging zone
3. Station preparation
Dedicated repackaging station:
- Work tables for big-bag opening
- Cross-bars for big-bag lifting
- Target packaging stations (25 kg sacks, octabins or new big-bags)
- Precision scales (each sub-lot weight control)
- Label printer (for new target labels)
Station cleaning between batches — ISO standard.
4. Repackaging operation
Per operation type:
Big-bag → 25 kg sacks:
- Big-bag lifted above hopper
- 25 kg sacks filled under hopper
- Each sack weighed (accuracy control ±0.2 kg)
- Label printed and applied
- Sacks placed on pallet (55 sacks = 1375 kg)
Big-bag → octabin:
- Big-bag lifted above octabin
- Discharge with flow control
- Octabin inner bag closed
- Cardboard closed
- Label applied to cardboard and pallet
Big-bag → big-bag (re-tag):
- Big-bag placed next to empty target big-bag
- Bottom spout opened, material transferred
- Or: full big-bag with new label (if customer accepts)
5. Quality control
Per documentation:
- Final weights (gross/net of each sub-lot)
- Source vs target packaging count
- Material residue (if any — fragments at big-bag bottoms, max 0.5%)
- Photos of typical steps
6. Shipment or storage
After repackaging — sub-lots either immediately shipped (silo trailer, truck) or stored until pickup by distributor’s customers.
Materials — what we repackage most often
Polyethylene and polypropylene standard
PE-LD, PE-HD, PP-H, PP-Co — most common repackaging materials. Stable, no humidity requirements. Standard operation.
Engineering/technical polymers
PA6, PA66, PC, POM, PBT, PEEK — require humidity-controlled zone (RH <40%) for PA and PET. Slower operation, with humidity certificates.
Recycled grades
PE, PP, PET, PA recycled — standard operation but with additional visual control (recycled grades may contain foreign matter). Often combined with screening (1-10 mm sieve).
Master batches and additives
Color master batches, UV stabilizers, antistatics — often repackaging from 25 kg to big-bag for customers with larger lines. Procedure requires: dedicated station (color segregation), tools replaced between batches (e.g. cleaning brushes).
Food-grade and medical-grade repackaging
For contact-grade materials:
- Dedicated station with isolation (closed area)
- Operator with GMP certification
- Tool replacement and disinfection between batches
- Clean target packaging (cleanliness verification before filling)
- Documentation: certificate of each operation + hygiene report
Customers: PET preform manufacturers, pharmaceutical packaging, food films.
Repackaging economics — cost calculation
Repackaging cost depends on:
- Format combination — big-bag → 25 kg sacks most expensive (manual operation), big-bag → big-bag cheapest
- Volume — larger volume = lower per-ton rate (scale)
- Material — food-grade / medical more expensive due to hygiene
- Special requirements — sieving, mixing, quality segregation
- Documentation — standard vs extended (e.g. ISO 13485 medical)
Customers with regular batches — contract rate, monthly invoicing. One-off customers — individual quote.
Connection with other SMIALA services
Repackaging is often combined with:
- Storage — material waits for end customers (7 days included, longer at storage rate)
- Conditioning — adding labels, instructions, certificates
- Batch tracking — detailed documentation is standard
- Silo trailer washing — for operations with silo trailers
Contact
PHS Magnum / SMIALA
- Phone: +48 664 135 005
- E-mail: biuro@magnumchorula.pl
- Address: ul. Kościelna 9, 47-316 Chorula, Poland
For repackaging inquiries: describe operation (from what to what), volume and deadline. Ask for individual quote.
Related: Big-bag to silo trailer · Octabin to silo trailer · 25 kg sacks jumbo · Storage · Conditioning · Batch traceability · Contact
