Recent years in the global metals industry have been challenging. The uncertain economic climate, plus slowing demand from key markets such as China, put the brakes on a decade of growth. At the same time, opportunities have emerged for metal producers that have allowed them to leverage some innovation. One area that is getting attention is the auto industry in which they are “lightweighting” their metals. “Lightweighting” is a term used to refer to metals that provide strength while reducing weight. In the auto industry, every 100 pounds of steel translates into a fuel economy increase of 1% to 2%. While some steel drum manufacturing companies are also “lightweighting” their drums in order to reduce costs, the drum industry and the auto industry are not alike in their projected goal. While safety is always a concern for an auto manufacturer, fuel economies do much to help sell cars. For steel drums, risk reduction of a packaging is our #1 priority, and the most common failures result from fork-lift punctures and nail punctures. In the US, 90% of steel drum failures are from poor handling or punctures with nails, forklifts or trailer walls. In order to overcome this sort of failure, the design of the drum must be sound, especially in details such as steel thickness. Compared to other steel drum manufacturers, Skolnik builds drums that exceed industry standards and as a result, our drums are heavier. To our customers that ship critical contents, they know that increasing steel strength and reducing the risk of puncture can save many dollars of clean-up and lost contents expense.
Industry News Safety