High Oil and Gas Prices and Plastic Random Packing

by | Mar 28, 2022 | Plastic Random Packing Articles

KemFlo utilizes various types of high performance plastic resins in the manufacturing of our plastic random packing product line which includes the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring, Saddles and KemFlake. These high performance plastic resins are created by hydrocarbons which come from the crude oil refining process. As with many products high oil prices affect plastic random tower packing in a number of challenging ways from manufacturing to logistics. Raw material cost of plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene, Kynar and Tefzel have a direct correlation with the cost of oil so the higher the cost of oil per barrel the higher the cost of all plastic products such as plastic random packing. Plastic raw materials cost are quick to rise with the cost of oil but much slower to react as oil prices decrease. Therefore a spike in oil and gas prices can have long term affects on industry.

Planning ahead is key to minimizing the affects of an oil and gas price spike in the market. One of KemFlo’s strategies regarding this issue is to secure significant amounts of raw material as well as increase inventory levels at both distribution locations. Another major challenge that high oil and gas prices affect are logistical and transportation cost. High gas prices increase the cost to transport raw material to our manufacturing facility and increases the transportation cost to get plastic tower packing to our customers. KemFlo’s logistics team works closely with our network of transportation companies to find our customers the best rates possible.

Logistics and coordinating shipping can be very time consuming for our customers which is why KemFlo offers shipping assistance for our plastic random packing product line. We have also addressed rising oil and gas cost by adding an additional distribution center in Houston, Texas. The new distribution center will carry a variety of products including the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring, Saddle and KemFlake. All styles of plastic random packing carried at our Houston distribution center will be available in multiple sizes and resins. Our Houston, Texas facility will offer many advantages to our customers including more competitive logistic options especially to our customers in the Southern region of America and we will also have better access to raw material supplies due to the abundance of petrochemical facilities located in the Gulf Coast area. Having distribution centers that service both the Northern and Southern regions of the United States helps to keep our customer’s shipping cost and transit times down. Providing substantial access to our tower packing product line is an important measure in ensuring that our customer receive product in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. The price of oil and gas in one of many long term challenges that our industry will face so it is extremely important for KemFlo to continuously evaluate how we do business and how we can better service our customer.

For more information regarding KemFlo’s plastic random packing product line including the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring, Saddle and KemFlake please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or contact us by phone.

KEMPAC OFFERS MORE PLASTIC RANDOM PACKING STYLES

by | Jan 17, 2022 | Plastic Random Packing Articles

Most plastic random packing manufacturers only offer a limited number of packing styles, sizes and available resins in which they can manufacturer their products out of. This can limit a customer’s options and an engineer’s ability to design a system specific to their or their clients needs. Plastic random tower packing is used in a wide range of applications, so it is extremely important that we at KemFlo give our customers options in which to work with. Our goal is to provide our customer with as many solutions and tools as possible, helping to ensure a successful design and system.
KemFlo’s Kempac plastic random packing product line offers the following solutions:

Tri-Pack: The Tri-Pack is a high performance plastic random packing that has become one of the most popular styles of tower packing on the market today due to its many features and advantages. The Tri-Pack is made up of a unique network of ribs, structs and drop rods which provide excellent liquid gas contact. It’s spherical design ensured even distribution with in the packed bed and prevents nesting or voids. The Tri-Pack offers the ideal combination of surface area and void space maximizing mass transfer capabilities while avoiding excessive surface area which can prevent proper gas liquid contact and increase operating cost. With multiple sizes available including 1”, 2” and 3.5”, the Tri-Pack offers significant design capabilities.

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Pall Ring: The Pall Ring style tower packing is a traditional design similar to many metal random packing styles. The robust design of the Pall Ring features open wall construction reinforced with structs all of which provides significant surface area for liquid gas contact and provides strength to the overall design of the product. The Pall Ring is available in three sizes including 1”, 2” and 3.5”.

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Kemlox Saddles: KemFlo’s Kemlox Saddle style plastic random tower packing media is a modern take on an old school packing design. Added serrated edges promote high mass transfer rates by providing additional surface area for liquid gas contact. The serrated edges also help reduce packed bed settling and create lower column pressure drop. The Kemlox Saddle is available in 1”, 2” and 3” sizes.

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Kemflake: The Kemflake is KemFlo’s newest addition to their Kempac plastic random packing product line. The Kemflake is a versatile, high performance packing that has been proven to provide superior capacity, high mass transfer capabilities and lower pressure drop. The Kemflake performs excellent in a variety of applications including scrubbing, air stripping, absorption and extraction. Available in one size 3.66” inch diameter by 1,18” thick.

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All of the above plastic tower packing styles are available in a variety of standard and high performance resins including but not limited to Polypropylene both NSF and Non-NSF approved, Polypropylene with glass, Polyethylene, Polyvinylchloride PVC, CPVC, PVDF and more. Please feel free to contact us for other available resins. All resins used the KemFlo’s manufacturing process are traceable back to its source to ensure quality control.

For more information on KemFlo’s Kempac plastic random packing product line please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or give us a call. As always we look forward to earning your business.

Plastic Random Packing and Supply Chain Challenges

by | Jan 12, 2022 | Plastic Random Packing Articles

Supply chain issues over the last year have created unique challenges for manufacturers worldwide. Shutdowns due to COVID and uncertainty regarding the long term effects of COVID forced many manufacturers to minimize or stop production for at least some period of time. This has contributed to a substantial backlog of raw materials limiting manufacturers production of new goods and forcing them to pay substantially more for raw materials. Manufacturers of plastic products have been hit especially hard due to the winter storm that hit the Gulf Coast in February 2021 which crippled numerous facilities that produce resins for plastics such as polypropylene and PVC. Many resin manufacturers filed force majeures and put customers on allocation. Limited availability, long lead times and higher raw material cost are the current reality for the plastics industry.

KemFlo fully understand the challenges facing the plastics industry today and is working closely with suppliers, customers and transportation companies in a coordinated effort to ensure that our customers receive the same service and high quality products that they deserve. Many plastic random packing requirements are time sensitive and if the end-user does not receive their plastic tower packing on time it can result in significant loss of production time and money. Kemflo is working hard on a daily basis to secure resins and other raw materials used in the production of our plastic random packing product line. Kemflo is also utilizing efficient manufacturing techniques which increase production and limit raw material waste. KemFlo’s plastic tower packing product line which includes the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring, Kemflake and Transferlox Plastic Saddles are produced in multiple sizes and in numerous resins so careful planning and coordination is required to ensure the availability of all plastic random products. In addition to utilizing efficient manufacturing processes and communicating with suppliers, KemFlo is also committed to increasing plastic tower packing inventory at both our Richmond Hill facility as well as our Houston, Texas facility. Both facilities will carry substantial inventory of all random packing styles including the Pall Ring, Tri-Pack, Transferlox Plastic Saddle and Kemflake.

Communication with distributors, OEMs and end-users is also very important in combating supply chain issues. Advanced planning and coordination can help avoid and reduce many supply chain issues. We ask that our customers communicate their plastic random packing requirements and forecast to us in advance so that our production team can plan ahead with our customer’s needs in mind. KemFlo will always work to ensure that our customers receive excellent service and the highest quality plastic tower packing on the market today. Together we can overcome the supply chain challenges that our industry faces in today’s market.

KemFlo’s plastic random tower packing includes the Tri-Pack, Kemflake, Pall Ring and the plastic Transferlox Saddle and are available in multiple sizes and a variety of resins. For more information on KemFlo’s Kempac plastic random packing product line please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or call us at 905-832-1217. We look forward to earning your business.

KEMFLO INTRODUCES THE KEMFLAKE

by | Jan 3, 2022 | Featured Plastic Random Packing Article, Plastic Random Packing Articles

KemFlo is continuously exploring new products and better ways to service our customers. That’s why we have invested a tremendous amount of time, effort and resources into new product development and design. Whether it’s redesigning an existing product or creating a new product, Kemflo is committed to providing our customer with superior service and the best quality plastic random packing on the market today. Our Kemflo team is pleased to introduce our newest plastic random tower packing, the Kemflake. The Kemflake is a high performance random packing that has many advantages over conventional plastic tower packings. 

 The Kemflake will add to Kemflo’s diverse offering of high performance plastic random packing. A product line which includes the very popular Tri-Pack, Pall Ring and Transferlox Plastic Saddles. The Kemflake is similar to the performance of the Tri-Pack and offers high capacity, low pressure drop, high flooding point, uniform gas-liquid distribution and excellent corrosion resistance. The unique design of the Kemflake tower packing product consist of a geometrical
pattern of structs and ribs specifically designed to maximize performance and reduce operating cost. Like the Tri-Pack there is minimal settling and nesting thanks to the product’s symmetrical design. The Kemflake offers excellent wetting capabilities resulting in even distribution of liquid throughout the packed bed and provides excellent liquid gas contact. The ratio of open space to surface area provides excellent mass transfer efficiency and results in lower operating cost.

Visit the Kemflake Product Page

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KemFlo is continuously exploring new products and better ways to service our customers. That’s why we have invested a tremendous amount of time, effort and resources into new product development and design. Whether it’s redesigning an existing product or creating a new product, Kemflo is committed to providing our customer with superior service and the best quality plastic random packing on the market today. Our Kemflo team is pleased to introduce our newest plastic random tower packing, the Kemflake. The Kemflake is a high performance random packing that has many advantages over conventional plastic tower packings. The Kemflake will add to Kemflo’s diverse offering of high performance plastic random packing. A product line which includes the very popular Tri-Pack, Pall Ring and Transferlox Plastic Saddles. The Kemflake is similar to the performance of the Tri-Pack and offers high capacity, low pressure drop, high flooding point, uniform gas-liquid distribution and excellent corrosion resistance. The unique design of the Kemflake tower packing product consist of a geometrical pattern of structs and ribs specifically designed to maximize performance and reduce operating cost. Like the Tri-Pack there is minimal settling and nesting thanks to the product’s symmetrical design. The Kemflake offers excellent wetting capabilities resulting in even distribution of liquid throughout the packed bed and provides excellent liquid gas contact. The ratio of open space to surface area provides excellent mass transfer efficiency and results in lower operating cost.

The Kemflake can be utilized in numerous process and environmental applications to meet your specific requirement. The Kemflake is a very versatile and durable tower packing and is suitable for some of the most demanding applications. Some applications in which this plastic random packing is used include scrubbing, air stripping, cooling towers, washing towers, absorption, distillation, extraction, de-aerating, biological filtration and more. As with any random packing it is important to have an engineer confirm it’s compatibility for each specific application in which it is utilized.

The Kemflake plastic random packing is approximately 3.66” in radius by 1.18” tall and is available is a variety of resins including specialty resins. All of the resins that KemFlo uses in our manufacturing processes are traceable to original raw material sources and resin data specifications are available upon request. So not only do our customer receive plastic tower packing from a leading manufacturer they know the material of construction or resin used in the manufacturing process came from a reliable source. Available resins include polypropylene, polypropylene with glass %, polypropylene with talc, polyvinylchloride PVC, Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride CPVC, polyvinylidene floride PVDF and other resins available upon request.

This plastic Scrubber packing is stocked at both our Houston, Texas and Richmond Hill facilities and available for immediate shipment. Please contact us directly for pricing and availability.

For more information on the Kempac plastic random packing product line including the Kemflake, Tri-Pack, Pall Ring and Transferlox Plastic Saddle please feel free to visit out web site at www.kempac-packing.com or call us at 905-832-1217. We look forward to earning your business.

TURNAROUND SEASON APPROACHES

by | Aug 16, 2021 | Plastic Random Packing Articles

As facilities across the country prepare for the upcoming Fall turnaround season, they face many new challenges. The COVID virus has caused disruptions in raw material availability, manufacturing, logistics and labor shortages. It has also changed the way business is done so facilities, manufactures and suppliers have had to adapt. Planning ahead this turnaround season will be critical to the success of upcoming projects but as we all know emergency situations happen.

Quick turn requirements during turnarounds are very common and can create enormous complications. In many turnaround situations process equipment and components cannot be inspected until the equipment is offline. If during the inspection it is determined that the plastic random packing needs to be replaced there is typically a narrow window of time to have the plastic tower packing on site and installed.

That is why KemFlo is working hard to ensure that sufficient inventory levels of the Tri-Packs, Pall Rings and Saddle
style plastic random packing. Resin manufacturers around the world are experiencing major material shortages of common and specialty resins. Many resin manufacturers have filed force majeures and have customers on resin allocation. This has resulted in higher raw material cost  and extended lead times. KemFlo is working closely with our network of suppliers to ensure raw material availability and adequate inventory levels of our plastic random  packing products as well as our other product lines such as our AIK tank lids, fittings, medical products and custom products.

In addition to working closely with our supplier network KemFlo has recently purchased a new facility in Houston, Texas which gives us an increased capacity for inventory and helps to keep lead times to a minimum. The Gulf Coast Region is a hotbed for industrial and manufacturing facility turnarounds. Our Houston distribution center gives us an advantage in servicing the Gulf Coast Region as well as the entire United States of America. It also allows us to better serve our international customers with easy access to the Port of Houston as well as many air freight options. Informing our customer base about potential supply chain issues in regards to plastic tower packing is another step that KemFlo is taking to help them plan in advance for potential turnarounds.

We are also gathering market information that will help us determine and predict our customer’s demand for  specific tower packing styles, sizes and materials of construction. It is important that suppliers, manufacturers and end-users work together as a team in order to minimize product lead times and project schedule disruptions. Communication between all parties in the supply chain network can result in more efficient turnaround process.

Kemflo manufactures the Tri-Packs, Pall Ring and Saddle style packing in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes and in a variety of resins including Polypropylene, CPVC, PVDF, Tefzel and more. Kemflo also offers manufacturing of custom plastic random packing configurations. For more information on KemFlo’s Tri-Packs, Pall Ring or Saddle style plastic  tower packing please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or call us at 905-832-1217.

KEMFLO OPENS FACILITY IN HOUSTON

by | Jul 20, 2021 | Plastic Random Packing Articles

KemFlo, best known for manufacturing plastic random packing, is pleased to announce that they are opening a new facility in Houston this Fall. This addition will not only increase our capabilities in servicing the United States of America, it will also allow us to better service our international customers as well. Increased demand for KemFlo’s plastic random packing products such as the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddles has facilitated the opening of the new facility in Houston, Texas. The new facility will help ensure that our customers continue to receive high quality products in a timely manner.

Houston, Texas was selected for the new location based on its proximity to major chemical plants along the Gulf Coast and its many logistical advantages to servicing the Southern United States of America. The new facility will be located just West of town in the Katy area and will act as both a distribution center and manufacturing facility with complete injection molding capabilities. In addition to manufacturing plastic tower packing we will also produce other products such as tank lids, bulkhead fittings and vents. KemFlo also plans to offer custom injection molding at the new Houston facility.

Since 1988 KemFlo has developed a reputation for quality and service. The same quality assurance and controls that kemFlo customers have become a custom to, will be implemented at the new facility. While traditional products such as KemFlo’s plastic random packing line will be the backbone of the Houston plant, KemFlo will work to develop new business through their custom products division. Product design and engineering will be a key focus of our Houston facility. We will be expanding our design and engineering services by utilizing the latest technology and adding to our talented engineering staff. KemFlo has extensive experience in prototyping and mold design experience which will help expand our custom products group. We also have extensive experience in working with a wide range of thermoplastics such as Polypropylene, PVC, CPVC, HDPE, ABS, Kynar, PFA, Tefzel and more. All raw material used in our manufacturing process is traceable to its source which is vital to quality control. Post molding capabilities will also be available at our new facility including ultrasonic welding, hot stamping, heat insertion and machining.

Quality assurance will continue to be a major focus at all Kemflo facilities. Quality assurance starts when a product is first introduced then goes through a detailed review process whereby the product application is evaluated for fit and function, engineering requirements and product validation. This philosophy will be brought to Houston. KemFlo is committed to meeting the quality objectives and standards expected by our customers. Products are produced under the guidelines and certification requirements set out by industry standards. We will continue and expand on our goal of providing cost effective product solutions with the highest level of quality for our customers.

For more information on products manufactured by KemFlo such as the Tri-Pack and Pall Rind plastic random packing please visit our web site at www.kempac-packing.com.