Message from the Chair
It was great to finally gather in person in Denver for the summer RIPA Board of Directors meeting on July 12th. We had a full agenda and the entire Board and Executive Committee were in attendance.
First, RIPA members, generally, have weathered recent events well. Being designated essential businesses certainly served us well in these trying times.
Several new companies have joined the association as reconditioners, suppliers and international members. RIPA’s reach truly extends across the U.S. and around the globe.
The Board awarded Mr. Spencer Walker the Morris Hershson Award of Merit. Spencer has been a great friend and a great asset for the industry for many years. Hopefully, you can join us in Chicago in October to bestow the award and celebrate Spencer’s many contributions to the industry and the association.
I also want to point out that Spencer’s wonderful wife, Melony, is truly a part of this award. Spencer and Melony have been a great team over the years and she has done much to ensure that our meetings are filled with smiles and laughter.
Speaking of Chicago, RIPA will once again co-locate the fall Annual Conference with IPANA’s conference, sharing in several parts of the program. Also, the Suppliers Exposition will showcase many important products and services on which the industry often relies.
Looking forward, we expect the spring Technical Conference to go ahead in Memphis, TN with dates to be determined. Also, there is a conference being planned for 2022 for the International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR).
In short, the association is positioned well to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Please join me in supporting RIPA and participating in as many ways as you can.
Mike Bank, Chair
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Spencer Walker to be Honored with Top Industry Achievement Award
Mr. Spencer Walker, recently retired Director, Special Projects, Mauser Packaging Solutions, and former Chair of the Reusable Industrial Packaging Association, has been selected by his industry peers to receive the 2021 Morris Hershson Award of Merit. Mr. Walker will be given the award at the InterContinental Hotel on October 21, 2021, at the association’s 79th Annual Conference. RIPA presents the prestigious award to an individual for “distinguished and longstanding service” to the reusable industrial packaging industry.
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Board Adopts Amendment to Code of
Operating Practice
The RIPA Board of Directors has adopted an amendment to the association’s Code of Operating Practice clarifying that as a condition of membership, all members of the association must comply with the laws of the United States, including those related to antitrust, trademark and associated matters.
The text of the amendment, which is shown in full below, will appear in the introductory section in each of the association’s Codes of Practice (i.e. steel drums; plastic drums; fiber drums and intermediate bulk containers).
Code amendment
[We] agree, regardless of our corporate location, to comply with the laws of the United States, including but not limited to laws related to antitrust and unfair competition, trademark and intellectual property rights, and contractual obligations.
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UN Sub-Committee of Experts Looks at
Packaging Issues
The United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCOE TDG) held their 58th Session remotely 28 June – 2 July 2021. The Sub-Committee considered 79 proposals during the session, which was the first of four sessions to be held during the 2021-2022 biennium.
The Experts considered several informal proposals on matters of direct interest to the industrial packaging industry. In addition, they discussed two broad proposals that could lead to significant changes in the way the Sub-Committee operates in the future.
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House Passes Infrastructure Bill: Increases
PHMSA Funding
On July 1, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to reauthorize surface transportation and water programs by a partisan vote of 221-201. The INVEST in America Act, (H.R. 3684), would authorize spending $715 billion over five years for highways, bridges, transit, rail and water projects and safety programs.
Although the primary purpose of the legislation is to expand substantially the amount of money spent on a wide range of infrastructure improvements, the bill includes a broad definition of “infrastructure” to include money for climate change initiatives, social justice programs, and other programs not normally viewed as infrastructure.
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OSHA Proposes a Definition of “Combustible Dust”
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing a definition for “combustible dust” that is generated in a workplace. If adopted, the definition would appear in the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). It would cover dust generated in a wide range of industrial settings, possibly including reconditioning facilities. Activities such as steel shot blasting and possibly plastic shredding or grinding operations may be affected by the proposed rule.
OSHA proposes to define combustible dust as: “…finely divided solid particles of a substance or mixture that are liable to catch fire or explode on ignition when dispersed in air or other oxidizing media.“
The current proposal would not mandate the use of specific control technology, risk analysis, monitoring or retrofits of existing equipment or property. OSHA is simply proposing to adopt the definition recently issued by the UN Subcommittee of Experts for a Globally Harmonized System (GHS). If adopted, employers for whom combustible dust is a concern would be expected to communicate this potential hazard to employees.
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RIPA Board Meets in Denver – In Person!
For the first time since October 2019, the RIPA Board of Directors held an in-person meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, CO. RIPA Chair Mike Bank summed-up the meeting nicely: “Seeing everyone was like having a heavy weight lifted from our shoulders. It was great having the chance to talk to my colleagues about the industry and, importantly, to find out how everyone coped with the pandemic.”
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Centurion Container Forms Joint Venture
With Natural Bridge Station
Centurion Container, the second largest provider of reconditioned IBC’s in North America, announced on July 22, 2021 the formation of a Joint Venture with Natural Bridge Station, Inc. (“NBS”), a regional leader in Industrial Packaging Products and Services, was founded in 2000 by Mike Bank, a Fourth Generation Reconditioner with whom the Centurion Team has enjoyed a long and rewarding relationship. The Joint Venture will be called Container Buyers LLC (the “Company”) and will do business as a division of Centurion Container. With Production facilities in both Denver, CO and Phoenix AZ, the Company will serve as Centurion’s gateway to the West Coast as well as adding a new dimension to its products and services portfolio, which includes sourcing, as well as warehousing and distribution of a wide variety of rigid and flexible packaging.
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