“Dry as a bone”: rainproof packaging down under with Concetti. A case story from Australia

Concetti have recently supplied a complete FFS line to Westbuild, a building products supplier in Wangara, allowing them to launch Australia's first plastic bag containing dry mix concrete. The benefits are enormous for both retail and trade stores and most importantly for the end users.

Main benefits:

  • Rainproof bags: protection against rainwater for a reliable outdoor storage on pallets
  • Increased shelf life of the product
  • Tougher bags: tear resistant and less likely to break
  • Compact bags: great for good pallet stack presentation and stability
  • No dust: clean and safe working environment
  • No spillage: bags are much cleaner to handle and easier to transport
  • Better accuracy for each bag (compared to valve bag technology)
  • Easier to recycle: polyethylene (PE) packaging requires less energy to recycle than traditional paper bags


Concetti conducted a telephone interview with Mr Marcus Parlapiano, Sales Manager of Westbuild, an independent, family owned supplier of packaged building products in Wangara, near Perth, Western Australia. Concetti have recently supplied a complete line using FFS technology with a PS-AB low level palletiser and stretch wrapper. The line handles Westbuild's general purpose, quick setting and high strength dry-mix concrete products.

CN: Mr Parlapiano thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for this feature. Firstly, we wanted to know the reasons for Westbuild moving from paper packaging to a labyrinth sealed PE bag?

MP: Westbuild like to offer customers innovative solutions and value for money. By using PE sacks sealed against moisture and extending the product shelf life we were able to do both and of course, we were aware that PE packaging of dry cementitious materials was becoming the accepted norm in Europe.

Being able to store the pallets outside is a big advantage for our distributors and us. People might think it's always dry and sunny in Western Australia but we get our fair share of wet weather in Perth and keeping cement based products dry is just as important as anywhere in Europe.

And because there's no leakage the pack is much cleaner to handle which helps both our DIY and professional users.

CN: What made you choose Concetti for your new line?

MP: We looked at a number of suppliers but Concetti impressed us from the start. They asked the right questions and gave us some useful advice. They prepared a detailed offer with a layout drawing showing a nice, compact arrangement. The fact that they built everything in one factory and could test the whole line together was also a benefit. Being so far away we wanted to be absolutely sure everything was right before shipment.

We visited some lines in the UK and Italy and also the very impressive Concetti factory near Perugia. This all gave us a lot of confidence that Concetti would be a reliable partner and I'm glad to be able to say we reached an agreement on price and were able to place the order.

CN: What features particularly impressed you about the Concetti line?

MP: The air evacuation system is essential to get a good, tight pack. This reduces the amount of pressing needed and helps to give an excellent pallet presentation. Lots of customers comment on the appearance of our pallets. Also, the flexibility to allow different products to be handled with all the settings being changed automatically saves a lot of time if you have short job runs.

The teleservice gives us the reassurance that Concetti's technicians in Italy can resolve any small problems quickly. The line was delivered on time and was installed and commissioned without any problems. We expected a lot from Concetti and we haven't been disappointed.

CN: Would you consider using Concetti again in the future?

MP: You bet! We have had great support from everybody at Concetti all the way through. If we have other projects in future we'll certainly ask Concetti.

CN: Mr Parlapiano, many thanks for your time.