The Benefits of NCC’s Cleaner Steel Drums | North Coast Container

As the largest independent manufacturer of steel drums in North America, North Coast Container’s mission is to be the preferred container supplier to our customers by providing the best quality, value, and service – while leading in safety and sustainability. 

NCC’s business system prioritizes respect, serves as a sophisticated platform for growth, and is built on a customer-first foundation. Our relentless commitment to quality includes investing in the equipment and taking the additional time to provide our customers with cleaner steel drums. Not only do our extra washing measures provide numerous benefits across industries, but they also allow you to grow your own business by better meeting the unique needs of your customers.

The Benefits of Cleaner Steel Drums

NCC washes the entirety of drums for maximum cleanliness, so you can rest assured that product contamination – including the associated cost and time involved with this issue – is eliminated. As a result of sourcing cleaner steel drums, your company will not be burdened with the additional steps in your processes for proper sanitation of the drums.

Clean steel drums are beneficial across all industries, as they keep the products that they contain pure for the end user. Avoiding contamination helps ensure the products will have the best possible shelf life and performance characteristics that their manufacturers intended.

Specifically, clean steel drums most benefit products that carry the largest risks when contaminated, such as:

• Food and beverage applications, where any contamination can have detrimental effects on quality or shelf life. Examples include edible oils, fruit juices, sauces and condiments, and liquid sweeteners.
• Pharmaceutical ingredients, vaccines, and biological products, where any contamination can have detrimental effects on health and/or shelf life. 
• Solvents and specialty chemicals, where purity is extremely important for end use.
• Automotive and aerospace, where purity is critical to the product’s performance
• Cosmetics and personal care products like fragrances, lotions, and creams, where purity is vital for end use.
• High-dollar commodities, where even a trace amount of contamination can have a large impact on profitability. 
• Additional products that rely on purity for proper end use, such as disinfectants and pH adjusters, paintings and coatings, and pesticides and herbicides.

NCC’s clean steel drums enable you to maintain the highest product purity, saving time and money. Our added washing process eliminates additional cleaning and inspection steps, reduces the loss of product due to contamination and defects, and results in fewer claims and greater satisfaction from your customers.

NCC’s Steel Drum Cleaning Process

Every steel drum that NCC produces goes through our cleaning process — during which the entirety of the drum is washed — at no extra cost, no matter which customer or industry is involved. 

Before attaching the drum body, head, and bottom, each part is washed, removing lubricant and contaminants. Our environmentally friendly wash system, which saves 25% on energy and uses 40% less water, is followed by the final assembly of the head and bottom to the drum body.

Finally, exterior paint and interior liner are applied, if needed. The washing process also improves adherence to inner lining and exterior paint, since eliminating oil or other contaminants first enables these coatings to be much more effective.

NCC’s industry-leading cleaning process is unique, requiring a significant investment in equipment and time to wash all parts of all containers. Conversely, it is much more common to wash only the steel sheet – not the head and bottom – before the forming process, or to use dry steel with a small amount of lubricant and not wash at all. While these less involved methods may work for some customers, those with high-purity products will likely run into problems.

At NCC, our cleaning process is further evidence of the commitment to quality and continuous improvement that defines who we are. Our nationwide footprint with redundant capabilities and highly engaged leadership makes us an easy-to-work-with partner so you can expect superior quality, reliability, and service.

Contact us today to learn more about receiving cleaner steel drums from NCC.