Two firms are set to capitalise on a ‘fire-resistant’ freight container just two weeks before a ban on shipping lithium-ion batteries on passenger planes comes into affect.
Dutch firm Teijin Aramid and US firm MACRO Industries are working together to develop, manufacture and commercialise
Twaron fiber Unit Load Devices (ULDs) that meet strict aviation safety standards.
Twaron is Teijin’s man-made fiber and flagship para-aramid product.
ULDs using the MACRO-Lite panels can contain a fire with a peak temperature of 1,200-degree Fahrenheit (648.9°C) for four hours, according to test by UPS.
MACRO-Lite ULDs will be marketed as a replacement for some of the 900,000 existing aluminum panels in operation across the globe.
The product could pave a way for companies to navigate the shipping ban by the 36-State International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Governing Council which comes into affect April 1st.
“Approximately $5.5 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries legally produced each year are now only transported by sea and over land, making these fire-resistant containers a game changer for the air freight industry,” says business manager at Teijin Aramid.