Have you ever experienced high amounts of static being dispersed on to your film?
We had a customer come to us asking if we could do anything about that static build-up on the pallets. Static is often generated as a result of surface separation between two rollers slipping over stretch film. To combat this issue, Best Packaging uses elastic dissipating cords to remove static.
The elastic cord removes static from the stretch wrapper by neutralizing the surface as it is unwound and applied to the bundle. The cord is thread through a mounted magnet hole, kept straight for tension, and tied a simple knot. As long as the cord is within ¾ of an inch of the film, it will lower the static charge.
If you ever run into any issues with your stretch wrap applications, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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Did you know 1 oz of extra stretch film per pallet at a facility wrapping 1,500 loads per evening is worth $31,200.00 per year?
Would your operators know if they were using an extra 1 oz of film on a pallet?
An extra 8 oz at the same facility would be $250,000.00 per year!
The costs can add up fast – and that’s just film costs! What about pallet load damage and productivity losses due to film that is not used properly?
Companies are best served when they developed a stretch film procurement solution to understand the properties of the film they use, their distribution channel, and the forces necessary to deliver their loads successfully.
Best Packaging has created stretch film procurement ‘best practices’ to meet these goals and provide a consistent result that can be created, tested, repeated and maintained.
- Best Packaging Inc. can be hired as a consultant to EVALUATE the film. We will perform several tests to determine results such as the ultimate stretch, film puncture resistance and the amount of ‘cling’ in the stretch film.
- We will assess the best way to apply the film based on the different types of products that are wrapped and establish the type of containment necessary.
- Once we UNDERSTAND how to achieve the best results, we will go back to the plant and CREATE the ideal wrapped load by selecting a few films that meet the criteria most important to your operations.
- After the load is recreated, we will perform a TEST for effectiveness. Doing so will allow our techs to set a standard based on how the load wraps on the production floor to ensure the proper containment and the proper amount of film.
Gone are the days where we standardize the film. Instead, standardizing the result will ensure the product arrives to the end user without damage in the most productive and cost-effective method possible.
- The last step in this best practices project would be to train maintenance and operators how to visually MONITOR the standard. Best Packaging can be hired to maintain and upgrade this standard. There should also be supervisor in charge of each shift assigned to monitor the standard at selected intervals.
Because stretch film is usually marketed using only a few specifications, it is easy for procurement departments to believe they are getting a good value at a lower cost. However, Best Packaging has the tools and expertise to ensure your company is getting the most value and production from your stretch film purchases while guaranteeing that your products arrive damage-free. If you’ are currently wrapping products with stretch film and want to ensure you are getting the maximum yield, give us a call at (888) 930 BEST.
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With so many manufacturers misusing stretch wrap vocabulary, it can often be difficult to understand the true meaning of these terms. To help consumers understand the real meaning, we listed a few of the most commonly misused terms in the packaging industry. In doing so, we hope to educate consumers so as to not be fooled by deceptive terminology when evaluating stretch wrap options.
Pre-stretch is the process of elongated film to a percentage of its original length. The advantage of operating with pre-stretch is that it provides great load stability and allows you consume less film per pallet. Below are two different methods to obtain pre-stretch.
- Pre-stretched stretch film is film that is stretched during the manufacturing process prior to being wound up in rolls for stretch film application. The majority of pre-stretched stretch film is applied using hand wrap dispensers.
- Another means of obtaining pre-stretch film is by elongated it using the motorized pre-stretch capabilities of a wrapper. The film passes through two film carriage rollers running at different speeds that stretch the film prior to being applied to the load.
A common misconception within the packaging industry is that stretching the film activates its elastic memory, triggering the film to return to its original state. Another mistake is assuming the two methods of obtaining pre-stretch produce the same outcome- although that’s not necessarily the case.
Suppose you have a roll of pre-stretched stretch film at $5 per roll that gives you 15ft of surface area to work with and 15ft of regular stretch film at $8 per roll. Naturally, the $5 already pre-stretched film would appeal to most plant managers. However, when operating under the correct settings, there could be more to gain from producing pre-stretched film using a stretch wrapper.
If your stretch wrapper is operating at 250% stretch, the regular stretch film at $8 per roll could potentially give you 25ft, as opposed to the pre-stretched film coming in at 15ft. Despite the regular stretch film coming in at a higher cost, it’s winds up more valuable because you’re getting more use of that film while consuming less. By choosing to stretch your film using a powered stretch wrapper, you save money on film and overall lower operating costs.
Force-to-Load is a measure of how tight the film is being pulled as it exits the carriage and is applied to the load. Force to load plays a key factor in maintaining a percentage of prestretch. Although force-to-load does not hold your pallet, the amount applied does contribute to all around containment force.
Containment force is the amount of load retention created due to the film’s stiff properties. Containment force is the property that holds your pallet together during transit. Typically, for every 100lbs of product, you want to have at least 1 lb of containment force. Containment force and pre-stretch ought to be assessed on a regular basis to ensure the stretch wrap is being applied accurately. To evaluate the performance of your stretch film and application process, there are several testing methods that can be employed. These methods include using a film force pull plate, pull bar, double finger, or even replicating the delivery of a pallet via freight truck with a vibrations or tilt test.
Understanding this terminology can make a difference in terms of stretch film cost savings, ensuring that your load is held tightly enough, and avoiding film breaks that could potentially damage your product. Instead of buying more or new film, you may be able to simply adjust your stretch levels. Knowledge of these terms and how to correctly use them enables consumers to make more informed decisions when comparing options for your packaging line. For more information, contact us at 888 930 BEST.
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Stretch Film is the highly elastic plastic material used to wrap products and secure them onto pallets. It is made from LLDPE and is the ideal material for wrapping and securing loads because of its flexibility. The film’s ability to stretch around corners of products, boxes, and pallets offers increased puncture and tear resistance as well as greater efficiency when applied appropriately. In order for stretch film to have these capabilities, makers of stretch film must add certain elements. Tackifier is an element used in the manufacturing process to add stickiness of the surface of the stretch film. Stickiness is an important trait in stretch film as it needs to be able to cling tightly to the other layers and maintain its adhesiveness as conditions change.
Stickiness is a great feature to have with stretch film, however most stretch wrappers that pre-stretch film, thin it out. As a result, there is less tackifier holding the film together. When there is not enough tackifier or the film is loaded wrong, the film unwinds from the pallet creating film tails. Film tails tend to drag on the ground, get caught in equipment, and more importantly, they unravel on loads and cause load holding failures. To avoid generating film tails, Best Packaging offers machines that can turn off the pre-stretch (which thins the film) right before the film is cut. In doing so, you are guaranteeing the film is thickest which allows the tackifier to maintain its stickiness. For more information on these stretch wrappers or to learn more about stretch film, give us a call at (888) 930 BEST.
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Ever since the creation of stretch wrapping, various types of applications have been developed for unitizing pallet loads. One of these methods includes hand wrapping which involves a person walking around the pallet, securing the load with a hand-held stretch film roller. Although some people might find this method useful today, it’s not always the most productive.
Depending on the size and structure of the pallet that you are wrapping, there is a large amount of bending and twisting involved in making sure that the entire pallet is wrapped thoroughly. Even with orderly and square pallets, hand wrapping requires that an employee walk around in circles which causes dizziness and may lead to a higher risk of harm for employees. Thus, hand wrapping could generate inefficiencies in the supply chain process as work injuries cause downtime, high insurance costs, and workers compensation. Sometimes you may even need to hire a replacement worker which could result in more time and money.
Stretch wrapper machines have powered film delivery systems that typically stretch the film at a high level than hand wrapping. In most cases, this creates a cost savings of anywhere from 25% – 40% because less film is needed to contain the pallet (B2BInd). Alternatively, most workers operating hand-held stretch films rarely stretch film more than 50 percent during the hand wrap process. A nationwide evaluation of hand wrapping in real-life situations found that the average person stretches hand wrap less than 15%, thereby hindering the stretch film’s ability to effectively hold a shifting load (B2BInd). When pallets aren’t wrapped tightly enough, they are likely to fall apart causing damage to other products as well. With hand wrapping, an operator has the potential to wrap several loads, but the performance of a machine is much more reliable.
If you’re experiencing any of these drawbacks, it might be time to upgrade a stretch wrapping machine. For more information, visit our website or give us a call at (888) 930 BEST
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It may seem like a good decision to hold off on making a large investment, however future downtime could end up costing you more than you think. If you are experiencing any of this in your wrapping process, it may be a wise decision to make a stretch wrap machine purchase.
- You’re wrapping more than 20 pallets a day. It would probably be in your best interest to get a stretch wrap machine because of the manual labor that is involved with hand wrapping. A large amount of bending and twisting is required in making sure that the entire pallet is wrapped thoroughly. The amount of physical work involved takes a lot of energy that employees will need throughout the day. A stretch wrap machine would not only speed up the process, but also free up the employee to accomplish other tasks while the pallet is being wrapped.
- You’re experiencing load damage because of improper wrapping. In order for stretch film to work properly, it has to be stretched 70-80% of its ultimate stretch. Ultimate stretch is what helps to hold pallet loads in place. When wrapping pallets by hand, it is difficult to consistently reach the amount of required stretch which could potentially lead to products falling over and cost more money.
- Stretch film costs are becoming too high. It is quite uncommon for workers to reach maximum stretch potential. which results in a lot of money being wasted on excess stretch film. However, with a stretch wrap machine, you’re able to boost the stretch rate and eliminate unnecessary extra revolutions of film being applied which could reduce costs.
- You’re having issues with employee safety. An automatic stretch wrapper would keep a forklift operator on the forklift which is could be an important safety advantage. Not to mention, a poorly wrapped pallet can fall over, resulting in damaged goods or injury to a handler. A stretch wrap machine could ensure worker safety by properly wrapping loads in a timely manner.
- You encounter inconsistent output. An operator who wraps pallets with hand wrap stretch film is not able to wrap every load exactly the same way, time and time again. Whereas, a stretch wrap machine consistently wraps pallets in the same way each and every time producing a clean professional finished product. Thus, if you’re looking for your pallet loads to project a professional image, it’s best to consider a stretch wrap machine
Eliminating any one of these justifies purchasing a stretch wrap machine. Let Best Packaging speak with you about a possible purchase and help you decide the right stretch wrap machine for your application by calling us at (888) 930 BEST.
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In order for loads to be wrapped correctly for shipping, you must apply the right amount of containment force. Containment force is the number of film revolutions multiplied by the wrap force. There is a right amount of containment force for each load that ensures that the load is stable and held firmly enough. There are a few things you could do to detect the optimal amount of containment force using the least amount of film. For example, you can experiment with different types of stretch film, alter the machine gauges and prestretch levels, or manipulate the wrap force settings. However, the best way to find the ideal containment force is to test the top, middle, and bottom of the load with a containment force tool.
At Best Packaging, we have the testing technology required to measure and determine the proper containment standard in order to make sure your film can maintain a particular load holding force over time.Using our portable film force system, we can help you identify the minimum containment force required to decrease film costs.
You shouldn’t be alarmed if your containment force isn’t distributed evenly throughout your load. In fact, the lowest containment force value recorded should become your target for shipping a stable load. For instance, if you’re measuring various pounds of containment force at the top, middle, and bottom, but you’re shipping without any issues, it’s best to set your containment force at the at the lowest-mid containment standard. Doing so ensures you must have at least the minimum amount of containment force everywhere on the load in order for it to be safe to ship. By understanding the different distribution channels, Best Packaging is able to give recommendations on the appropriate settings when sending out different loads.
Once you’ve learned how to measure and have achieved the right containment force, you’ll be able to enjoy consistently safe loads, and more importantly, consistently happy customers. To learn more about containment force or how we can help you measure it, call us at (888) 930 BEST
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Many consumers don’t realize that stretch film plays an important role in delivering and transporting many of the products they use. Stretch Film is the highly elastic plastic material used to wrap products and secure them onto pallets. It is most commonly used to unitize products for efficient storage, but also serves as protection for transportation.
Stretch film is made from LLDPE (Linear-Low-Density Polyethylene). LLDPE is the ideal material for wrapping and securing loads because of its flexibility. The film’s ability to stretch around corners of products, boxes, and pallets offers increased puncture and tear resistance as well as greater efficiency when applied appropriately. High puncture and tear resistance guarantees that the load will remain stable and secure during transportation. Increased puncture resistance as well as a reduction of cost can be detected when the film reaches its maximum stretch potential.
At Best Packaging, we use state of the art testing technology to evaluate stretch film performance. If you’re currently wrapping products with stretch film and want to ensure you’re getting the maximum stretch potential, give us a call at (888) 930 BEST. By helping you understand your wrapping operations better, we can recommend solutions to reduce costs and improve your wrapping performance.
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One of the main uses of stretch wrap is to consolidate many smaller individual packages into one larger unit. Reshaping the load into one solid unit makes it easier to transport. By only having to transport one unit, this saves distributors time and damage when loading.
Quality and Appearance are also important. We want our customers deliver to be able to ship their product(s) in good condition- which is why we stretch wrap. Stretch wrapping allows us to unitize our loads and protect the product from damage which contributes to lower admin costs and happier customers.
As a result, stretch wrapping is now the preferred method for unitized shipping of goods. Most companies that utilize production warehouses are most likely familiar with stretch wrapping. However, in order to make the right decisions about stretch wrap machines, it’s important to be properly informed. There are three methods of stretch wrap application: manual, semi-automatic machine, and high speed automatic machine.
- A manual wrap requires workers to wrap a load by hand. This involves attaching the film to the pallet and then using a roll of stretch wrap on a bar to wrap the film. Workers start at the base and then walk around the load to make certain that the entire pallet is wrapped thoroughly. The amount of manual labor involved with stretch wrapping a pallet by hand is high and often takes a lot of energy. Therefore, this method is ideal for small operations where only one or two pallets a day require wrapping.
- Semi-automatic stretch wrappers have the machine perform the actual stretch wrapping. On semi-automatic stretch wrappers, the pallet is placed on a turntable rotating the pallet as the film moves up and down. Semi-Automatic Stretch Wrap Machines are more ideal for larger shipping and manufacturing industries that wrap about 100 pallets per day and are designed for use with a forklift or a pallet jack. There are also features that could be added to the semi-automatic machines that can increase automation.
- High speed automated stretch wrappers usually incorporate conveyors to automatically cycle loads through the machine for increased output and efficiency. These stretch wrappers can keep up with the most demanding production rates. Automatic stretch wrappers apply and cut the film, so the only thing you need to do is change the film roll. Since the load remains stationary, they are ideal for wrapping very light, very heavy, tall or unstable loads.
Best Packaging offers a variety of stretch wrappers at affordable prices. For machine wrapping solutions, call us at (888) 930 BEST
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Here at Best Packaging, we see this all the time. If a stretch wrapper is not actually “stretching” the film to its full potential, you are throwing money out the window. In addition, increasing the stretch of the film will increase the containment force. A load wrapped with a machine which is not stretching the film properly is much more prone to shipping damage. Many companies don’t take these factors into account. They think that as long as their machines are working, they are working properly.
We recently got a call from a customer who has large distribution centers in many states and is wrapping 2500 pallets per day. Their corporate office had noticed a trend that a distribution center in one state was spending much more in film costs per year than their other locations, even though they all used the same machines and the same film. These machines are meant to stretch the film at 250%. When the Best Packaging team arrived we quickly found that some of their machines were working properly, stretching the film to 250%, while others were stretching the film significantly less due to mechanical failures in the film carriage. Using state of the art testing technology we were able to determine that these faulty machines were costing this customer about $600 per day in added film cost. We quickly worked to resolve the issues with the film carriage and this location is now exceeding their film cost benchmark.
If you don’t know how much your machines are stretching the film or how much you are paying per load, give us a call. We can perform a machine audit and provide a report on your machine performance, film cost, and recommend solutions to bring your costs down. A small investment in testing could save you a lot!
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