Stretch Your Wrap, Not Your Budget
Finding ways to reduce operational costs without compromising package quality is crucial to long-term financial success and reputation. One strategy is to optimize your use and application of stretch wrap. As daily operational costs for businesses continue to increase, addressing inefficiencies in the stretch wrapping process is a key cost-reduction opportunity.
Efficiency Through Automation
Investing in automatic or semi-automatic pallet wrappers not only significantly increases packaging efficiency but provides cost-saving opportunities by optimizing the use of stretch wrap. Machines ensure consistent application that maximizes the stretch capacity of film, guaranteeing no material is wasted while also providing optimal load stability. Stability is critical to cost savings, as unstable loads are more susceptible to costly damage during transportation.
Regular maintenance is also a must-have when using machinery. It calibrates equipment to wrap with optimal tension and number of rotations, ensuring no excess material is used.
A Tighter Wrap on Costs
Automatic and semi-automatic pallet wrappers have historically required large upfront investments. However, financing and leasing options have removed the financial barrier to entry, allowing more businesses to reap the cost and timesaving benefits this equipment provides.
Leasing also preserves capital for other needs like operational expenses or expansion and helps better manage cashflow through fixed monthly payments.
Wrap More, Waste Less
Not all stretch wrap is equal, and choosing the wrong type can be a costly mistake. For example, a Bunzl customer in British Colombia was applying 32 rotations of 50-gauge film per package, far exceeding packaging requirements and resulting in wasted product and labour. By switching to an 80-gauge hybrid film, they significantly decreased the number of rotations required per package, and along with it both labour and material costs.
As impressive as that result might be, it’s important to understand that the opposite can also be true. Businesses might find themselves using high-gauge film where a thinner film would suffice. Downgauging film, where applicable, saves on material costs by achieving equal load stability with less material.
Talk to your Bunzl Industrial Packaging rep to determine if you’re using the right film for the job.
Get Hands On
If automated solutions aren’t an option, ensure your team is properly trained on manual pallet wrapping. Manual wrapping is prone to inconsistencies in material use and load stability. If not addressed, these inconsistencies can lead to wasted product and labour, and improperly wrapped loads are more susceptible to costly damage during transport. Training is crucial to maximize wrapping efficiency, reduce product waste, and ensure packages arrive safely and undamaged.
Ready to pack it better? Reach out to your Bunzl Industrial Packaging rep to learn how you can spend less and do more with your stretch wrapping process.