Stretch wrap is commonly used to stabilise and secure a
pallet load, yet few companies monitor how efficiently they
are using it, according to Martyn Sumner, operations
director at Golden Valley Pallet Wrap Specialists (GVPS). He
says businesses could be overlooking an area where
significant cost savings can be made

Warehouse managers can tell you
precisely how much they are
paying for their forklift truck
fleet, for example, but often have no idea
what it is costing them to wrap a pallet. And,
depending on the type of film and the
method used to apply it, the cost differential
can be significant
Stretch wrap film should stretch by
between 150 and 300% of its original length.

So, a 1500m long role of stretch wrap film
could provide around 6000m of film when
applied to a load. If the user is only getting
5000m from the role, then the cost per pallet
wrapped goes up. If, for example, it requires
50m of film to wrap an individual pallet –
then the price difference between a role of
film that stretches to only 5000m instead of
6000m in a busy warehouse that is wrapping
and shipping 500 pallets a day can be huge.

There are a number of reasons why a user
might struggle to achieve optimum use from
a role of pallet wrap film. One of the most
common at facilities where pallet wrap
machinery is used is that the pallet wrapping
machinery is underperforming.

In my experience companies place less
emphasis on maintaining their stretch wrap
machines than they do other equipment in
the warehouse. As a result of poor
maintenance regimes, the gearing which
controls the rollers can become slack and the
film is not stretched to its maximum length.

Also, it is common to see Perspex screens
covering the control panels of stretch wrap
machines. These have usually been added to
stop operatives absent-mindedly interfering
with the settings. But, as a result, the
equipment’s performance parameters are
rarely reprogrammed to suit the film that is
being applied and therefore optimum
efficiency is not achieved.

I would strongly urge any company that
operates pallet wrap machinery to have the
equipment serviced by an authorised service
engineer at least once a year. The cost savings
in the price per pallet wrapped will almost
certainly make the return on investment
calculation very straightforward.

There is a simple test that users of stretch
wrap can undertake to ensure that they are
achieving the maximum from their film.

With a felt pen, mark a line on the film.

Then mark another line 100mm apart.

Measure the distance between the two lines
after the film has been stretched. Standard
pallet wrap film should be capable of
stretching by 150%, while power pre-stretch
film and super power pre-stretch film will
expand by between 250 and 300%. So, the
distance between the two lines on a power
stretch film should be around 350mm when
it has been applied to a pallet.

Of course, the quality of the film used also
has a significant effect on performance.

Modern stretch wrap film is becoming
thinner and stronger. Until recently pallet
wrap machine was 17-20 microns thick for
hand applied film and about 23 microns
thick for machine applied film. Now,
machine apllied film is available in 12
micron thickness and offers greater strength.

In some ways choosing pallet wrapping is
a little like putting diesel in your car.

Specifying premium film is similar to opting
for higher grades of fuel – they are slightly
more expensive but performance is
enhanced. In the same way that higher grade
fuel gives more miles per gallon, the newer
films will wrap more pallets – which reduces
the cost per pallet wrapped.