Chance to wrap up some savings

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.