The Advantages Of Using A Stretch Wrapping Machine For Shipping Your Pallet Loads

2 March 2015
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When you own a business that ships out merchandise in bulk from a warehouse, you must make sure that the pallets containing your products are securely wrapped before they are loaded onto trucks. Shrink wrapping your boxes on pallets is a common way to secure products before shipping. It is not difficult to shrink wrap pallets manually but if you send out more than a few per day, the process can be time consuming.

Consider the benefits of investing in a stretch wrapping machine if you are concerned about packing your products in an efficient manner and saving time.

Production Advantages

It does not matter if you own a small factory warehouse with just a few employees shipping a few dozen pallets a day or if you have a sprawling facility that processes large volumes of products, a well-stocked supplier of stretch wrapping equipment should have a machine that fits your needs and budget.

You can choose from automatic and semi-automatic stretch wrappers machines. With a semi-automatic machine, packages get loaded to a turntable that spins. You operate an arm-like device loaded with a roll of stretch film made of heavy duty plastic. The arm wraps the pallet load.

Another type of semi-automatic stretch wrapping machine consists of a movable arm mounted on a frame. The pallet remains still while the movable arm rotates around the load covering it with the stretch film.

If you need to wrap hundreds of pallets or more per day, a fully automated stretch wrapping machine is ideal. You can integrate the machine into your assembly line so loaded pallets on a conveyer belt get stretched wrapped automatically as they move along the production cycle.

Packages are generally wrapped in clear stretch film to make them easy to identify. Clear plastic film also helps inspectors at state and international borders to process your shipment. However, you can also order the material in other colors such as black, green and blue.

Protecting Loads

Once your pallet load is protected with stretch film it is ready for shipping or long-term storage. The stretch film is durable enough to protect all types of pallet loads from a standard arrangement of several same-size boxes to an odd assortment of irregularly shaped equipment and containers.

When your pallets are sealed by a stretch wrap machine your products are also protected from moisture, dust, debris and pests. The stretch film also resists tears, abrasions and punctures so pallets will be less likely to suffer damage during transit.

In addition, it is easy to detect if a shipment has been tampered with because someone would have to break the tightly sealed plastic film to access to open packages.

Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness

When you stretch wrap boxes on pallets manually, you are limited by how fast you can work. If you use a handheld stretch film roller to wrap pallets, you use 100 percent direct labor and take time out of your day to complete a task that can be automated.

In addition, when you use a stretch wrapping machine you can avoid issues like repetitive motion injuries that may occur from frequent manual wrapping. Automated pallet wrapping enables your employees to spend time completing more valuable tasks instead of handling an unwieldy manual stretch wrap roller and maneuvering large rolls of plastic film.

Furthermore, a machine can wrap pallets in a uniform manner and tighter than a human. You will not have to worry about making mistakes such as not using enough stretch film or wasting the material by using too much. The finished product will look more professional.

When you use a stretch wrap machine your customers will come to expect professionally wrapped packages. If you rely on manually wrapping pallets, you risk giving your customers the impression that you do not care about protecting merchandise during transit.