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Question from Kevin: Our maintenance department keeps postponing work on our stretch wrappers because they have higher priorities and feel the wrapper maintenance isn’t really needed. What happens if the wrappers aren’t serviced regularly? Hi Kevin, Happy Holidays to you, and thanks for sending in your question. Would it surprise you to know you’re not alone? Stretch wrapper maintenance is frequently overlooked. Although wrappers contain moving and rotating components subject to wear, the consequences of that wear are often more subtle than with upstream equipment in your process. When upstream equipment doesn’t perform properly, quality control may detect product weights…

Question from Will: We’re experiencing load failures at random times throughout the year and across different shipping methods. We adjust our load containment standard, everything seems fine, and then suddenly we have more failures. What could be causing this, and how do we prevent it? Hi Will, great question! As you’ve experienced, many variables affect load containment. In fact, successful containment is much like building a skyscraper. You need a solid foundation (bedrock vs. quicksand), each floor must bear the weight of the floors above it (internal forces), and the structure must withstand the effects of wind (external force). The…

Question from Bill: There are so many stretch films on the market. What is the difference between them, and how do we choose the one that’s right for us? Hi Bill, excellent question! I’m certain many people are knocking on your door, telling you they offer the best stretch film, but logic dictates they can’t ALL be right. Let’s cut through the sales pitches so you can evaluate options based on what YOU actually need, not just what they’re selling. Let’s start with you! Stretch film is applied to a load to contain and stabilize it during transportation and storage….

We confirmed that we have met our load containment standard; however, we continue to have load failures, especially after we began shipping by rail. How do we adjust our containment standard to prevent these failures? Hi MaryAnn, thanks for sending in an excellent question. Let’s see if we can come up with a solution for you. To understand why your load failures increased after switching to rail, we first need to know what is different about the forces applied to a pallet in a railcar. There are three primary types of forces a load can experience during shipment. The most…

I am new to the company, and one of the commodities I purchase is stretch film. When I get requests from the plant, they refer to it as shrink film. Are they the same thing? Hello Toby, thanks for sending in your question. I am glad you asked because many people confuse the two. Spoiler alert – they are not the same thing. Let’s break down the differences between the two films to understand what they are and how they are used.  Stretch film is used to wrap pallets that are ready for shipment.  After a pallet is wrapped with…

We Are Plagued With Load Failures, Even Though We Have Good Force-To-Load. If We Put Any More Tension On, We Will Crush Our Boxes. If We Have Good FTL, Why Are We Seeing So Many Load Failures? Hi Andrew, thanks for sending in your question. You may be surprised to learn that it is a very common problem. You will be happy to know that it can be solved, it just requires the application of a little science. Let’s start by understanding what is causing your load failures. Fundamentally, the job of the stretch wrap is to resist the forces…

I Was Told by a Supplier That the Percent You Can Stretch Film Increases With Thickness and the Term Ultimate Strength Was Used. What Does That Mean and Is It True That Thick Films Can Be Stretched More? Hi Gavin, thanks for the question, it is a subject that is widely misunderstood. Let me begin by defining the functional role of stretch film, because we should never lose sight of that. Motion of product on the pallet during transportation is at the root of most all load failures. Stop the movement, stop the load failures. When forces act upon the load…

I See That Your Rapid Bander System Uses 2 Rolls of Film as Opposed to the Normal 1 Roll. Does It Mean That Each Revolution of the Machine Counts for 2 Wraps? Hi Miles, Your question could not have been better timed. There is a lot of discussion regarding corporate directives as well as upcoming state and federal regulations that are pushing in the direction of PCR films, and I see a growing number of products that are marketed specifically to answer that demand. So, I am going to step away from the marketing hype you may be hearing and…

I’m Constantly Told by Salespeople That Downgauging Our Stretch Wrap Will Save Us Money. What Are the Risks (Pitfalls/Potential Issues) of Downgauging Stretch Wrap to Reduce Film Costs? Hi Alfred, I am sure everyone reading this has had the same thing presented to them at some point by a salesperson selling stretch film. While that may be true on paper, let’s explore what really happens when you downgauge film. If you apply the same number of wraps at the same tension and total stretch, the film weight will be reduced, that is a fact. However, the reduction in the cost…

We Are Experiencing a Lot of Load Failures Between Our Plant and Warehouse, Which Is Just About 5 Miles Away. There Are No Bumps, Few Turns, One Stop Light, and No Hills. What Could Be Causing the Failures? Hi Sally, I am very impressed with the great questions people in the industry are asking, and this is certainly one of them! Forces experienced during normal driving conditions (turning, start/stop, up and down hill) should not be sufficient to cause a load failure between your facilities if the pallets are properly wrapped. Let me explain why. The fastest roller coaster will only…