Optimized packaging: Selecting The Best Film For Your Loads

Optimized packaging for your load wraps
Optimized packaging for your load wraps

Did you know that 4% of transported goods are damaged upon arrival? Factories, warehouses, and businesses are now more aware of the importance of optimized packaging when it comes to pallet wrapping machines to avoid unwanted losses. 

While buyers are concerned about the condition of the goods they paid for, sellers are much affected and responsible for this. 

Even if damage did not occur at the seller or senders center, the primary fault usually goes to them, resulting in costly return cost and damage to their reputation.  

This is why optimizing your tertiary packaging is the way to help improve what you are already doing but better.

What Is Optimized Packaging? 

In a nutshell, packaging optimization means using smart packaging that fits your packaging needs designed to secure, contain, and protect your products. 

It is important that your packages are secured during logistic processes from warehouses, factories, in-store fulfillment centers, or manufacturers to a final destination usually determined by the buyer or due process.

What Should I Be Looking at For Optimized Unitization? 

So, what does optimization mean? Optimized packaging means using the right film for the suitable machine for the right amount of film when it comes to stretch film. 

The Right Amount of Film

Too thin of a film, and it will not protect the product. Too thick, and it will cost more and potentially damage the product if it’s packed too tightly.  

Optimizing a pallet properly depends on the film’s pre-stretch capabilities and the heaviness of the load. 

For example, when wrapping a heavy pallet of drinks of 1.5L bottle packs x 480 bottles per pallet, Newton R&D Center’s benchmark would be to use 450 grams of stretch film for optimum wrapping. If it is a smaller packed 500ml bottle packs x 1,200 bottles per pallet, our best benchmark is that your stretch film usage should only weigh 408 grams. 

What about lighter pallet wraps?

Light package wraps like packaging a pallet of tissue should be wrapped using a ring wrapper should only require 280-300 grams of stretch film (according to Newton R&D Center’s benchmark). 

The Right Machine 

As covered in our previous article on pairing your film to the right stretch wrapping machine, it is essential to match them to achieve optimum wraps. 

In summary, these machines are generally used and suitable for your wrapping needs 

  • Turntable Wrapper – The simplest form to wrap where the pallet is placed on a turntable that rotates while a pallet stretch film is delivered around the load. It is capable of 10– 20 loads per hour and ideal for A and B load types. 

  • Rotary Arm Wrapper – Operates by positioning loads under a rotating arm. The load stays secured and stationary while stretch film is revolved to wrap around the pallet. Suitable for all A, B, and C types of heavy and oversized loads.

  • Ring Wrapper – Excellent for unstable loads that required high throughput yield. When wrapping, the load remains stationary. The wrapping is done via rotating around the pallet not by an arm but through a large ring. 

Benefits of optimizing wrapping 

What are the benefits of packaging in supply chain management when optimizing wraps? Here are some important ones that could benefit you: 

  • Save cost – Don’t spend unnecessarily for more film when you can do better with less.

  • Good for the environment – You are not over or under-consuming when you are optimizing. When you over-consume, access materials contribute to more wastage (more carbon footprint), while under-consuming isn’t a healthy option. When there is not enough film to optimize your wraps, your pallets become unstable and are prone to tip over and all, resulting in damaged and unsaleable goods. 

  • Enhance Production – Optimized wrapping can increase production in warehouses or distribution centers when there is no overwrapping of pallets. This saves time and boosts output. 

  • Minimizing product damage – With optimized wraps, you gain better load stability and containment. There will be lesser chances of damages in your warehouse and along the distribution journey. 

  • Increase employee productivity – Employees will also find it easier to handle packages that are optimized too. Packing is neat, tidy, and easy to handle too.

Using Machines to Optimize Your Wraps For Optimized Packaging

Different machines work with different types of loads. Generally, there are three types of pallet wrapping loads:

  • A Load – Stable, straight sides with up to 3″ protrusions.

  • B Load – Relatively stable with protrusions of up to 6″ inches or less

  • C Load – Oddly shaped with several protrusions (including sharp corners) of over 6″. Unstable.

How Do Thong Guan’s Products Fit into Your Load Type? 

Optimizing your loads can be quite a challenge, and we are here to help you with it. Here are some scenarios of how our machine film products can level up your wrapping process. If you already: 

  • Have your own machine, but your machine doesn’t pre-stretch much (less than 100%)?: Don’t worry, you don’t have to convert your machines to power pre-stretch yet. Our Maxstrech series would be best suited for such applications. Maxstretch comes with a 20% guaranteed load integrity/memory that is stiff for optimal load containment. With less film consumption, it helps you save cost and gains the best for your wraps. 

  • Have your own power pre-stretched machine that can pre-stretch 300% using 23um film?: Thong Guan’s NanoXecure is perfect for you. Xecure is a high holding force film at a thinner gauge where 14um film would handle and perform the same as a typical 20um film. Xecure’s 17um film can also efficiently perform as well as 23um films. Our nano series films are designed to have high holding force but with a thinner gauge so that you can save on film. 

  • Have an inline machine for fast wrapping environments?: When in high-speed wrapping environments, there must be no failure of film. Thong Guan’s Nano55 soft film pre-stretched up to 300% is designed for total cost savings and most suitable in such fast-paced wrap settings.

So How Do We Select the Best Film? 

Still unsure about selecting the right film for your stretch film machine for optimized packaging? Thong Guan has worked with Newton R&D Center to help factories, warehouses, distribution centers to select the right film with our Engage program. 

It is an effective seven steps program, which can help you make the right decision on selecting the right film

 

Alternatively, Newton R&D Center also has a program called protection plus, which is similar to our Engage program. 

Time to Engage: Optimize Packaging Solutions Today

The way you use your stretch film can significantly decrease potential damages, wastages, and unsalable goods. On the upside, it can also boost profit and increase customer satisfaction too. 

Remember: Optimize packaging starts with choosing the correct film, using the right amount of film, and utilizing the best wrapping method suitable for your packing needs. 

Having peace of mind when your loads leave your facility is easy. 

Let’s connect to show you how. Together we can optimize your wrapping process and increase your output to get the best value in return. 

Wait no more, engage us.

Contact us at info@thongguan.com for more info or to enquire more today.

Is Shrink Film Suitable to Wrap My Products?

Watermelon, papaya, melon, pineapple grape, fruit on the market shelf
Watermelon, papaya, melon, pineapple grape, fruit on the market shelf

Shrink films are often considered to be one of the best packaging materials because they allow you to keep your products safe and secure.

However, choosing the best solution can be challenging because there are several types of shrink films available on the market.

For businesses. it is important to conduct thorough research to make sure they are choosing the right type of stretch film to protect their products and improve the customer shopping experience. 

In this post, you will get to know about the major types of stretch films and their pros and cons. So, let’s get started:

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Pros

PVC is thin and light, which makes it significantly more affordable than the other shrink films.

It is capable of shrinking only in one direction and has high resistance to tears and punctures. PVC is quite attractive because it has a shiny texture

Cons

PVC is vulnerable to wrinkles and extreme softening at very high temperatures.Similarly, it can get too hard and brittle at very low temperatures.

Businesses also have to make sure that they are using PVC only with inedible products because it has chloride in it due to which can emit toxic fumes in heating and sealing.

This stretch film also has strict disposal standards to ensure proper disposal and sustainable development.

Polyolefin

Pros

Polyolefin has been approved by the regulatory organizations to package edible products because it does not have any toxic elements or components that can damage the food products.

Moreover, it does not produce any significant smell during the heating and sealing process.  Generally, the polyolefin is considered to be the best stretch wrap for irregularly shaped packages because it shrinks much more than other stretch films.

The glossy surface of the film gives an attractive look to the entire packaging. It is also a highly reliable stretch wrap when you want to store multiple products without getting worried about punctures and tears.

Cons

Polyolefin is an expensive shrink film as it costs much more than a traditional PVC film. Moreover, you might have to perforate the polyolefin films in some situations to reduce or eliminate air pockets and bumpy areas on the films.

Polyethylene

Pros

There are many different benefits of polyethylene films, due to which they have become an extremely popular option for most organizations, stores, and warehouses. It is typically used to wrap multiple packages of heavy items like water bottles and beverages.

Moreover, polyethylene films are durable and can easily stretch much more than the other types of stretch films. It has also been approved by the experts to use for the packaging of the food products.

Another interesting aspect of polyethylene is the fact that its thickness can be scaled up to 1200 gauge. It means it is suitable for wrapping massive objects like boats and other similar vehicles for storage purposes.

Cons

A major disadvantage of using polyethylene is that it has a significantly low shrink rate, and its surface is not as clear as the other kinds of shrink films.

Moreover, polyethylene is more expensive than other stretch films, due to which it can be difficult for companies, especially small-scale businesses, to keep affording them over the long term.

 

Benefits of Using Stretch films to Wrap Your Products

Some of the many benefits that you can enjoy by using stretch films to wrap your products are:

1. Protection

The durability of the shrink films plays an important role in protecting and preserving the contents of the packaging. It allows you to easily ship your products and have peace of mind that the products will be transferred in a safe and secure manner.

They are also useful in increasing the shelf life of the perishable items and concealing the smell of the products.

2. Appeal

If you use attractive stretch wraps like Polyolefin films, they can make the entire packaging look much more appealing to the customers.

Modern technology also allows companies to customize the packaging at an affordable rate. These factors are important in the branding and long-term success of your business.

3. Sustainability

Great advancements are being made in the packaging industry, due to which a wide range of eco-friendly stretch films is available in the market. Companies have the option of switching to these stretch wraps to promote eco-friendliness and sustainability.

 

The Bottom Line

Finding the right stretch films depends on the kind of business you have and the kind of products you pack.

Now that you are familiar with the various types of stretch wraps available on the market, you should have no issue choosing the right kind of stretch film for your business and products.

For further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our specialists.