What is stretch film and why do you need it?
Picture the scene, you’ve finally saved up enough of your hard earned cash to purchase that must have item, you jump on line scroll through various sites to ensure you get the best deal and then comes that moment you select item, add to the basket, proceed to checkout and just as you get the credit or debit card out you realise in the rush at the start you completely skipped the login / new customer register tab so get hauled back to typing in your name, address, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, your first pets name and just to rub salt in to the wound the achilles heel you have to create yet another password using one capital letter and one number within the password that in six weeks’ time you will have completely forgotten. Still this is merely a temporary irritation that will soon be forgotten as you weave your way through the on screen instructions and finally get back to click buy button you were at seven minutes ago. And then the excitement begins as soon as your phone goes ping with an email confirming your order is being processed.
The delivery day has arrived you get a text from the courier company saying your driver Stanley will be with you between 13.30-16.30 so in your heart of hearts you know that means 18.00 right? Still the doorbell rings and the driver has 3 boxes one of which is looking horrifyingly irregular in shape and squashed with a very flat corner, you open the box and find that part of must have item now resembles a pancake the disappointment and anger of wasting your time kick in, you sign the drivers note as damaged and he takes away the unwanted item, you then have to call up customer services, listen to 12 minutes of panpipe music, press a series of keypad buttons the whole pleasure for you has gone out of the window and you vowel not to use this company again as the experience has been ruined.
So what has this story got to do with my title...what is stretch film and why do you need it?
Stretch film protects the contents of palletised goods in transit and storage from weather, dust and spillage but most important of all it stabilises cartons on pallets to stop them toppling over and causing damage to the goods which causes the frustration as described in my story and ultimately costs money to you as a business in damaged goods you have to replace but lost time in claiming for damage but most of all you have a disappointed customer experience which is not what anyone wants at all.
So to help you understand stretch film a little better I have compiled a guide that I really hope you find informative and helpful so the next time you send out a consignment it is wrapped and arrives exactly how you sent it.
It is important that you choose the correct thickness of stretch film relative to the weight of the consignment you are despatching.
Up to 300kgs 14 micron
300-500kgs 17 micron
500-700kgs 20 micron
800-1000kgs 23 micron
Reels come in various sizes from small handy wrap rolls that are narrow in width roll to bundle small products together in confined spaces
Up to the large ones used in warehouses up and down the country reels are 400mm/500mm wide and are 400m/300m long in the main.
The films are dispensed in two ways either using a lightweight dispenser or the reel will have an extended core to enable the operative to wrap the load safe and securely.
We supply 3 types of stretch film cast film – blown film and coloured film so which is best for you?
Cast film is a very strong clear film that sticks to itself so is much quieter than the other films and is used particularly more within the food industry market. The quality of this film ensures a smooth surface enabling the film to cling to itself without additives. Better memory ensures the pallet load stays tighter together in transit and the high clarity makes accurate bar code scanning easier.
Blown film this is ideal for use in cold store areas and the standard film used in the UK ideal for stabilising irregular shaped loads or quantity of cartons on a pallet. Additives are used to produce a tack on both sides but this does make the film noisy when reels are unwound.
Coloured film comes in both cast and blown and are ideal for protecting your valuable products against pilferage as only two wraps guarantee an opaque cover that ensures the contents cannot be seen.
So I guess the moral of the story is hand held pallet stretch film is a very cost effective way to protect palletised goods is very easy to use and improves the stability of the load as well as protecting the goods against dust, dirt, moisture and damage, it plays a big part in ensuring that you have a very satisfied customer when your goods arrive safely and in the condition that you had despatched them in and a satisfied customer is a returning customer.