Improve Sustainability Efforts in Your Shipping Processes

IDENTIFY THE SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES

This article is the story of a classic struggle – good intentions versus misdirected attention – that’s all too common in the world of stretch wrapping. Most common reasons companies look to reduce plastic stretch film is either that they are looking for ways to decrease shipping costs, or are being compelled – in some cases by government or other initiatives – to become more sustainable. However, they fail to take into account the consequences of reducing stretch film without proper planning.

First, let’s explore film costs. Our research tells us, on average, it only takes about $10 of stretch film to ship a typical truckload of pallets. However, if you are trying to save costs by using less film, keep in mind that when you reduce the amount of film layers on your load, you must also increase the film tension.  Or if you downgauge your film you will need to add additional layers of film. Not dong so can lead to a loss of containment force, which leads to product damage during transit.

Now let’s explore the cost of damage. It is estimated that .5% of total shipments are damaged to the point of being unsalable on the way to their destinations. This damage doesn’t just equate to billions of dollars in losses a year, but also contributes to landfills across the globe. Man-made materials can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose, if they can at all. This leaves our planet ridden with large trash dumps that impacts everything from air, fresh water, oceans and climate for years to come.

WRAPPING TO PREVENT SHIPPING DAMAGE

Our experience indicates at least a quarter, if not more, of goods that become unsalable from shipping damage can be saved simply by doing a better job of stretch wrapping.  Knowing this, improving stretch wrapping processes is the biggest opportunity to save a significant amount of money and reduce the amount of damaged products ending up in landfills.

So, what constitutes “doing a better job of stretch wrapping”?

First, you need to apply enough Containment Force (total squeezing pressure the film exerts on the load) to the top, middle and bottom of the load. Containment Force is what holds a load together and is usually measured in pounds or kilograms with special tools.

Second, lock or secure the load to the pallet. If the load isn’t locked to the pallet, it could shift causing damage to corners or other near products or even slide off during shipment destroying the load. Wrapping all the way to the bottom of the pallet leaves the load vulnerable to film punctures as it is picked up by forklifts or pallet jacks. The way to address this is to lock the load to the pallet by rolling up the bottom of the film web into a tight cable and placing that cable about an inch below the top deck boards. This way it is safely out of the way of the forks.

Third, avoid dragging film tails is key for securing the load to the pallet. Dragging film tails can get caught, pulled or ripped and lead to a loss of Containment Force and ultimately, load failure.

YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO!

With the right support and technology you can save on film and protect your loads.  When buying a stretch wrapper look for equipment that will help you optimize your wrap pattern for the appropriate amount of Containment Force while using the least amount of stretch film. Lantech LeanWrap® features like Load Guardian, Pallet Grip® and the Load Seeking Clamp® 4.0 can help you achieve a safe-to-ship load with the least amount of film necessary.

Fix the things that really make a difference. Take a simple step to improve your sustainability efforts in the shipping department and reduce your shipping damage through better stretch wrapping. After all, don’t forget the reason why we stretch wrap in the first place: to get products from point A to point B, in as made condition.

As of late, there has been a universal push for businesses and large corporations to become more sustainable. Something that might not be obvious to consider is the lifetime of a machine.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus got it right, “The only thing constant in life is change.” A stretch wrapper’s design should make is easy to adapt to meet changes in manufacturing and distribution requirements and processes. One way to do this is to ensure the machine you purchase can be easily and inexpensively retrofitted in the field. The stretch wrapper manufacturer should also have available technical support and service to do so.

Here are the most popular retrofits customers order for our semi-automatic stretch wrappers that can help you extend the lifetime of your machine to its fullest extent:

• Mast Height Extensions – Standard machines wrap loads up to 80 inches tall, but options are available for taller wrap heights. While 110 inches is most popular, options go all the way up to 140 inches.
• Ramp and Ramp Porch Extensions – Loading a turntable with a pallet jack instead of a forklift requires a ramp. Depending on your facility’s layout, the ramp can be placed in the front or on either side of the turntable. Keep in mind a flat extension from the turntable, what we call a ramp porch extension, may be needed for pallet jacks with longer forks.
• Base Extensions – If a load extends more than a few inches beyond the perimeter of the turntable, a base extension will create more space between the load and the mast. Base extensions allow the over-sized loads to rotate without hitting the mast or injuring operators standing by. It is a best practice to keep your load within the perimeter of the turntable to avoid these safety hazards. Wrapping only a few over-sized loads is okay, but at higher volumes we advise getting a larger turntable.
• Lexan Plastic Cover for Control Panels – Establishing the machine settings to create an effectively wrapped load is important and not always easy. A Lexan plastic cover will prevent operators from tampering with the settings on the stretch wrapper. It blocks operators from making adjustments, but keeps the controls operators need, like “start” and “emergency stop,” accessible. This feature is best for applications that don’t require different wrap patterns.

Our new QL400 with Load Guardian 2.0 allows you to create password protected load profiles and other screens that limit operator access. In essence, a virtual Lexan cover.

• Auto Film Cut-off™ – This may be the best retrofit of all because it has two benefits. First, Auto Film Cut-off helps prevent injury by eliminating the need for operators to bend over and cut the film at the end of the wrap cycle. Instead, a device punctures a hole in the film causing it to tear. It’s also a productivity feature, saving about 30 seconds of labor per load for a typical user.

Changes in technology and the way goods move across the planet for consumer consumption have a great impact on the environment. Businesses need to be responsible for their carbon footprint and make the appropriate changes to become more sustainable. There is a large amount of industrial equipment required to manufacture and ship products from one place to another. Make sure you choose packaging and shipping equipment that is designed to last, that is reliable and that can be modified when necessary so their lifecycle can be extended.

More and more companies are striving to meet sustainability goals, but reductions in corrugated packaging material can leave your product at risk for damage during transit.  Making your cases square allows them to perform up to their engineered capability, and reduce those chances for damage.  Here’s why:

1. Square Cases are Easier to Pack – Whether you are using an automated case packer or packing cases by hand, it’s easier to do when the case is square. It’s important to pack products securely so the primary packaging is less likely to be damaged during shipment.
2. Pallets Built with Square Cases Stack Better – When the corners of a case are aligned properly, they will support more weight. If they’re not square, the cases are unstable and more prone to being crushed. In fact, when cases are stacked on a pallet and the sides are not aligned, the load loses 30 percent of its stacking strength, making it more susceptible to damage.
3. Square Cases Protect Your Products Better – When cases are square, they stack better on a pallet – which makes them easier to effectively stretch wrap. Loads go through a lot of stress during shipment. All the starting and stopping, vibrations and bumps will take a toll. Square cases make loads that fit better inside the perimeter of a pallet. Boxes that hang over the sides of the pallet can be damaged by a fork lift or crushed against another load or truck wall.

The easiest and most cost-effective way to create square cases is to do it with a case erecting machine. Case erectors pull blanks from a magazine, square the box and tape the bottom flaps to form 90-degree angles on all sides. Just like knowing the fundamentals of a sport is essential to becoming a great player, creating a square case is fundamental to preparing products for successful shipment.

For more information on how a case erector reduce shipping damages, you can contact us on our website or call us at (502) 815-9109.

TURNING AN ENDLESS SUPPLY CHAIN OF TRASH INTO AN ENDLESS SUPPLY CHAIN OF BOXES

In 2015, Forbes presented an article with an interesting business perspective on the world of paper recycling, sustainability, efficient manufacturing and the impressive business that Australian entrepreneur Anthony Pratt has built in the US.

Recycling isn’t just good business for Pratt industries – it’s a welcome trend in many regards. And for many manufacturers, it’s a key step in helping them meet increasingly stringent sustainability targets set by big box retailers – who in turn are responding to their retail customers’ expectation of greener business practices.

As recycling processes improve, so does the quality of the corrugated cardboard made from recycled paper content. Soon it may even offer performance parity against virgin corrugated cardboard. But the engineered capability of corrugated boxes (cases, in industry lingo) is often misunderstood and, as a result, critical end-of-line packaging considerations are overlooked.

VERTICAL STRENGTH

You don’t often see people stack cardboard boxes on their sides. Why? Because they’re not very strong. The power of corrugate comes from its flutes, and they’re strongest when they’re vertical. That lets them provide maximum crush resistance. In that way, corrugated is a lot like concrete, which has enormous strength to avoid being crushed but much less shear strength. That’s why you see so much rebar in roadways or concrete beams.

Many products have some headspace or voids when packed in corrugated cases. For those products, usually stacked several layers high on pallets for efficient logistics, the ability of the corrugated case to provide the stacking strength is critical to avoiding product damage.

The bottom line is that the sides of the cases, and particularly the corners, provide that power. Sides and corners must be aligned to create a strong column to enable cases to protect their contents from the rigors of shipment.

SQUARE, STRAIGHT AND ALIGNED

Corrugated cases provide the power of protection for products during shipment, warehousing and handling. But it’s not a given. In fact, the details of end-of-line packaging operations actually play a large role in whether the corrugated case actually performs up to its engineered capability. Here’s a quick look at two important considerations:

1. The power of the case is generated by its flutes.  They must be vertical to maximize their strength. Sounds simple, but it’s actually remarkably uncommon! Surprised? Here’s the thing – in order for the sides of a case to be vertical the minor and major flaps on both the top and the bottom must be closed consistently and squarely. As a rule of thumb, that simply doesn’t happen when cases are manually erected and closed, particularly when they sealed with tape dispensers. Or when they’re pushed through carton sealing stations after manual erection and loading.  In fact, there are actually 5 steps to producing square cases. Note:  One consideration that is sometimes overlooked is the ability of case handling equipment to automatically handle recycled corrugated cases. Don’t assume that it will! So, if you are converting your corrugated cases to recycled or a higher percentage of recycled content, make sure you have equipment that can run them without jamming and is able to produce square cases every time.
2. Once the cases are square and the sides are vertical, the next step is to ensure that the column stacks are properly aligned and remain that way during shipment. “Remain that way” is the toughest challenge here – after all, between the forklift rodeo and long-haul routes in the back of trailers, you can imagine how cases are prone to get “rearranged.” The solution is proper stretch wrapping with appropriate containment force. That’s easier said than done because cases don’t have a lot of strength on their sides. You can’t wrap too tightly, or you’ll crush them and damage the contents. The answer lies in wrapping properly for the load – and that requires training and familiarity for operators. Most stretch wrapper marketing makes it sound like all machines do the same thing – lay stretch film along the side of a pallet. But a pallet wrapper needs to be able to be optimized to a load to properly contain it with the least amount of stretch film.

Square cases and proper stretch wrapping are both important elements of the end-of-line packaging process. Managing them is critical as companies continue to lightweight their corrugated cardboard and use more recycled materials.

END-OF-LINE PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY

Reducing the amount of virgin corrugated cardboard and stretch film used in your packaging processes are important steps toward sustainability and cost reduction, and can make significant environmental and economic contributions.

But the greatest win comes through reducing damage. If you prepare a load with less packaging material but the product is damaged in shipment, then not only are the packaging materials (both primary and secondary) wasted, but all the material and energy that went into manufacturing the product – such as transporting it and disposing of it – is wasted as well.

So, keep in mind that sustainability and cost reduction measures can’t be allowed to compromise safe shipment and delivery!

HIGH PROFILE TARGET

Single use PET bottles are a high-profile target of sustainability and source reduction efforts. Major producers are keenly focused on reducing packaging throughout the process, and specifically addressing the bottles themselves.

For example, in a 2016 interview, Nelson Switzer, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Nestlé Waters NA, provided some statistics resulting from their packaging reduction initiatives:

• Packaging accounts for 41% of the Nestle Waters’ footprint – down from 49% in 2010
• 60% reduction in plastic content in the 20+ years since 1994
• Decreased overall material usage by 6% (includes elimination of corrugated pads)
• Arrowhead brand water bottles are now 50% recycled PET

These were impressive changes resulting from process improvements enabled by improving materials and machines.

What is interesting is that each step along the way changed the demands on stretch wrapping equipment, and the evolution provides a good case study for how changes in upstream packaging needs to be accounted for in the stretch wrapping process.

CUTTING THE CORRUGATED DOWN TO (TRAY) SIZE

One of the reduction approaches was an obvious one – replacing corrugated with film.

There was a time when bottled water was packaged in fully corrugated cases. Gradually those were replaced with corrugated trays and shrink bundling with polyethylene film. An “8 corner” tray design introduced in the 90’s eliminated the sharp corrugated corners which had tended to tear the shrink film.  The design essentially cut off the corners and created a shape which matched the round profile of bottles in the corners of the pack pattern.

Replacing corrugated material with shrink film eliminated a substantial portion of the case packaging volume – but it wasn’t without consequence. The stacking strength that the corrugated cases provided (which can be reduced by 30% if the cases aren’t square) was now eliminated – and at a pound per one fluid pint, the weight of a load of water is a significant factor. Now the entire stacking strength burden fell to the bottles themselves.

That was problematic, because around the same time the corrugated cases were cut down to trays, efforts began to reduce the wall thickness of bottles which further reduced the stacking strength.

DRAWING DOWN THE BOTTLED WALLS

As all of this was happening, the blow molders were getting more and more advanced. Gradually they were able to solve the problem of excessive thinning of the walls at points of maximum draw (e.g. bottom corners.) Now they had the technology to reduce the volume of plastic used in each bottle.

But water density never changes, and the considerable weight of fluid carried by the bottles would now be carried by even thinner bottles.

TIER SHEETS…SORT OF

Progress does not stop. Sustainability experts started asking “Why trays?”  Aside from providing a place to print unit bar codes, all the corrugated material was doing was helping pack patterns move through the shrink bundlers.  Soon they found that could be accomplished by arranging the pack pattern on a corrugated pad.

Acting as a tier sheet of sorts, the corrugated pad helped to dissipate forces a bit and provided a stable, flat platform for layers to stack nicely so that they could be easily contained with stretch film for shipment.

Well you know what happened next…

FILM ONLY SHRINK WRAPPING

Eventually, the question was asked “Why do we need the corrugated pad?” (Removing the pad was how Nestle Waters eliminated the additional 6% of materials used.)  But now things get really tricky from a palletizing and stretch wrapping perspective.

Coefficients of friction for film need to allow for building pallets, yet resist slipping enough so that a pallet load with only cases of bottles wrapped in thin polyethylene won’t fall apart.

Even small movements in one unit can affect the whole load. If one unit moves enough so that the caps of the lower tier are now in the voids between the bottles above (rather than stacked directly underneath the bottles themselves) the stability of the load is in jeopardy.

DEMANDS ON STRETCH WRAPPING

All this adds up to some seriously challenging expectations for stretch film. That 65-gauge layer (about 28 gauge by the time it’s pre-stretched) has to keep hundreds to thousands of pounds of water perfectly aligned so that this delicately balanced interaction of packaging materials can survive the journey of hundreds of miles in the back of a truck.

That is why containment force is critical – gauge, pre-stretch, wrap force and layers need to be balanced to create the required containment force to keep the pallet together.

There is nothing more alarming for the owners, managers or marketers of a water company to wander into a store and see bulging and sagging pallet loads of their water.

A lot of time, effort and money go into creating the perfect retail experience, so that the last step is critical. Sustainability improvements have dramatically increased the challenge of stretch wrapping bottled water, and companies that have changed elements of packaging should look carefully at the delivered condition of their product. Just because you’re not hearing about damage claims doesn’t mean your product is delivered as you hope.

While all of these challenges might seem insurmountable, advancements in stretch wrapping technology, such as Lantech’s Lean Wrap® Technology, allows you to maximize productivity and performance, while delivering safe-to-ship loads.   With exclusive features like Metered Film Delivery® and Pallet Grip®, Lantech was able to develop a system with a leading bottled water company to help them achieve necessary containment force, reduce excess packaging and maintain their profit margin.  You can read more about their results in our Case Study and White Paper on Lantech’s Beverage Industry Page.