It’s About the Load Support
Loads that ship with the right amount of containment force, are locked to the pallet with a film cable, and have no long or dragging film tails have the highest probability of arriving safely at their destinations.
As you begin your stretch wrapping machine purchasing journey, make sure you know why stretch wrapping is an essential part of your shipping process.
Consider these two objectives as you evaluate your options:
- Getting the load from your facility to your customer’s facility, damage-free
- Shipping at the lowest cost effectively shipped (LCES)
One important aspect of achieving LCES that is often overlooked is the follow up and support.
Remember Murphy’s Law
Not only will something go wrong, it’ll go wrong at the worst possible time. How fast can you recover from a breakdown? Where will the parts come from? Who’s going to replace them? Who’s going to diagnose the problem? How comprehensive is the warranty? Are extended warranties available?
You need someone (or a group of people, in this case) to have your back when something goes wrong. Think of support from a stretch wrapper company as support from a friend – it can be really good or really bad. Remember that time when your best friend picked you up on the side of the road when you ran out of gas, or made you some chicken noodle soup. And remember the time when your ex-friend stole your high-school girlfriend. We guess that you prefer a friend who’s loyal and trustworthy.
So, look for stretch wrappers that not only are built to last, but can be fixed fast if something stops working. Or maybe, you just need someone to help you establish stretch wrapping standards tailored to your specific loads. In any case, seek out these traits:
1. Fast delivery of replacement stretch wrapper parts
- Part orders filled the same day they’re received
- Next day delivery for orders is part of standard procedure
2. Start-up assistance, employee training, and technical support team availability
- Service Department available 24/7, 365 days of the year
- Trained technicians that are certified by the manufacturer on its machines
- Individualized training programs for customers
- Start-up performed by certified, trained technicians
3. Bumper-to-bumper warranty included
- Unlimited cycles covered, no exclusions
4. Comprehensive stretch wrapper manual with every machine
- Step-by-step operating instructions
- Troubleshooting reference for common questions
- Schematic diagrams and parts list
We know that purchasing a stretch wrapper can be a time-consuming process as you balance your needs against available features and pricing. And we’re aware that adding one more point to consider to your list might not be appreciated, but the after-purchase support you can expect for your machine is worth asking your distributor an additional question or two. And realistically that’s all checking this point off your list should take.
All you need to do is remember to ask about your distributor/manufacturers support policy, and make sure you are choosing a stretch wrapper source that provides adequate support. Better to take the time before purchasing a machine than to regret it later down the line when Murphy’s Law kicks in.
You may be interested in these posts on purchasing a stretch wrapper:
- 5 Golden Rules for Buying a Stretch Wrapper
- The 15 Questions You Should Consider When Buying a Stretch Wrapper
- Think “Load” First When Buying an Automatic Stretch Wrapper
This post was published on February 21, 2017 and updated on December 4, 2019.
February 21, 2017
