PACKAGING MANUFACTURER OFFERS RECESSION COMBATING ADVICE

In these difficult economic times a leading manufacturer of heavy duty packaging has issued free advice in a bid to save businesses money. bpi.industrial, which produces pallet shrinkwrap, pallet stretch hoods and high strength sacks, believes its top tips for shrinkwrapping will help organisations to increase output, use materials more efficiently and to reduce waste of both shrinkwrap and shrinkwrapped products. “Lean times call for lean working practices,” explains Roy McAdoo, Commercial Director at bpi.industrial, “and considering the current financial climate there’s never been a greater need for those shrinkwrapping pallets to get it right first time - every time.” He continues: “We have issued our top tips to help people achieve this valuable goal and in line with our commitment to not only offering the best products, but also the best service.” To ensure maximum cost and operational efficiency, bpi.industrial recommends: 1. To ensure optimum load integrity and shrinkwrap performance, ensure the load is stable prior to shrinkwrapping and that the palleted products are flush against each other. This prevents any movement once the wrap is complete. 2. Shake the cover to get air inside it and then apply using the ‘parachute technique’. Doing so makes it easier to achieve perfect positioning. 3. The cover should always be pulled over the load and locked under the pallet to ensure maximum load restraint. 4. Always start shrinking the cover at its base and be sure to weld down all of gusset tucks on the pallet’s first revolution. This will cause the horizontal ‘memory’ of the shrinkwrapping film to pull the cover under the pallet. After starting at the base, move on to shrink the rest of the cover beginning at a central point on the pallet’s top. 5. Heat guns should be kept 20 to 30 cm from the cover and passed across it from side to side. To achieve the ideal action, imagine the heat gun is a paint sprayer and keep it moving to avoid overheating any one area. 6. When changing direction with the gun (such as at a pallet corner), do so with the gun pointed away from the cover to avoid creating hot spots. The shrinkfilm’s memory will be activated at around 100°C and it will go clear when it’s been heated sufficiently. 7. Always work from side to side - never vertically. If you do, the vertical memory of the shrinkfilm can be altered causing the cover to ride up. 8. Remember that most of the shrinking of the cover actually takes place after heating. The heat gun serves to activate the memory of the shrinkfilm enabling shrinkage to occur on cooling. 9. Don’t forget that the film will continue to shrink for up to 10 minutes after you have finished heating. As such, the load should not be moved for two minutes to let the shrink cover regain its strength. 10. As obvious as it sounds, always make sure equipment is in good working order and that relevant safety regulations are complied with. In addition to the above, bpi.industrial also advises always choosing a good quality shrinkwrap. Its own products are manufactured to stringent standards and are subject to rigorous quality testing. Opting for cheaper, lower quality shrinkwraps - an understandable temptation in the current climate - can actually equate to false economy. Summing up, Roy McAdoo adds: “Shrinkwrapping pallets is such an everyday activity for so many organisations that it’s easy to become complacent. The reality is however that materials, technology and techniques continue to evolve all the time. As such, it’s always beneficial to refresh or reaffirm your knowledge of best practice. “Even if our tips deliver just a small improvement to an organisation’s shrinkwrapping operations, it’s an improvement that has to be worthwhile considering the current recession.” ENDS

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