You Should Downgauge Your Stretch Film

When products are shipped, they become vulnerable to sudden movements, improper handling, and environmental elements. These dangers can result in damaged goods, unplanned labour, and costly reverse logistics processes. Stretch wrapping, also known as pallet wrapping, is a process of unitizing a pallet of goods to reduce the risk of damage before they reach their final delivery destination.

 

Stretch film is a thin, stretchable plastic film – typically made from polyethylene. Stretch wrap film is used to lock and secure cased goods onto a pallet. As stretch film is wrapped around a pallet, tension is applied, enabling the film to extend its length by up to 300%. There are 2 main types of stretch film – hand stretch film and machine stretch film.

According to LinkedIn, stretch film prices have seen a 50% increase in price per pound from 2020 to 2021. We have a highly trained team of Packaging Specialists who have a deep understanding of stretch film wrapping and are up to date with the most recent advances in this industry to reduce your costs and increase efficiency.

What Does Downgauging Mean?

Downgauging can sound like a complicated task – downgauging simply means reducing the thickness of the film you’re using to package your products while still having proper load containment.

 

In the past, the higher the number typically meant that it was the strongest film. But with innovations in stretch film over the years, manufacturers have been able to create a thinner gauged film with the strength of a thicker gauge film.

 

When you downgauge, you aren’t just benefitting your company – you are also seeing the following benefits:

 

Benefits of Downgauging:

  • Reduced material waste

  • Ultimate performance

  • Reduced carbon footprint

  • Secured loads

  • Reduced costs

How Does Crawford Help Downgauge?

Crawford Packaging has selected the premium stretch films in the market today to deliver the highest in quality standards. We’ve developed performance-driven products that deliver flexibility, reliability, and savings to your packaging solution. Partnered with our revolutionary programs, we offer stretch wrap solutions that aim to reduce cost, improve performance, and reduce waste.

Wrap-It-Right

At Crawford, we have specially designed programs that we call our pillars – one of the pillars being our Wrap-it-Right program. The Wrap-It-Right Program works with clients to audit and review their existing stretch film practices and equipment to identify inefficiency. Wrap-It-Right will increase productivity and reduce costs through standardization of stretch film practices. Through the Wrap-It-Right program, clients have saved up to 30% on their annual stretch film costs.

 

Our Packaging Specialists will perform an in-depth review and audit of your existing stretch wrap equipment and procedures. This process can include improvements to existing stretch film, equipment, wrap settings, or improving stretch film materials.

How Do I Downgauge?

Whether you need to downgauge or look into newer innovative stretch films, it is best to consider bringing on a packaging expert to look at your packaging operation to help determine the right film for your application.

Need help finding the right packaging solution?

Contact Crawford Packaging today to access our fleet of knowledgeable packaging specialists.

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Case Studies

Resources:

1 – Where Stretch Film Prices are Headed”, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-stretch-film-prices-headed-nick-parochelli/