Shipping and handling accidents are dangerous and costly. Damaged loads due to product movement and shifting is frequent. Most of these accidents can be prevented if each palletized load was properly secured using stretch wrap.
Before you ship a load, make sure you follow these eight basic steps to stretch wrap a pallet!
- Grab a roll of stretch wrap or a stretch wrap tool.
- Tie end of stretch wrap around a pallet corner for an anchor.
- Begin walking around the load and tightly securing the wrap across both the pallet and the load. Make sure the stretch wrap grasps the corners of the pallet. Wrap the bottom of the load three or more times.
- Begin wrapping up the palletized load. Each new layer should overlap the last by 50%. Be liberal with the stretch wrap, apply more layers depending on the weight of the product on the pallet.
- Once you have reached the top of the load, layer the stretch film so that it pulls down on the product, reducing the chance of the load shifting.
- Begin working your way back down the load, again overlapping each layer by 50%.
- Stretch wrap the pallet and bottom product at least two more times.
- Cut the stretch wrap from the roll and secure it against the side of the load by pressing it firmly so that it will stick.
And that’s all there is to it! Ensuring your load is completely stable is the name of the game! Apply stretch wrap as needed, each load varies.
Manually stretch wrapping a pallet can be long and back-breaking work. If done routinely, stretch wrapping could cause health issues. Continuously bending over and pulling the stretch wrap is very hard on the lower back.
This issue can be solved by using an automatic stretch wrapping machine. An automatic stretch wrapper will make a palletized load more secure than one wrapped by hand. Due to it’s excellent stretching capabilities, a stretch wrapping machine will use less wrap, which reduces cost. A stretch wrapper can completely wrap a load in less than a minute with just a push of a button. Read our guide on the most efficient solution for wrapping several palletized loads.
Be sure to check back often for more tips on running a safer and more efficient warehouse!