Traditional Hand-Applied Stretch Wrap vs Litewrapper XT

The shipping and logistics sector has grown rapidly due to the growth of the ecommerce industry – and this upward trend does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This means that the need for optimal packaging solutions has become more important than ever before.

Stretch Wrap is essential for keeping pallets secure, but which one is the best for your business?  While Traditional Stretch Wrap has its benefits, it does come with its drawbacks too, so could Litewrapper XT be a better fit for you?

Traditional Stretch Wrap is used manually by simply winding the stretch film around the pallet. It is usually used to reduce problems that can occur during transit such as product damage, tampering and loss. It comes in a variety of thicknesses, width, and formulations so that it can secure and protect a variety of product sizes.

What are the disadvantages of traditional hand-applied stretch wrap?

Traditional hand-applied stretch wrap does have its disadvantages. For example, it can cost your business time and money and lacks optimal stretch and consistency.

High Operator Fatigue: Hand stretch films can be quite heavy and can weigh as much as 4-8 pounds per roll. These heavy rolls can make hand wrap difficult to apply to a pallet and increase worker strain overtime, which can lead to employees getting strain and motion injuries.

Costs time and money: Traditional stretch wrap takes more time to wrap as it lacks optimal stretch and consistency, resulting in employees having to work harder to use it and thus leading to repetitive strain injuries. Traditional stretch wrap also requires excess film to complete the job effectively, which equals extra costs as you run out of pallet wrap faster.

High Risk of Worker Injury: Hand-applied traditional stretch wraps are commonly used while walking backwards. This method of application can be dangerous due to the user being unable to see what is behind them. It is not uncommon for employees to trip over pallet edges!

Inconsistent Containment: Manual application processes can result in inconsistent containment strength. This is because traditional stretch wrap requires a strong pulling force to create the stretch rates needed to hold the pallets securely. When employees are fatigued, these stretch rates can decline, resulting in unstable loads.

 

 

Litewrapper XT.

As we have discussed, traditional stretch wrap is likely costing your business time and money. It lacks optimal stretch and consistency, requires excess film to get the job done and can lead to repetitive strain injuries. So, could switching to a smarter pallet wrap solution be the right decision for your business?

Litewrapper XT is a durable, ergonomic dispenser and high-performance stretch film, the Litewrapper handheld system ensures efficient wrapping and film usage with its pre-stretch solution offering perfect load containment for your pallets. Switching to Literwrapper over traditional stretch wrap will also result in less waste as you will be achieving the same or better load stability with significantly less film by weight and no cores to dispose of. In fact, on average customers see their total film consumption by weight drop a minimum of 35%!

If you are struggling with workplace injuries that can occur with using traditional stretch wrap, the Litewrapper XT dispenser is lightweight, so it reduces operator strain and injuries. This means that you can still wrap pallets by hand using the dispenser, without the need for investing in a machine to wrap efficiently and reduce injuries.

What are the benefits for Litewrapper XT?

Improves load containment:  Proven to provide an average of 50% more containment force than traditional hand wrapping techniques.

Speeds up pallet wrapping times:  Typical loads see a 33% increase in pallet wrapping speeds, without compromising on quality. The statistics speak for themselves!

Safe to use:  Reduces risk of occupational accidents as no bending over or walking backwards is needed whilst wrapping.

Consistent quality: Litewrapper XT has a consistent ‘machine-like’ application and control resulting in optimum film tension and load containment.

To see how to wrap pallets using our new Litewrapper XT, check out our video. 

What are the cons for Litewrapper XT?

It all depends on your business when it comes to which stretch wrapping solution is best. Litewrapper XT is better for those who are wrapping smaller quantities. If your company tends to wrap larger volumes then Litewrapper XT will not be the solution for you, and it may be more beneficial to invest in a stretch wrapping machine instead.

Call us @ 813 242 6995 or reach out to sales@quickpakinc.com for more information.