Just the highlights
As with any waste reduction initiative, the first step toward positive change is to start with accurate measurement. Through the use of Highlight’s Portable Film Force System, we can collect and record data on wrapped pallets in real time, gaining accurate measurements of wrap used and the containment force and puncture resistance it provides.
Once a baseline is recorded, analysis can be done to find the ‘sweet spot’ – an ideal amount of wrap applied at the appropriate force. It is a process that will always seek to both reduce wrap use and eliminate product damage.
We’ve been working with the Highlight Industries since 2015 because, as the name suggests, they help businesses look at pallet wrapping differently. Specifically, the Ohio-based company makes tools that dig into the science of stretch wrap. These tools measure the forces of containment and the stretch available within the wrap itself. More often than not, there are a few surprises once the numbers are crunched.
“A lot of companies don’t keep an eye on their wrap performance,” says Highlight’s manager Kurt Riemenschneider. “They think they’re stretching over 200% but in reality they’re often not even close to this figure.”
An objective examination of wrap performance also yields some insight into the mindset of companies around performance. By stepping back to examine the bigger picture, we can see that distribution goals are often set around one-dimensional measurements like cost-per-roll or product shipped.
“We visited one beverage manufacturer who had eight stretch wrappers. After our audit we discovered that one stretch wrapper was responsible for $10,000 a month in damage and wasted film. However, the plant manager’s goal was entirely focused on shipping product per day. Once he had it on a pallet and on a truck the problem stopped!”
Kurt Riemenschneider, Highlight Industries
When a company wants to genuinely pursue sustainability targets, a shift to big-picture thinking is required.
Stepping back to look objectively, the bigger DC pack process will often reveal previously unseen challenge. When correctly assessed and actioned, there can be massive opportunities to make substantial progress beyond simply reducing plastic waste.
One such opportunity is product damage. By doing the groundwork to establish precisely how much wastage and damage is occurring with the current setup, a company can set achievable and realistic targets around reducing it. In the current climate, there’s simply too much investment in transport costs (and too much carbon emission at stake) to send out poorly wrapped pallets.
Clearly, a myopic focus on cost-per-roll of stretch wrap is not helpful for making distribution more efficient. Regular containment testing allows companies to use the right kind of wrap and less of it, while reducing product damage. For a deep dive into a value analysis of stretch-wrap, download our white paper: The Real Cost of Pallet Wrap.
With sustainability now a corporate imperative, you want the tools to make measurable gains. And as our own Jed Goudie likes to say, “If we can’t measure it, we won’t recommend it.”
The time has come to embed sustainability initiatives into business processes by design – not just as an afterthought or token addition. Talk to us today about establishing a baseline measurement of your true plastic consumption.
