Measuring twice, sending once
Sustainability doesn’t need to arrive with grand improvements and huge announcements. An expert site audit, stretch-wrap change, or equipment upgrade can ensure sustainability targets are met by working smarter rather than harder.
It’s sometimes important to remember that sustainability is not just about being environmentally friendly. In the workplace, it encompasses operational efficiency too, including investment, resource use, and waste expended. Of course, leaving a smaller carbon footprint is also a huge bonus.
Accurate and timely scoping of the measures of your operation will show you where changes can be made for the better – and this process may be easier to undertake than you think.
Measure up
Knowing the state of your starting point will help determine what changes are required. Our consultant team undertakes a range of tests and assessments to ensure each load is wrapped to the right containment forces.
Innovative technology makes it easier for larger operations to glean this data. Thanks to our SCOPE system we can quickly and effectively monitor and report on packaging use – which is helpful both as a safeguard and when testing new stretch film over an adequate period.
The system alerts DCs when the amount of wrap used is outside of set parameters, meaning any discrepancies will be easily and promptly fixed (instead of going on for many months unnoticed).
Know your film before you wrap.
There is a wide variety of pallet wrap products on the market, and knowing which stretch film most accurately meets the needs of your DC. Again, it pays to test and measure accurately. We regularly undertake containment testing with different wrap products to ensure the least amount of wrap protects the greatest amount of shipping.
We also keep an eye on all new products that may be viable in the New Zealand market and, alongside our international partners, ensure research and development keeps Universal Packaging on the cutting edge of freight containment.
It’s important to keep an eye on the big picture here. From biodegradable and oxo-biodegradable stretch wrap to bio-based pallet wrap, there are a lot of products that purport to be environmentally friendly pallet stretch film. However, there is a careful balance to be achieved between sustainable stretch wrap and correct load containment.
Sustainability savings can be minimal if more wrap is required, and if a load is unstable due to ineffective stretch film there is far more chance for product damage, leading to higher freight costs, greater waste, and an increased carbon footprint.
Get a site audit
Change can happen incrementally, making it difficult to see the wood for the trees. Or you might just be too busy with the day-to-day to try new processes out. This can be a problem over time as, while your DC may seem to be ticking over nicely, there can be fat to trim in the form of excess equipment or double handling of goods.
An independent site audit can help you see where small modifications can be made to increase efficiency. Our team will assess your layout, your pallet machinery, and your operations to see where improvements can be made.
Sometimes it’s as easy as repositioning a pallet wrapper and staging area to optimise flow. Sometimes it’s a move from hand wrapping to semi-automation, or from semi-automation to fully automatic operations.
Remember, there’s always something to improve on.
It’s easy to rest on our laurels when all appears well. However, with the speed at which the modern world moves, it’s important to be aware that new and easier methods and technologies could be available to make processes even simpler and more sustainable. And everything starts with measuring pallet wrap use accurately.
