Load failure is costing the US food and beverage industry 7.2 billion dollars every year.
As such an enormous number would suggest, this loss represents a massive problem in terms of both profitability and sustainability.
Companies are losing good products by the pallet load due to damage that occurs during transport. They’re losing revenue from these unsaleables and are having to rework orders, putting a strain on manufacturing and human resources. Retailers are dealt a blow when their inventory is damaged and unsaleable by the time it reaches them. And millions of pounds of product are sent directly to our landfills, creating a environmental footprint that is growing by the day.
At Atlantic, we’re seeing firsthand just how much load failure is costing our customers.
Reduction in Packaging
This issue has increased dramatically over the last decade as primary and secondary packaging has been reduced and more emphasis has been placed on end-of-line stretch wrapping to protect the products. Manufacturers and distribution centers are struggling to find the stretch wrap formula that will successfully contain the load as it travels to its destination.
As we watched this trend in reduced primary and secondary packaging, we noticed that while manufacturers and distributors were changing the way they packaged their products, in many cases they were NOT changing the way they were stretch wrapping loads on a pallet – unless it was to just add MORE stretch film. And adding more stretch film without troubleshooting the application results in more waste and continued load failure.
The MUST Method
Packaging engineers at Atlantic pinpointed these factors and launched programs to improve stretch wrapping and educate our customer on the science of proper application. High performance film, prestretch, tension, wrap patterns, and proper equipment settings and maintenance all contribute to a successfully wrapped load. We conduct comprehensive on-site audits, offer Stretch University sessions, provide film recommendations, optimize equipment, and apply our MUST Monitoring system to keep track of performance in real time.
Today, we’ve defined our approach as the MUST Method. And we’re continuing to develop this approach by adding advanced testing that will identify where loads are failing, test our strategies for success, and allow us to refine and test until we have a solution.
Our goals are to create and maintain standards for our customers’ stretch wrapping operations based on scientific, data-driven results.
Fit2Ship
With our new Packaging Solution Center in Charlotte, NC, we’ll be able to conduct ship tests using a field data recorder to track real-life transport routes. The recorder uses an internal triaxial accelerometer and sensors that let us analyze the effects of motion, impact, and vibration. Once the data is collected on these recorders, we can replicate those exact conditions on our Multi-Axis Transportation Simulator inside the Packaging Solution Center.
Read more: Teaming Up with Lansmont
Test. Refine. Validate. This is how we’re setting the new standard in stretch wrapping.
In an effort to bring clarity and transparency to the packaging industry, especially as it pertains to eliminating load failure, our approach with the MUST Method and the Packaging Solution Center is aimed at validating the stretch wrapping solutions we design to ensure they result in proper load containment, stability, and endurance.
Ultimately, we want our customers to trust the experts and the data-driven process of Atlantic’s MUST Method and be confident that their loads are Fit2Ship.