Spring is here. Get ready for warmer weather, longer days and dreaded allergies.
This new season also calls for spring cleaning. Scrub the bathroom and kitchen floors, reorganize closets and donate things you no longer use.
It’s also a good time to clean and reorganize your warehouse and loading dock area. One way to do this is to check your machinery for maintenance issues.
When you’re looking over your equipment, don’t forget to check your stretch wrapper. A lack of preventive maintenance is a major cause of downtime, so this is a good opportunity to make sure your machine is running smoothly.
For example, listen to your stretch wrapper when it runs. If you hear any squeaking or grinding, find out why and fix it.
Inspect any belts—usually those that drive film delivery system up and down and under the turntable—to make sure they’re not fraying. If you need a replacement belt, call up the manufacturer’s parts department and get a new one shipped (good manufacturers will ship parts by the next day).
Performing periodic maintenance check on your stretch wrapper is important. But so is checking to make sure your stretch wrapper is set up to wrap effectively.
Knowing if your load is safe to ship isn’t complicated. It’s all focused around containment force, which is the cumulative squeezing force the film puts on the load. Containment force is the best defense against shipping damage.
It’s important to know how much containment force your load needs and to make sure to ship with at least that amount. If you are unsure of how much containment force is necessary for your loads, you can download our recommendation chart here.
By checking your machine every year you can reduce the likelihood of any disastrous maintenance issues that might arise unexpectedly. And by checking your wrap quality you can increase the chances of your products making it do their destination without damage.
This post was published on April 22, 2016 and updated on September 13, 2017.
April 22, 2016
