{"id":70327,"date":"2016-11-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lantechweb.wpengine.com\/blog\/throwback-thursday-tbt-to-the-first-stretch-wrapper-invented\/"},"modified":"2020-10-13T13:44:49","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T17:44:49","slug":"throwback-thursday-tbt-to-the-first-stretch-wrapper-invented","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lantech.com\/throwback-thursday-tbt-to-the-first-stretch-wrapper-invented\/","title":{"rendered":"Throwback Thursday – #TBT – To The First Stretch Wrapper Invented"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In the 1970s, two brothers named Pat and Bill Lancaster set out to solve a problem. Shipping products meant either loading hundreds of single boxes onto a truck one at a time, or using metal straps or shrink bags to unitize loads. All three options took a lot of time and energy. Loading boxes one at a time was hard work and strapping or shrink bags were expensive. How could they make the process of unitizing better?<\/p>\n

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\"firstThe Lancaster brothers would introduce the first stretch wrapper at the 1973 Packaging Machinery Manufacturer\u2019s trade show. They developed a way to unitize pallet loads by wrapping them with layers of plastic film. This was faster and cheaper than other methods.<\/p>\n

Four decades later, the stretch wrapper has become the dominant form of pallet unitization. This has saved companies billions of dollars every year by increasing productivity and reducing shipping damage.<\/p>\n

The story isn\u2019t over, however. This is just the end of the beginning.<\/p>\n

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The Challenge Ahead<\/span><\/h3>\n

The stretch wrapping quality \u2013 how well the pallet load is stretch wrapped \u2013 of the vast majority of pallet loads being shipped today is not as good as it should be or could be.<\/p>\n

This results in too many products reaching their destinations in unsalable condition \u2013 damaging our environment, as too many of them wind up in landfills.\u00a0It also creates an estimated $60 billion of waste each year in just the consumer products goods, food, and beverage industries alone.<\/p>\n

We believe as much as half those unsalable products can be saved just by stretch wrapping better.<\/p>\n

The techniques for effective stretch wrapping<\/a> are well established and disarmingly simple in theory but they can be complicated or difficult to implement in the complex environments of today\u2019s factories and warehouses.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Our goal is to put a big dent the billions of dollars of waste caused by unsalable products by making it easier for our customers to stretch wrap effectively.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re working hard on developing technology and machines to do just that.<\/p>\n

To learn more, visit Lantech.com or if you\u2019re going to Pack Expo, come see us at Booth N-5106.<\/p>\n

Learn more about stretch wrappers in these posts:<\/h2>\n