But that’s not all. As purchasing volume increases, both the price-per-case and shipping cost decreases. Now, by buying stretch wrap in bulk, you’re not just saving on the price of the product, but on the shipping costs too!  

You may have already known that bulk purchases can lower your material and shipping costs, but this next method may be new to you. 

Downgauging

Another great way to reduce stretch wrap costs is by downgauging.

Downgauging is when you use a thinner, or lower gauge, stretch wrap to accomplish the same load tension as a thicker, or higher gauge, stretch wrap. 

Downgauging is cheaper because the lower the gauge of stretch wrap is, the less material there is. It follows that high gauge stretch wrap is made of more material, so it costs more to purchase. 

One way to downgauge is by purchasing “engineered films.” 

These are thinner films that are engineered with special high-stretch additives, giving the film an enhanced strength far beyond its would-be thickness strength. 

Another effective way of downgauging is to switch from “true gauged film” to “equivalent film.”

True gauged film is a premium quality stretch wrap characterized by its high stretch rate. On the other hand, equivalent film is thinner than true gauged film, and has a lower stretch rate. Equivalent film has a different stretch rate than true gauged film because it’s made from a different resin mixture. 

Equivalent film has comparable load retention because, despite being thinner, it’s stiffer than true gauged film. There is a tradeoff, though; because it’s thinner and stiffer, the puncture and tear resistance is reduced. 

With that in mind, if you’re wrapping boxes and other non-sharp-edged objects, then the lowered puncture and tear resistance may not even be an issue. That’s why, despite this tradeoff, downgauging to equivalent film is effective. 

But if you’re not interested in downgauging, we have one more way to reduce stretch wrap costs for your business. 

Investing in a Stretch Wrap Dispenser or Stretch Wrapper

Investing in either tools or a machine to assist in the application of stretch wrap is a great way to cut down on costs. This is because stretch wrap dispensers and stretch wrappers minimize waste by optimizing usage.  

For smaller operations, your best bet is to provide the crew with a variety of stretch wrap dispensers. 

STRETCH WRAP DISPENSERS

Stretch wrap dispensers come in a variety of sizes and models, but generally the point of using one is to reduce hand fatigue and increase tension control. 

There are specialty stretch wrap dispensers, like the hand saver dispenser and the mini stretch wrap dispenser, that are lightweight and portable. These tools are convenient for workers who will be moving around the warehouse often and don’t want to lose track of their tool, as it will fit in their back pocket. 

Bigger stretch wrap dispensers will have an ergonomically designed grip and a rod for the stretch wrap to go on. These tools provide the most comfort and highest degree of tension control, allowing workers to get more stretch from a roll of film than would be possible by hand alone. 

This is how stretch wrap dispensers optimize usage, by enabling the worker to achieve a higher maximum stretch. In doing so, less stretch wrap is required to secure a load. 

For bigger operations, however, stretch wrap dispensers may not be enough. In this scenario, there is no better way to cut material costs than by using a stretch wrapper.

STRETCH WRAPPERS

If your operation requires more than a dozen loads to be palletized per hour, then you’ll want to invest in a stretch wrapper. 

Stretch wrappers involve a high upfront cost, making it inaccessible to smaller operations. But, this machine more than pays for itself in boosted productivity and stretch wrapping efficiency. 

Whether you go with a semi-automatic or an automatic stretch wrapper, they will provide fast, secure, and consistent loading results every time, all the while freeing up would-be operators to focus on other tasks. 

But what makes stretch wrappers really shine is their excellent ability to reduce material waste by getting the most stretch possible from a roll of stretch wrap.

By hand, a worker might be able to achieve 60%-80% stretch, while a machine can easily achieve 200%-400% stretch. By doing so, the stretch wrapper is able to maximize cost-effectiveness.