There is nothing more annoying for your customers than deliveries arriving damaged. Every consignment that they have to return costs them both time and money, which means that ultimately, their damaged deliveries will damage your business.

While you obviously have very little control over how your goods are treated once they leave your premises, you can safeguard against poor, careless handling in an efficient and cost effective way with the use of stretch film. Stretch film protects the contents of palletised goods in transit and storage from weather, dust and spillage but most importantly, it stabilises cartons on pallets and prevents them toppling over and damaging goods.To help you understand stretch film a little better, I have compiled a brief guide that I hope you find informative and helpful, so the next time you send out a consignment it will arrive in exactly the same condition as you sent it.

It is important that you choose the correct thickness of stretch film relative to the weight of the consignment you are despatching.

Up to 300kgs 14 micron
300-500kgs 17 micron
500-700kgs 20 micron
800-1000kgs 23 micron

Reels are available in various sizes from small handy wrap rolls that are narrow in width and ideal for bundling small products together in confined spaces right up to the large reels used in warehouses which can be 400mm/500mm wide and often 300m - 400m long. The smaller reels are generally dispensed with a lightweight hand-held dispenser and the larger reels feature an extended core which allows the operative to wrap the load safely and securely.

There is a choice of stretch film: cast film, blown film and coloured film. Which is best for you?

Cast film is a very strong clear film that sticks to itself so is much quieter than the other films and is used particularly within the food industry market. The quality of this film ensures a smooth surface enabling the film to cling to itself without any additives or adhesives. Better memory ensures the pallet load remains tight together in transit and the high clarity makes accurate bar code scanning easier.

Blown film is ideal for use in cold store areas and is the standard film used in the UK. It's ideal for stabilising irregular shaped loads or quantities of cartons on a pallet. Additives are used to produce a tack on both sides but this does make the film noisy when reels are unwound.

Coloured film comes in both cast and blown and is ideal for protecting your valuable products against pilferage as only two wraps guarantee an opaque cover that ensures the contents cannot be seen.

Stretch film is a highly cost effective way to protect palletised goods. It's very easy to use and not only vastly improves the stability of the load but also protects the goods against dust, dirt, moisture and damage. It can play a big part in ensuring that you have a happy, satisfied customer when their goods arrive safely and in the condition that you had despatched them in ... and a satisfied customer is a returning customer.