Most of us see a tiny fraction of the supply chain – a few boxes or pallets at a time if we’re on the receiving end. Industry leaders know that most businesses only see the tip of the iceberg of what goes on behind the scenes.
A crucial, and yet often overlooked, element of logistics is that of pallet wrap. According to Glenn Harris, General Manager of Processor & Industry at Bunzl Australia and New Zealand, there’s something to be said about getting the basics right. “Businesses need to ensure each pallet is wrapped correctly, consistently and securely – which means the quality of the wrap is crucial,” explains Harris. “An inferior product or incorrect application of a product can have many downstream effects, which is time-consuming, costly and dangerous.”
Between 2022 and 2023, logistics service Silk Contract Logistics (SLC) had a freight volume totalling a staggering 574.2 tonne‑kilometres for the whole of Australia, which is why David O’Brien, General Manager Southern Region for SLC, emphasises the importance of safe, secure, effective logistics.
“Whether travelling via road, rail, sea or air, your pallets should be secure and tight to ensure the freight is not going to move in transit,” explains O’Brien. “It’s also important to make sure that the wrap is applied correctly. [This means that] you’re applying the wrapping well, but you’ve also got consistency in the wrapping you’re doing. You don’t want one person wrapping it one way and another one doing it differently. Uniformity is important.”
Harris advises that ensuring your wrapped product is securely held in place with the correct wrap will also prevent damage in transit and OH&S issues – which can stem from unloading unsecured pallets – and when it comes to servicing big players such as the major supermarkets, correct application and consistency will also save rejections.
“A pallet being rejected results in entire shipments having to be returned and rewrapped, which costs time, money, and of course puts more plastic back into the environment,” explains Harris.
Whether it is secure pallet wrapping, correct pallet wrap applications or more complex operations, using the right pallet wrap can have a large impact – everything from the security of individual pallets, the volume and cost of the pallet wrap itself to meeting broader business sustainability goals. “One of our key innovations is Advantage’s high stretch capability pallet wrap that allows for more pallets to be wrapped with a single roll,” says James Beleno, Bunzl ANZ National Business Development Manager – Industrial Packaging & Machinery.
“As fewer rolls are required per pallet, this reduces the amount of plastic a business uses overall, resulting in reduced plastic waste, and minimising the amount of wrap that needs to be disposed of.”
As the importance of sustainability in the industrial manufacturing and logistics sector continues to gain traction, businesses should look towards aligning with suppliers and partners that place importance on efficiency, while also emphasising innovation – resulting in better business outcomes for all involved.
