We live in a global economy. This means that nearly all of the products that we sell or buy have to travel over long distances via truck, ship, or train. Unfortunately, these products will not be shipped under ideal conditions most of the time. They will be exposed to harsh weather and extreme temperatures that can damage or even destroy items during transport. If you would like to safeguard your products, shrink wrap them during transport.
Shipping Conditions
What products are exposed to during transport will depend on where and how they are shipped and also how long the journey takes. Will water and salt splash on them on winter highways or when they sit waiting for a ship at port? Ice, mud, and grime can be equally damaging. With the recent shipping delays we’ve seen, they may be exposed to the elements over longer periods of time than is typical.
Many products are stretch wrapped by the manufacturer for this purpose. Others can be protected in shipping crates or containers. However, for items that are large, heavy, or oddly shaped, this is not an option. Shipping these types of products should not be done without protecting them during the shipping process, though.
Shrink Wrap Products for Transport
This is where shrink wrap can help! Shrink wrapping items minimizes their exposure to both water and air, preventing corrosion and rusting. Trucking companies will often tarp items to protect them, but, as we have discussed previously, tarps cannot offer even close to the same protection as shrink wrap. Even for smaller items, tarping cannot prevent water, wind, salt, or dirt from harming products in shipment. In fact, tarping may aid corrosion because it’s easy for water, dirt, and salt to get under a tarp, and there they get trapped.
For large or angular objects, shrink wrapping them is the very best way to protect them. Shrink wrap can be formed to tightly enclose any item in plastic. When that is done, tarping is unnecessary and even unwanted as tarps will move around during transport and tear at the shrink wrap.
The cost of shrink wrap is higher than some less effective forms of protection like stretch wrap. This is because stretch wrap is just physically wrapping an item in plastic wrap over and over until it is entirely encased. However, shrink wrap stands up better to challenging outdoor conditions and eliminates air within the wrapping, making it well worth the investment if your products are valuable to you.
If you want your property to reach its end destination in the same condition that it left your facility, shrink wrap your products for transport. Your customers will thank you, and in the long run you will save money because you will not have to replace anything damaged or destroyed.
If you have any questions about the uses or value of shrink wrap, please call Zormot at (808) 459-5422. We will be happy to talk to you and recommend the right shrink wrap for your needs and any tools or accessories that might help you as well.