Minimizing excess stretch film usage is important for reducing waste, saving money, and keeping your operation as efficient as possible. While stretch film is an invaluable product, the less you use while properly securing your loads, the better for your bottom line. Load containment is one of the most important factors in this process. The term refers to the different forces that work in unison to hold your pallets together. Proper load containment secures your product so it can travel and arrive intact. Here’s everything you need to know about making load containment your secret weapon:

Whether you’re in food service or consumer packaged goods, shrink wrap is an amazing tool. It’s customizable, efficient, and protects your products as they travel. It’s been an incredibly useful development in the manufacturing space. But if your shrink wrap system isn’t working to its full potential, you could be wasting money, time, and manpower. Issues with shrink wrap could even damage your reputation with customers. Common shrink wrap issues tend to fall back on three issues: temperature, time, and pressure. Read on to assess your shrink wrap status and troubleshoot any common shrink wrap problems you may have with your equipment or line.

One of the hottest new trends to hit the packaging world is the introduction of opaque packaging films, particularly for e-commerce businesses that ship a diverse array of items to consumers all over the world. Opaque packaging films are new films that eliminate the need for traditional corrugated boxes and fillers. With this innovation, the machinery wraps items as they are, cutting out bulky packages. And because the film is opaque, what’s inside remains private. This new type of film cuts down on waste, reduces costs, maintains privacy, takes up less space, improves overall efficiency, and upgrades the consumer experience.

In an increasingly connected world, there are few areas that the internet hasn’t gotten its megabytes into. The rise of data sharing is only on track to continue, with the Internet of Things (IoT) growing in scope and significance. In keeping with this rising trend, smart packaging (also known as intelligent packaging) is becoming the new standard in the manufacturing space. Think of it as an upgrade — like watches and televisions, adding “smart” elements to packaging can vastly improve the consumer’s (and manufacturer’s) experience, with infinite opportunities to take advantage of the technology. Read on to learn all about the possibilities of smart packaging, and how it’s being utilized by manufacturers.

In order to maintain optimal functionality, everything with moving parts needs an adjustment from time to time – be it cars, computers or packaging machinery. Chances are, your company’s equipment could use a few tweaks – and even minor changes in your packaging process could add up to big savings. Sometimes, that could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are expert teams dedicated to audits that help customers optimize settings, materials, and processes used on their production lines. A simple packaging film audit could be the edge you need to boost your bottom line.

You’ve probably heard the term Internet of Things (IoT), but what does this ubiquitous industry buzzword refer to, exactly? The IoT is the interconnectedness of everyday objects and machinery to the internet through computerization (microchips, sensors, etc.), enabling inanimate items to exchange data and communicate with other connected objects. Industry insiders are predicting that the IoT could change manufacturing as we know it by tracking and measuring every previously unquantified element of operations. Read on for everything you need to know about the IoT and packaging, including what’s trending now, how companies are innovating, and a predictive look forward.