Reducing the Cost of Bundling - Overwrap Replaces Shrinkwrap

Marden Edwards has recently delivered a B125LH8 collator overwrapper to the Mexican production facility of a major skin care pharmaceutical manufacturer. The B125LH8 bundling machine takes a single stream of individual products, in this case cartons of medicated soap, and produces a six pack bundle.

The new overwrapping machine has been purchased to replace the existing shrink wrapping system. The reason for this is to reduce the cost of packaging.

Overwrapping has traditionally been used for display packaging. However, it has always also been used for the bundling of products for transit or distribution purposes. The B125LH8 uses the same wrapping components as a display overwrapper except that an integrated collating system is built into the machine.

The customer, the end user and the consumer all save money.

Polypropylene overwrapping film is cheaper than the equivalent polyolefin. In addition, there is no wasted material because the film ends are folded and not trimmed away, as happens when using a shrink wrapper. Overwrapping, unlike shrinkwrapping, does not need an energy expensive shrink tunnel to achieve a good wrap and an even more expensive air conditioning system to take out the hot air.

Overwrapping allows the application of a tear strip which is applied as the packaging machine is running. This helps the end user, the supermarket, quickly open the bundle without the need for a knife or other tool. The tear tape has an extended tab which makes the start of the tape easy to find.

Lastly, but not least, although good looks are not a requirement of a transit wrap, the overwrapped bundle has a much more attractive appearance than the corresponding shrink wrap. Overwrapping also allows the use of starch based biodegradable films such as Biophan and Nutureflex which both compost leaving no dangerous residues.