As the owner of a startup, you wonder how to cut costs wherever and whenever you can. When it comes to packaging, the answer lies in shrink wrapping. Cheap, efficient, easy to install, and easy to use, this type of packaging is perfect for small businesses.
And depending on your production output, you can choose either simple hand-held units or a fully automated packaging system. To know which shrink wrap machine is best for you, here are 4 things to consider.
1. Overall Cost
Owners of small companies and startups prefer the shrink wrap wrapping to other types of packaging for one reason. It is affordable in two ways. One, when you launch a new product, shrink wrapping has the lowest startup costs.
Two, adding shrink wrap machines to your existing product lines is more cost-effective than adding other types. However, these machines differ in price, despite their low overall costs. So, to cut your costs even further, buy cheap but quality machines.
2. Production Output
Shrink wrapping is not only affordable but also efficient. Again, this explains why it is so popular with small businesses and startups. To make the most of efficiency, choose machines that match your production output. Otherwise, your production line will operate below your expectations, regardless of how efficient the shrink wrap machine is.
Start by calculating your projected output. If it peaks at 100 units per day, get a heat gun and hand impulse sealer. Move up to an “I” bar sealer if your output never exceeds 250 units per day. But for an output of between 250 and 750 units per day, an “L” bar sealer will do.
Combine a shrink tunnel with the “L” bar if you intend to package 2,500 – 3,000 units per day. However, when output exceeds 3,000 units per day, you should consider buying an automated shrink wrap system.
3. Should You Automate?
Small businesses cut costs by buying a hand-fed shrink wrap system, such as the heat gun and impulse sealer. Workers take the products to be packaged from one production line before they stack them, line them up, and feed them into the packaging unit.
You can see why, though cheap, such a system operates at 80% efficiency at best. This figure drops to zero when you have labor shortages. Lack of automation only works if your production output is low.
4. Product Size
When choosing a shrink-wrapping machine, determine the width, length, and height of the products that you intend to package. Then, choose the largest machine that can accommodate the largest of the products. Doing so allows you to package not only large products but also small ones.
However, be cautious when you select two machines that go together, such as a heat gun and hand impulse sealer, or a shrink tunnel and “L” bar sealer. One can be fit for the product while the other is either too large or too small.
To know whether a shrink wrap system is the best for your operation, you should look at its overall cost, the machine’s efficiency and consider your production output. The machine should accommodate both the largest and smallest of your products.
