Following on the hubbub our linkfests "Pallets" and "Pallets: The Sequel" created, it is time for Stretch Wrap.
From The Prepared, May 27:
To look at a container ship is to see the world as a set of modular units. The ship itself: a gigantic rectangle. Steel containers form an improbable stack of colorful bricks atop the deck, held together with twist-locks and lashing rods. Inside the shipping containers square wooden pallets subdivide the space, a nesting layer of modularity that bundles together smaller boxes and turns items into moveable and trackable units. But between the inner layers of this modular vision of blocks, cubes, and interchangeable units is the diaphanous material that holds together the subcomponents of the containerized world: stretch wrap.
Stretch wrap — sometimes also called stretch film, cling film or pallet wrap — is a thin film of stretchable plastic used to wrap loads for transport and shipping. Stretch wrap provides strength and protection, helping things to get from A to B quickly and at scale. Its low cost, ease of application, and ability to stabilize loads has made it a preferred choice for attaching products to pallets. In 2007 it was estimated that 454 million kilograms (1 billion pounds) of stretch wrap was produced each year, equating to an estimated 3 billion pallets wrapped....
....MUCH MORE
