Whether you work in a factory, warehouse, or manufacturing plant, you have probably used pallets. They make the transportation of products easier and more efficient while maintaining load stability. But in order to protect and secure these items, proper palletization is required. While plastic is often used for this purpose, there is an alternative to using a mess of plastic film and stretch wrap — pallet stabilization adhesives.
Our team breaks down everything you need to know about pallet adhesives and why you should consider them for your business.
What Are Pallet Adhesives?
Pallet adhesives, sometimes called palletizing adhesives or pallet stabilization adhesives, are special adhesives designed to securely hold products in place during storage or the shipping process. In lieu of extensive amounts of tertiary packaging, they help create more uniform layers and provide more stability to pallets. They are also designed to form a temporary bond and not to tear the substrates when taking the pallet apart. Pallet adhesive glues can be sprays, liquids, or dry sheets, depending on the type of palletizing adhesive being used.
Palletizing adhesives can help reduce the risk of products shifting or falling, which can lead to both safety concerns as well as damaged goods. For businesses, they can make the handling of pallets easier and more efficient.
How Do Pallet Adhesives Work?
Palletizing adhesives are specially formulated adhesives applied between layers of cases, bags, or boxes on a pallet to stabilize the load during transport and storage. The adhesives will form a temporary bond to the packaging materials to prevent shifting and sliding. This controlled tack allows pallets to stay stable without permanent bonding, so the products can be easily separated without leaving behind residue. Strategic application patterns can maximize surface contact while minimizing adhesive usage.
Pallet hot melt adhesives are heated to a liquid and applied to the surface with some sort of hot melt dispensing system. As they cool, they solidify and grip the surface of the substrates. Water-based pallet adhesives can be sprayed or extruded depending on the palletizing system.
What We Recommend: The Breakaway Pallet Stabilization System is a water-based adhesive and low-maintenance dispensing system. It can significantly reduce the need for excess stretch wrap, corner boards, and other packaging material costs. You can even demo the system before committing.
When to Apply Pallet Adhesives
Because pallets can be used to carry different types of products, pallet adhesive glues are generally formulated to work on a variety of substrates, such as cardboard boxes, paperboard cartons, shrink film, plastic, poly bags, and more. As a result, pallet adhesive use is common in a wide range of industries, including:
- Consumer goods
- Food and beverage products
- Chemical and industrial products
- Pharmaceuticals
- Textiles and apparel
- Pet food and animal feed
- Contract packaging
- Agriculture
The Benefits of Pallet Adhesives Vs. Plastic Stretch Wrap
While both plastic films and pallet adhesives can be used to secure pallets, there are some distinct benefits of using pallet adhesives over plastic stretch wrap.
Less Environmental Impact
According to one study, 70% of consumers prefer eco-friendly brands, and almost 40% of consumers claimed it is "very important" to them to buy from sustainable brands.1 Plastic stretch wrap, corner boards, dunnage, and other packaging materials traditionally used with pallets can be difficult to recycle and are often a major source of waste. On the other hand, pallet glues tend to be the more environmentally friendly choice as they can significantly reduce the amount of packaging materials needed to stabilize a pallet.
There are even biodegradable hot melt adhesives now available on the market that are designed to break down into nontoxic residues for companies wanted to go the extra mile.
Damaged Goods
Plastic wraps are stretchy and may still lead to shifting during transit, especially when it comes to working with goods that are not uniform in shape or that are stacked at steep angles. Plastic wraps can also lead to fiber tearing when unpacking, which can ruin the aesthetic of the product.
When applied correctly, palletizing adhesive products are designed to reduce or eliminate these issues. They can hold goods securely in place but not leave behind any residue when removed.
Production Time
Applying stretch films and cardboard layers often involves some amount of manual labor that can take a fair amount of time, depending on the process. Even wrapping machines can add another step to the production process that ultimately slows it down. Applying pallet hot melt adhesives can usually be easily incorporated into an automated production process with a pallet stabilization system to not only decrease production time but also simplify the production process and increase efficiency.
Cost Savings
Switching from plastic films to palletizing adhesives may also save your business money. Although they may be cheaper upfront, the cost of using stretch wrap, slip sheets, cardboard layers, plastic wrap, and airbags can all quickly add up. Especially when you take into account their storage and disposal costs. Not to mention the fact that more material is often needed for the same level of security, and if you do not use enough, the cost of damaged goods is steep.
Pallet stabilization adhesives can also help eliminate associated costs like storage, recycling, damaged goods, downtime, and added manpower needed for application. After a while, the return on investment can be significant.
A multinational beverage company was experiencing large amounts of damaged goods with a new variety pack until they started using palletizing stabilization adhesives. With pallet adhesives, they were saving $238 per truckload in palletizing materials. Not to mention a significant reduction in damaged goods that were also draining their finances.2
Need Help?
Pallet adhesives offer a powerful alternative to traditional plastic-based wrapping methods for tertiary packaging. If you are thinking about making the switch from plastic films to an adhesive pallet wrapping solution, we want to help.
Contact us today to speak with one of our adhesive experts. They can help you determine what the best pallet adhesive and stabilization system for your application and budget.
Sources:
1. PR Newswire (2023). "Optimove surveys: 70% of consumers prefer eco-friendly brands as 64% of brands say they have an environmental responsibility program"
2. APPLIED Adhesives. "APPLIED ADHESIVES AND ENERGY DRINK MANUFACTURER - SOLVING PALLET STABILIZATION CHALLENGES WITH BREAKAWAY ADHESIVE"
