LEARNING CENTRE

WHY STRAPPING IS PERFORMED?

The type of strapping best suited to a specific application generally depends on three key factors:  the type of package, the characteristics of the package and the purpose of packaging the product.

TYPES OF PACKAGES

• Rigid – neither expands nor contracts during strapping
• Expanding – expands after strapping
• Shrinking – one or more of its dimensions get smaller after strapping
• Compression – package compresses under strapping
• Combination – compresses when strapped, shrinks when other loads are placed on top of it, and then expands when loads are removed.

RIDGID	EXPANDING	SHRINKING
COMPRESSION	COMBINATION

PACKAGE CHARACTERISTICS

• Corners – what kind of corners does the load have? Sharp? Angled?
• Weight – How heavy is the load?
• Load stability – How will the load react during transit
• Handling – How will the load be handled? Fork truck, overhead crane?
• Storage – How will the load be stored? Outside, inside, on shelves?
• Shipping –How will the load be shipped? Truck, railcar, overseas container?

PURPOSE OF PACKAGING THE PRODUCT

• Closure – is the strap used to close the container
• Securement – ensures a product remains in a certain condition
• Palletizing – secures load to a pallet
• Unitizing – groups two or more units so they can be handled as one
• Skidding – secures a load to a skid
• Bundling – joins a number of smaller items into a package.  Usually round items
• Baling – secures compressible material
• Compression – maintains compression an packages
• Pilferage protection – deters theft
• Tie downs and bracing – ties down lading on open top vehicles
• Lifting – used to lift a load by overhead crane