Stretch hood offers alternative to shrink or stretch wrapping

Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien GmbH, headquartered in Freyburg, is a leading producer of spirits and sparkling wine in Germany. By installing a stretch hood system (Beumer, beumergroup.com) for pallet wrapping, the company minimized material costs and product damage in transit.

The company’s distribution center ships approximately 300,000 pallets each year. Beverages are filled and bottled automatically, corked, capsuled and labeled. Next, they are packed into cardboard boxes picked up by a palletizer. Prior to the new technology, the upper surfaces of the cardboard boxes were glued and transported to a binding machine where the palletized beverage cartons were tied up. During transport, cartons often loosened themselves and fell onto the loading space.

With the new system, a conveyor delivers palletized beverage cartons into the packaging area. The technology automatically recognizes different stacking heights while an ultrasonic sensor determines the required film length. The recyclable, 40-micrometer film is cut to size and sealed along the cut edge to form a hood, which is stretched over the stack and down underneath the pallet base. The hooded pallet is then conveyed to the shipping area. The system, which was installed in three weeks, packages up to 100 pallet loads per hour.

Production manager Karl-Josef Lauzi says the system reduces product damage while improving the ability of customers to automatically handle palletized loads. “For a faster material flow in their central warehouses, many customers rely on automatic loading and unloading systems,” says Lauzi. “This requires product to be sufficiently secured and protected.”

Moreover, two different pallet sizes can be packaged with the multi-format system, which can also produce perforated film to prevent the accumulation of condensation. “The change is semi-automatic and it is not necessary to retrofit the system,” says Lauzi. “We are well prepared for future requirements.”