Preventing Damage: Load Securing for Delicate Produce
End-of-line strapping solutions must be able to adapt to the needs of different products. In the case of the fresh produce industry, fruits and vegetables, like berries, tomatoes, and grapes, are vulnerable to damage during the packaging, securing, and transit processes. They can be bruised and crushed from rough handling and collapsed loads, and spoil if they aren’t well ventilated as they head for retailers.
Proper strapping is an important piece of the fresh produce supply chain. Strap must be applied consistently and quickly when produce is ready to ship to keep up with the output of an industry processing tens of billions of units of produce annually.
Let’s take a look at the challenges of packaging fresh produce efficiently and securely. We’ll also look at the advantages of automatic and semi-automatic strapping solutions, and the benefits that come from streamlining the fresh produce load securing process.
Strapping and stretch wrapping solutions are designed to reinforce load integrity when moving boxed produce. This can be done through manual hand-held strapping tools, and semi-, or fully-automated machines (which can operate both in-line and offline). The goal is to provide load security during transportation and handling without damaging the delicate contents within each box.
The need to secure loads presents a challenge when packaging fresh produce. Produce isn’t made of synthetic plastic or hard minerals and metals. It is a living thing and an organic substance with high water content that is still undergoing biological processes even after being harvested.
Fruits and veggies break down and spoil over time due to environmental factors like microbial growth and transpiration. Higher temperatures can increase respiration rates, breaking down sugars and depleting moisture faster. Low humidity can further accelerate the loss of moisture, while high humidity can lead to condensation, mold, and decay.
Fresh produce can also spoil due to physical damage, which can easily occur while packing boxes, applying straps, and securing pallets. This can happen through dropped product, conveyor belt, or transport vibration, and pressure from overtightened straps. Even if the skin of a piece of produce remains intact, the internal effects of physical damage can create bruising and other changes that affect quality and lifespan.
Taking all of these factors into account, it is important to have end-of-line strapping solutions in place that can handle these unique needs and ensure produce damage prevention. Traditional manual packaging is not an efficient solution when securing fresh produce. When workers apply strapping by hand, it introduces a number of variables, including inconsistent tension and human error. It also significantly reduces throughput.
Fully automatic and semi-automatic strapping machines are effective solutions to reduce damage and wasted product in the fresh produce industry. They automatically apply consistent and predictable straps around boxes, crates, and pallets, reducing the frequency of operator errors.
Modern automated solutions also have the option to integrate directly into flow lines or operate laterally across multiple loading stations. Additional features, like custom tension settings, can support different sensitivity requirements (such as securing a box of peaches compared to a box of apples). Automatic cornerboard detection and application provide additional support for every pallet.
When it comes to the kind of strapping used, automatic and semi-automatic alternatives can use Polypropylene (PP) straps if desired. However, they can also use fully recyclable Polyester (PET) plastic straps as a superior option with ideal stretch and climate resistance, optimal tension, and high joint strength. This leads to minimal variation in tension, even in different temperature conditions during longer transport periods.
Semi-automatic solutions offer a middle-ground option, too. If a floor doesn’t accommodate a static machine, mobile units can move to a pallet in need of strapping rather than the other way around. They replace the inconsistencies of strapping by hand. Many models come with a high vertical application range to ensure consistent tension from the top to the bottom of a load.
Whether they are automatic or semi-automatic, fresh produce strapping equipment brings a number of benefits.
Automation Creates Consistency
One of the most critical benefits of automated strapping is consistency. Automatic and semi-automatic strapping delivers exact, repeatable strap placement and tension with every application. Automated strapping machines can also use CRC technology for detecting and repositioning misplaced cornerboards.
It doesn’t matter if you are applying strap ten feet high around a pallet of berries or securing the bottom of a stack of boxes filled with papayas; consistency in application prevents bruising and crushing during load securing and transportation.
Automation Generates Greater Load Stability
Along with consistency in application, automating your process creates greater load stability. When a worker has to strap something over their head (especially if they’re manually applying straps for hours at a time), it can lead to uneven tension, compromised load integrity, and worker fatigue. The result is shifting and toppling, which leads to lost product and wastage.
Automation Increases Speed and Efficiency
Automatically securing each load also increases speed and efficiency, boosting throughput and bottom line. Automated machines can often process 60 or 70 pallets per hour, even with lateral movement between loading stations. Along with greater productivity, this reduces the amount of time certain produce spends outside of cold chains, preserving quality while preventing spoilage.
Automation Provides Flexibility
Flexibility is a key benefit of automated fresh produce strapping. Many automatic machines can function in-line. Others can move laterally. This offers multi-station strapping support for different loading zones.
To fully experience the consistency, efficiency, and profit that automated fresh produce packaging can offer, you want to find an OEM that functions as a partner.
At EAM-Mosca, we have invested in a full-service experience that goes beyond model selection and setup. We invest in long-term support that ensures rapid response and maximum uptime. We will work with you in person, on your floor, to find the ideal machinery placement for both in-line and offline solutions and training.
We don’t just bring potential fresh produce strapping solutions. We have the experience to tailor those solutions to your specific needs.
Whether you’re investing in vegetable transport packaging, looking for better fruit packaging solutions, or trying to minimize loss through safer, more secure loads, you want to consider automated and semi-automated strapping solutions.
In an industry where damaged products are all too common, having the right systems in place can ensure that every load is properly secured and able to minimize vibrations, shifting, and compression as they move from the warehouse to the supermarket.
If you are looking for a strapping partner, we encourage you to reach out to our team at EAM-Mosca. Use the chat in the bottom corner for a quick and easy quote or contact us directly with questions. A strapping expert will respond shortly, and we can begin the process of improving your fresh produce operation as quickly as possible. We look forward to connecting!
