Stadtallendorf, April 2023. – The choice of packaging has a significant influence on the efficiency and safety of a supply chain. Those who choose the wrong packaging tape when using cardboard packaging, for example, can quickly throw sand into the gears of their logistical processes. With the kind of parcel tape which lacks tear resistance, offers no protection against tampering and unauthorized opening and ultimately leads to high disposal costs, it is impossible to achieve either sustainable or secure supply chains. For these reasons, large numbers of manufacturers and retailers in the food industry as well as the supplier-, cosmetics- and pharmaceutical industries are now using water activated tape from Schümann on an international, sector-spanning basis. The tapes have been designed for the dust-tight, tear-resistant and tamper-proof closing of cardboard packaging in almost all categories of size and weight, and can be applied both manually as well as semi- and fully automatically. Logistics and supply chain managers will be able to view the entire range of water activated tapes offered by the German company in hall 10, booth E88 at this year’s Interpack trade fair.

Dust-tight, tear-resistant, tamper-proof

As standard, Schümann offers its gummed tapes in brown and white, in the widths of 60, 70 and 80 mm, and in non-reinforced or filament- and fibre-reinforced designs. The production of customer-specific special widths and colour-printed versions is also an integral part of the Schümann range. Also on show at the Interpack: closing tapes from the Green Line product group, which fulfil particularly demanding sustainability requirements and impress due to their exemplary environmental compatibility, also in the reinforced version. Like all the water activated tape reels available from Schümann, they are made from a potato starch adhesive and a Kraft paper which is manufactured primarily using wood from sustainably-managed forests in the EU. In addition, they also feature a reinforcing matrix which is made from natural raw materials.

Along with the presentation of its current range of products, at the Interpack, Schümann will also be addressing the question of the key selection factors for water activated tape reels. This includes parcel weight, for example, as well as the necessary degree of protection against tampering and unauthorized opening. In this respect, the following rule of thumb applies: in the case of a supply chain in which, for the most part, lightweight cardboard packaging with stable contents are on the road, unreinforced tapes are usually an adequate and cost-effective closing solution. If medium and heavy weight parcels with valuable and fragile contents are in transit the most often, however, the use of filament or fibre-reinforced gummed tape is recommended. Here, the leading products from Schümann are the UNIKRAFT and MAX7 tapes, with a tear-resistant polymer thread and glass fibre matrix that gives the parcels a high degree of security against tampering and theft. If at all, these closing tapes can only be broken open in a destructive and immediately identifiable way. This makes them an ideal solution for air freight transport and supply chains in which valuable contents are on the move.

Added stability due to double-T

Another factor in the choice of water activated tapes is the question of the mechanical loading of the cardboard packaging during its transport. Whether the parcels are handled as palletized stacks or as individual units is equally as relevant as the number of handling points and the distance and duration of the transport. The higher the mechanical stresses, the more advisable it is to use tapes that have filament or fibre reinforcement. At the Interpack, the experts from Schümann will also provide information about a factor which is often neglected during the use of gummed tape: the application of the closing tapes in the double-T format, which gives the parcel an all-round seal and an increased degree of stability at no extra cost.

Incidentally: wide-ranging possibilities for supply chain optimization are also provided by the print service from Schümann. The closing tapes for cardboard packaging can be printed with process-oriented identity codes, noticeable warning and safety instructions or CI-compliant company logos and advertising logos, for example. The company will also be discussing this at booth E88 in hall 10 of the Interpack trade fair.