Rollstock has and will continue to have a prominent place in the flexible retail packaging industry. Many companies rely on rollstock for high volume applications…beyond semi- automatic applications of filling finished pouches or bags into where there is a delicate (see below for more info) marriage between a machine and the film that runs on it. The machine cannot run smoothly without film that works within the constraints of the machine…how fast it can run, how hard or easy it is for the film to bend or seal or even how easily the film is heated and/or adheres to itself when making pouches or to a different substrate like a pudding cup or sliced peaches container.
My point, rollstock has two main things a company must always keep in mind. How does the film run on the equipment and how does the film work with whatever it is being sealed or adhered to? Because of this delicate balance, many companies who contract fill and package are very leery of trying new films because when film doesn’t run well on a machine it slows down production, causing delays and a ton of frustration.
However, the easiest thing is always to blame the film, certainly not the machine or the operator trying to pump through more…and this often leads to companies paying way more for rollstock film, printed or plain, then they have to. Don’t get me wrong, many times the film has an issue, but my point is back to what I mentioned in paragraph 1, it is a delicate marriage between the film and machine.
If a company takes the time to consistently monitor the film and machine together…how much scrap, the speed it can handle, how easy it is to unload and reload the rolls of film, etc high volume and reduced per piece price is the result.
BUYER BEWARE
Many companies make the mistake of partnering with contract packaging firms that only run rollstock or only fill finished pouches, not both. As a result, they are often stuck paying higher costs. For example…say your product is a trail mix for outdoor enthusiasts and your contract packager only has rollstock filling capability and you want to try a new flavor. Because they can only run rollstock the minimum run for rollstock is much higher than finished pouches and remember this is a new item and you aren’t sure if it will sell well at retail. Either way, you are stuck for the large volume of rollstock. Machines that run rollstock are very expensive and normally require large minimum runs.
On the other hand, if you are working with a contract packaging firm that has been filling finished pouches for you and you are fortunate to have a huge new order for Walmart, many contract packaging companies that fill pouches have more ways to increase filling finished pouches than running rollstock. They can add a shift, work longer hours, or even add a temporary line with another filling machine. Many companies can rent or buy additional pouch filling machines to increase capacity much easier than committing to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would take to add a rollstock line…let alone the time it would take. Pouch filling equipment can be implemented much faster and rollstock.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with rollstock, just know that it can be temperamental and testing to make sure the machine and the film rollstock play nice together. We always recommend doing trial runs, small rolls of film before a company is ready to commit to a large-scale order. Not all rollstock companies are willing to do this, but we believe it is absolutely critical to put our clients at ease when trying new materials.
Rollstock can be made in any number of different structures, from foil, clear, metalized, paper, and now compostable and biodegradable structures. This is part of a much broader topic and eBook. Click here for more.
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