6 Reasons to Make the Switch to Water-Activated Tape

Are you using packing tape (also known as plastic, pressure-sensitive tape) for sealing and shipping cartons from your warehouse? 

What if there were good reasons to consider an alternative? 

Read on to learn six good reasons to consider switching from plastic, pressure-sensitive tape to gummed paper tape (also known as water-activated tape or WAT).

1. Improved Productivity

Applying pressure-sensitive tape using a hand-held tape gun on multiple cartons can get very tiring for employees. The hand-held tape gun becomes heavy after repetitive use, causing productivity declines or even a repetitive stress injury. An alternative is to use water-activated tape with a water-activated tape dispenser. An independent research study demonstrated that the use of electric water-activated tape dispensers with WAT is 21% more efficient than the use of handheld tape guns. This productivity improvement can make a significant difference in your bottom line.

2. Tamper Deterrence

Using pressure-sensitive tape can leave your shipments susceptible to tampering and theft. Unless multiple strips of tape are used to seal the carton (expensive), it is easy to penetrate the carton by applying a bit of pressure on the top of the carton next to the tape to create a gap through which some of the content can be retrieved. The box can then be resealed leaving no indication that any pilfering has occurred.

Unlike pressure-sensitive tape that merely sits on top of the box, water-activated tape bonds with the carton. Any attempt to compromise the seal will tear the cardboard, making it readily evident that someone has tampered with the shipment. Customers who have made the switch to gummed tape and electric tape dispensers have seen a significant drop in product theft during transit.

3. Increased Security

Has your packing tape ever given way, or the bottom of your cardboard box opened because the contents were too heavy? One cause may be that standard packing tape is no more than a single ply of plastic, which isn’t very sturdy. Many packers will use multiple strips of pressure-sensitive tape, trying to better secure heavy cartons. There are several downsides to this approach; it is time consuming, it’s not cost efficient, and “mummifying” makes your packages look unprofessional and jeopardizes your branding.

Thanks to its permanent bond with the cardboard fibers (even with recycled corrugate), gummed tape is much sturdier. Further, reinforced gummed tape, which is made with fiberglass crossing strands between two layers of paper, results in even greater strength. This helps reduce breakage or damage during transit.

4. Cost-Effective

A superficial cost analysis of standard, pressure-sensitive tape will indicate that it is less expensive than water-activated tape. Look a bit deeper and the cost differential reverses.

Most packers use several strips of plastic tape to try to truly seal the carton and if the decision to use plastic tape is based on a cost saving per roll, that saving can be lost the instant a second piece of tape is used.

With water-activated tape only one strip of tape is needed to securely seal a carton. This material savings plus the savings gained from increased productivity, reduced theft and tampering makes water activated tape a cost-effective alternative.

5. Branding & Messaging

Your corporate brand image is one of the most important investments you can make in your company. In this environment of message overload, it is challenging to keep your brand front and center. Using gummed paper tape allows you to print your logo or a message directly onto your packaging tape. Cartons will have a clean, custom and professional look that elevates your branding and creates a positive customer engagement moment.

6. E-Commerce

Water-activated tape closes more e-commerce packages than packing tape. The fastest growing e-commerce companies are seeing the value in water-activated tape and are making the switch. They like gummed tape’s security, strength and branding potential.

Try WAT for Yourself

Ensure that your business is one of the growing number of companies who can benefit from moving away from plastic, pressure-sensitive tape. Try water-activated tape today by ordering a free sample for your warehouse. Simply click the image below.

[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]

2 Key Questions to Consider When Deciding Between Pressure-Sensitive And Water-Activated Packaging Tape

WAT = 1 strip of tape (top & bottom). PST = Multiple strips of tape (top & bottom)

Many companies are making the switch from plastic, pressure-sensitive tape (PST) to water-activated packaging tape (WAT) to obtain a more reliable carton sealing solution. These companies realize that in order to keep the contents of their packages secure, they need a carton seal that can withstand the rigors of the shipping process. This article will discuss how you can gain the upper hand in the shipping game by discussing, in a Q&A format, the reasons why plastic packaging tape falls short in comparison to water-activated tape.

Q: Which Packaging Tape Will Visibly Show If My Package Was Breached?

A:  Water-activated paper tape is tamper-evident. It creates a permanent bond with the corrugated carton, and, as a result, it is readily apparent if anyone tries to remove or break the tape. This makes your products more secure throughout the shipping voyage. Conversely, the inherent "pressure-sensitive" characteristic of PST makes it easy to remove or to gain access to the carton by pushing down on it, without leaving a trace of entry. This clearly makes theft a possible shipping problem.

Q: Our Company Wants to Increase Productivity. Which Packaging Tape Should We Use?

A: Plastic, pressure-sensitive tape (PST) is typically used with a hand-held tape gun. Water-activated packaging tape needs to be used with a water-activated tape dispenser. Dispensers, available in both electric and non-electric varieties, wet and cut the tape, often to a pre-programmed length of the operator’s choosing.

On the plus side, because hand-held tape guns are inexpensive, businesses often have several throughout their facility, making it productive for packers to seal cartons “on-the-fly”. However, you need to look at a few other factors to obtain a more complete view of hand-held tape gun productivity.

---

Want to know more about the benefits of water-activated packaging tape? Check out this guide:

Get Your Copy Now

---

In an effort to ensure secure carton closure using plastic tape, packers often use 2-3 strips of tape on the carton, diminishing productivity. Another productivity-sapping factor is the challenge of the plastic tape tearing and the hard-to-find starting point of the tape roll. Tape is not only wasted, but the packer has to invest precious time into finding the starting point of the tape, rather than sealing cartons.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the tape guns become heavy and awkward to use in higher volume situations, fatiguing and slowing down the packer. Sometimes this can lead to repetitive motion injury. If a worker develops a repetitive motion injury, the business risks productivity issues, such as worker leave of absence or hiring and training new employees That’s a hefty amount of productivity risk to take on due to a seemingly simple choice of packaging tape!

In contrast, water-activated packaging tape has many positive productivity characteristics. This type of carton sealing tape is dispensed easily and quickly from the water-activated tape dispenser. Only one strip of tape is needed to securely close any side of the carton, enhancing productivity. There is no physical stress that results from using the dispenser, so workers tire less and are able to be more productive than when using a hand-held tape gun for pressure-sensitive tape application.

A downside to consider when choosing WAT for your packages may sound silly but does have the potential for efficiency issues. Water-activated tape can be sticky due to the glue getting on the packer’s hands. Luckily, this can be quickly overcome with a simple solution that can be taught when training employees. Overcome sticky challenges by grabbing the dispensed tape on the sides, laying it on the carton and firmly pressing down to create the tape’s bond.

Bolstering the case for water-activated tape is a recent study that compared carton sealing productivity over an 8-hour work day using water-activated tape versus plastic, pressure sensitive tape. The study demonstrated that carton-sealing productivity is 21% higher using a water-activated tape dispenser and WAT versus a hand-held tape gun with PST. Click here to see the full results of the test. 

---

Check out the guide below to see if you're losing money on shipping tape and what the best solutions are to help you save some of that money. 

[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]