Atlantic Shrink Wrapping Inc

About Atlantic Shrink Wrapping   |   Recent News Articles

About Atlantic Shrink Wrapping

ASI was started in 2001 by Christopher Grimm and Dustin Hoover. The goal of Atlantic Shrink Wrapping Inc. was then and is now, to be the leader in the shrink wrapping installation industry.

In just these few past years ASI has been projected to the top of our field. The amount of work that we have done and the importance and difficulty of our projects is unmatched. Anytime we are asked if we can do a job, the answer is yes. If we can’t do it than it can’t be done, and our portfolio speak for itself. We do not cut corners and we pay extra special attention to detail.

Not just anyone can install shrink wrap, or at least not install it properly. There is an art and an understanding of how the plastic will form and just what procedures are necessary to insure a strong and reliable protective cover. This is where ASI shines.

We are young energetic professionals that love what we do and get excited about each and every project. It gives us the opportunity to design and build something that may have never been done. We look forward to the challenges that defy the basic thought that plastic sheathing is weak and can’t hold up to the forces of nature. We like to prove that it can, if done right.

Now whether we are wrapping military tanks or helicopter flight simulators, or nuclear power station equipment or even boats ASI puts that same thought and attention to each and every project.

ASI is supported by some of the very best material suppliers in the world, with literally thousands of pounds of shrink wrap plastic at our disposal. We will only buy and use premium materials from a repeatable supplier. One call is all it takes to have material for a job on site in a matter of days. Our suppliers 30 years of installation experience is also a great attribute to ASI.

We have been given a great opportunity in this industry to travel around the country performing our services. We get to meet new people and work on many interesting things.ASI has had many opportunities to go big, but we feel that going big will jeopardize our ability to take care of our customers the right way. When you call ASI, you will get either Dustin or Chris on the phone and we can start right away with developing a plan of action for your project. We will discuss things like what kind of wrap you need, what the wrap is tasked to do (transport or storage) and how long the wrap will be used. Then we will discuss the dimensions of your project. If we need to come see the job we can make arrangements to do that. From your initial call you can be assured that ASI will work hard to get you a plan and price as soon as possible.

Now we ask our customers to keep one thing in mind, this is not just plastic covering a product. It is protection for that product. When the phone rings, we at ASI are very concerned about the final product for you the customer. If you’re not equally concerned then you may have called the wrong number. Many of our competitors can rush a job or be the low bidder and give you a finished product that may or may not last. At ASI we charge a fair price for superior work. We stand behind our work and few and far between, when we do make a mistake we learn from it not run from it. Thank you for taking the time to learn about us.

Sincerely, Dustin and Chris

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Recent Articles

This business is shrinking and growing: Annapolis firm shrink-wraps just about anything
By ALLISON BOURG, Staff Writer, The Capital - HometownAnnapolis.com

Dustin Hoover and Christopher Grimm are pretty wrapped up in their work.

As owners of Annapolis-based Atlantic Shrink Wrapping Inc., the two spend their days shrink-wrapping everything from military choppers to John Deere tractors to - in one unique case - a historic train station in Virginia.

"It was a station that had burned down, and they wanted us to come in and protect what was left of it," said Hoover, of Pasadena.

It's a profession that often raises eyebrows; admit the men, who are in the process of founding the National Association of Shrink Wrap Professionals.

"Someone will ask us what we do, and when we say shrink-wrapping, they'll say, 'Yeah, I know what that is,' " Hoover said.

And they never actually do.

"People ask us a lot of questions," said Grimm, who lives in Cape St. Claire. Saying you shrink-wrap things for a living "is not the standard answer," he added.

Shrink-wrapping is the process of sealing an item in plastic to shield it from the elements. When heat is applied to the plastic, it shrinks tightly around whatever it is covering.

It's a common way of protecting boats from snow and ice during the winter, which is how Hoover and Grimm got into the business about 10 years ago.

The duo - old friends from Broadneck High School - already owned a trailer repair company. But they found that business tended to dry up in the winter, and they wanted something to supplement their income.

So they decided to look into shrink-wrapping boats. Why?

"Good question," Hoover said with a laugh.

There just seemed to be a need for it, Grimm said. It's not as if there is any shortage of boats in Anne Arundel County.

They learned the craft from another local who was in the boat shrink-wrapping business, and that was it.

They focused solely on boats for the first two years, then started getting calls for commercial jobs. One of the first, Hoover said, was for a rigging beam at a Pennsylvania power plant.

"It was something we wanted to get into, so we said yes," Hoover said. "The answer is always yes. If we can't shrink-wrap something, it can't be done."

To shrink-wrap something, the men take a sheet of plastic - the size of the material depends on what it's shielding - and cover the object in question with it. They then use welding tools to smooth the plastic until it's tightly sealed, with no air bubbles or loose ends.

Becky Foy, program manager at Maritime Applied Physics Corp. in Baltimore, said the company uses Atlantic to shrink-wrap anything "that is an odd shape and very delicate."

"It's an interesting concept, and it works," Foy said. "It's amazing how they can mold that plastic to any shape and size."

The job isn't as easy as it may sound. Shrink-wrapping a helicopter obviously isn't the same as shrink-wrapping a boat.

"You have to evaluate what you're protecting it from," Hoover said. "Heat? Moisture? It's a big plastic tarp in a sense. Is this going to be traveling at a speed of 70 miles per hour?"

All of those factors play a role, he said. And then there's the weather.

"If there's any wind or rain, you're done," Hoover said.

Hoover and Grimm handle about 65 to 75 commercial projects a year. They've shrink-wrapped a fleet of tractors in Wisconsin and some leaf vacuums owned by the city of Bowie. They shrink-wrapped a backup generator for a diamond mine in South Africa, and an airport people-mover that was shipped to China.

Atlantic's supplier, Mike Stenberg of Michigan-based shrink-wrap manufacturer Dr. Shrink, said boat shrink-wrapping companies are fairly common. But there are only about four businesses that he knows of that are similar to Atlantic.

"They've taken the bull by the horns," Stenberg said. "There are a lot of people who spend a couple months out of the year shrink-wrapping boats, but they've gone and turned this into a full-time job."

Projects can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, and items the company has shrink-wrapped have been shipped all over the world.

"Over the years, things have just grown," Hoover said. "You never know what that call is going to be."

They've gotten a few calls to shrink-wrap mattresses and furniture, among the few items they have to turn down. There's too much potential for damage, they said.

The company still shrink-wraps boats.

"We don't forget where we came from," Hoover said.

Their favorite jobs, though, are the ones they've done for the military. They've shrink-wrapped tanks and helicopters; the latter can be challenging because of the antennas and wheels.

But those projects are arguably the most important, they say.

"If anything happens to a helicopter, and there are servicemen waiting for it - that's kind of a big deal," Hoover said.

Even after years of being in the business, it still amazes him.

"We were in Fort Riley, Kansas, and I just said Chris, here we are, two guys from Annapolis,

and we're shrink-wrapping stuff that's going to be beneficial to our troops," Hoover said. "It was emotional."

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Boat-service businesses lining up first wave of sales
By KATIE ARCIERI, Staff Writer - The Capital - HometownAnnapolis.com

Consumers may be skittish about buying new boats, but the owners of local boat-service businesses said they are still seeing demand from boaters who want to protect their current vessels this winter.

Now that cooler weather has arrived, the businesses are expecting their first wave of sales as local residents shell out cash to shrink-wrap, store and blast boat bottoms in preparation for the long winter months ahead.

Dustin Hoover, who started Legendary Trailer Repairs and Shrink Wrapping with fellow Broadneck High School graduate Christopher Grimm, said he expects to take in $100,000 from shrink-wrapping services starting next week through the first week of January.

Depending on the size of a boat, shrink-wrapping can range from $200 for a 20-foot boat and up to more than $1,000 for a 40-foot boat in the water, he said.

He said he and Mr. Grimm expect to be working non-stop.

"It is seven days a week, sun up sun down and then some," Mr. Hoover said. "Sometimes we're finishing boats in the dark."

Meanwhile, Kirk Benedict, owner of Prestige Detailing, a Mears Marina-based business that provides everything from bottom painting, interior detailing and in-the-water hull cleaning, said he already has 125 shrink wrapping jobs lined up. "It's got to be done," he said of shrink-wrapping. "It'll cost more if they don't."

Even in a poor economy, many still see shrink wrapping as a necessity.

"It's the only way to keep a boat nice," said Cape St. Claire resident Doug DeLost, whois also a customer of Legendary Trailer Repairs and Shrink Wrapping who owns a Crownline cabin cruiser. "It keeps the boat looking good, it keeps the interior looking good."

Even so, officials from someboat-service companies have noticed consumers cutting back.

Mr. Benedict said some customers may be putting more money toward shrink wrapping instead of an end-of-season wax.

"They may even end their season sooner," he said.

Mike Morgan, owner Chesapeake Blasting Services, which strips paint off boat hulls with baking soda from Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore, said he's gearing up for the busy fall season, but doesn't expect to blast as many boats this year.

Blasting services for a 30-foot boat can cost between $1,100 and $1,200 while blasting for a 40-foot boat will range from $1,800 to $2,000, he said.

"Every customer with me is different, some people are doing it because they are restoring an old boat," Mr. Morgan said. "Some people are doing it because they have 20 years of paint."

But with the bad economy this year, he said he's not quite sure what to expect.

"I'm hoping that I'm just thinking negative," he said.

Andy Dowell, general manager for the Atlantic Marinas, which provide high-and-dry storage for boats on the Magothy and Patapsco rivers, said his company is also feeling the pinch.

At the Patapsco marina, the number of boats in high-and-dry storage dropped to 206 from 216, but the Magothy marina is only "one boat shy" from being full, he said.

Meanwhile, the Magothy marina is full for winter storage, he said. He said he has work orders for another 35 boat for winter storage at the Patapsco marina.

"Everyone is looking for the cheapest spot to do it," Mr. Dowell said. "There are so many marinas to store your boat."