Considering How to Upgrade to A Pallet Wrapper?

Is your handheld wrapping system not keeping up with demand and you're considering upgrading to a pallet wrapper? Stretch wrapping is the most popular way to secure palletized goods for shipping. Millions of pallets are packed every day. Stretch wrapping is strong enough to pull tight, resist punctures and tears, and keep pallet loads safe and intact during transport.

Manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic pallet wrapping solutions are available. Depending on your production volume, there are a few things you need to consider when deciding whether you need to spend the money on a stretch wrap machine:You need to ask yourself how your business would benefit from purchasing a stretch wrap wrapping machine, would it be more efficient to go semi-automatic or fully automatic? How many pallets do you wrap per year? How many stretch wraps do you use per year, and can the machine help significantly reduce those costs? How much manual labor do you use on pallet wrapping and will the cost of the machine eventually pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time?

Upgrade to a pallet wrapper

So now that you've determined that you need a pallet wrapper to make your production line more efficient, what type of machine do you need? You can consider here whether you should invest in a manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic wrap-around wrapping machine.

The fully automatic wrapping machine does the complete job of placing the pallet in the wrapping area and wrapping it according to predetermined settings. When finished, the pallet is transferred to the end of the line and the next pallet is already in place to repeat the process. Both manual and semi-automatic wrappers require some form of manual labor, whether it be loading the trays into the wrapping area via forklift, adjusting the controls, and unloading the trays once wrapping is complete.

Practical steps to take:

Before you go ahead and purchase a machine, there are some practical steps you can take to ensure that you are purchasing the right machine for your business. After taking the following steps, you can contact your pallet wrapping machine supplier to help you analyze your pallet wrapping system and develop the most effective upgrade solution for you.

1 Take an inventory

The first step is to take an inventory of the number of pallets you pack in a month and how much stretch wrap you use to secure those pallets. Once this analysis is completed, it will provide you with a report on how much packaging you use and what it costs per year.

2 Labor

Calculate the cost of labor, the amount of time spent manually packing pallets over a month, and the loss of production due to employee morale associated with repetitive physical labor. In addition, if you are absent from work due to a work-related injury, pay for replacement employees and any other associated costs.

3 Lost and damaged product

Have you suffered losses as a result of improperly packaged pallets that were damaged in transit or fell off the pallets? Do you have to bear these losses?

4 Your budget

Investing in a pallet wrapper will cost you a lot of money. After completing a line analysis and taking advice from your packaging supplier, you can decide if an investment in a pallet wrapper will be beneficial to your company.

5 Research the brand

Once you have determined that you need to upgrade, it's time to research the different brands available. There are many brands of machines on the market, so the easiest way to get started is to pick a few and research them from there. Cost is an important factor, but also check out customer reviews and focus on quality brands and whether they are repairable and you can get replacement parts. Check with your packaging supplier for post-purchase customer service.

Many of these machines cannot be purchased directly from a wholesale private label company. You usually need to go through a packaging supplier who has multiple brands to choose from. This is a good thing, because the packaging supplier will be able to tell you which brands are popular, which machines have fewer repair inquiries, and which ones will do the right job for you.

Conclusion

Once you have determined that your organization needs to upgrade to a pallet wrapper, it is important to train your staff on the safe and efficient operation of the new machine. Once the pallet wrapper is running at full capacity, you will see an increase in production while labor and material costs are reduced.

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