Why Go Machine Over Manual When Stretch Wrapping

Why Go Machine Over Manual When Stretch Wrapping

If given the choice, you should use stretch wrap equipment over manually stretch wrapping because packaging equipment will eliminate human error and maintain a professional look. If you need more reasons to go machine over manual, here are 10 of them, courtesy of capspackaging.com:

1. Consistent and uniform application. An operator who wraps pallets with hand wrap stretch film is not able to wrap every load exactly the same way, time and time again. A machine will.
2. Professional package. Pallet wrapping with hand wrap leaves an erratic and uneven look. Using a machine produces a clean professional looking product.
3. Training. Employee turnover and multiple operators mean you must continually train people if you are hand wrapping equipment.
4. Employee safety. Many accidents and work-related injuries are caused by hand wrapping pallets because the human body was not designed for the constant bending and pulling one must do to complete the task.
5. Load integrity. The responsibility of meeting minimum tension requirements is left up to workers who can get tired from hand wrapping and lapse into a "good enough" attitude because of fatigue, ignorance, lack of training or lack of motivation.
6. Damage control. Employees may not take into consideration wrapping in a manner that eliminates the possibility of damage during transit.
7. Customer satisfaction. Your customer's perception of your competence as a supplier starts the minute your pallet of product arrives at his dock. Inconsistently hand wrapped pallets can give the perception of a low-end manufacturer.
8. Film savings. With the machine set to wrap the loads with the least amount of stretch film required to hold the load together, you eliminate workers using an unnecessary amount of film to do the job.
9. Damaged hand wrap rolls. An expensive hidden cost of hand wrapping is the cost of all the stretch film rolls thrown away because they have been nicked or damaged when thrown to the ground or were left lying around. This cost can sometimes be as much as 15 to 20 percent of your hand wrap costs.
10. Quality control. By definition, hand wrapping a pallet manually prevents you from obtaining any type of repeatability. Multiple operators, time of day, fatigue and many other variables prevents any type of quality control standards.