Find the Right Pallet Wrapper for Your NZ Warehouse
Contrary to what most people think, typically hand-wrapping is neither a cheaper nor more efficient way to wrap pallets. Hand-wrapping pallets have some easily missed costs.
Pallet wrapping is the most common form of load containment around, used for securing product to pallets for distribution, storage, and protection from the elements. It has come a long way since its first introduction at the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Trade Show in 1973!
There is a vast range of Pallet Wrappers available today, and given the range of configurations and features on offer, it's useful to have a brief guide to help you choose which is going to be the most helpful for your business.
Skip the Spec Sheets: Don't waste hours comparing configurations manually. Use Astrolift’s New Interactive Pallet Wrapper Selection Tool to answer six quick questions about your floor and get an instant machine recommendation built for your site.
Man vs Machine - The Hidden Costs
Product damage, labour, and material costs have the most significant impact when it comes to pallet wrapping. Most people typically look at the machine price tag when considering a new machine. When in fact — the price has the least impact. Although a pallet wrapper can reduce the extra expenditure from those three main cost drivers and might cost more upfront, it can pay itself off in a relatively short period through the savings it provides.
- Damaged Goods: Humans are fallible. We're not precision machines. So the strength and quality of hand-wrapped pallets will vary with every wrap. This inconsistency and lack of tension strength can create unsecured loads and cause in-transit damage to goods. Pallet wrappers stretch the wrap as it's applied to the load, making the material more durable, more puncture-resistant and more tear-resistant. It increases its ability to hold loads securely — decreasing the risks of transport damages and the cost of returns.
- Labour Costs: Hand-wrapping requires an operator's full attention and energy, and is more labour intensive than a machine. Utilising a pallet wrapper frees up your workers to spend their valuable time on more important tasks while the pallet is wrapping.
- Health and Safety Costs: Hand-wrapping pallets is a physically demanding job. It puts a considerable amount of strain on your workers, risking injury. Pallet wrappers reduce these potential risks along with eliminating tripping hazards associated with hand-wrapping.
- Material Costs: With a pallet wrapper, you can get an additional 30 – 400% wrap beyond their original film length. When compared to hand-wrapping, that's a significant potential saving in material cost.
- Throughput: Hand wrapping pallets is quite time-consuming. By hand-wrapping, you're not working as fast as you could be. A stretch wrap machine is typically much faster and more efficient.
- Customer Perception: Hand-wrapped pallets can be very uneven, messy and ununiform; this can leave a poor impression on a customer which can cause loss of future business. Pallet wrappers provide a consistent wrap every single time, keeping your pallets looking professional, tidy and secure.
Finding Your Ideal Machine Setup
Knowing which types of machines are suitable for what you are wrapping is paramount, but wading through machine options, wrap heads, and configurations takes time:
- Pallet Wrapper Types: Do you need a semi-automatic or fully-automatic machine? A turntable machine, a low-profile horseshoe model, or a stationary unit?
- Wrap Heads (Post-Stretch vs Pre-Stretch): Deciding which type of film carriage you need and understanding how powered pre-stretch cuts consumable costs.
- The Calculations of Pre-stretch: Navigating how manufacturers calculate pre-stretch percentages so you don't get caught out.
- Machine Configurations: Factoring in weight limits, loading methods (forklift vs hand pallet truck), and site space.
Let Our Selection Tool Do the Math
Rather than working through all these technical variables by hand, our new interactive tool calculates them for you in under 60 seconds.
By evaluating your daily volume, maximum pallet weight, load stability, loading equipment, film efficiency goals, and desired level of automation, the tool pinpoints the exact machine setup your operation requires.
Try the Ineractive Pallet Wrapper Selector Tool »
Efficient and Cost Effective
Take a hands-off approach to your pallets, and make the most of the main benefits pallet wrappers provide over hand-wrapping methods:
- Speed: Increased wrapping speed compared with hand wrapping, for lower labour and material costs.
- Safety: Have better safety at work – less bending, fatigue, and reduced risk of trips and falls.
- Appearance: Make professional-looking pallets with secure and consistent wrap.
- Transportation: Secure and consistent wrap for reduced risk of damage during transit, and better protection from theft.
- Savings: The right machine, with the right configuration, can save you a lot of money on your consumable costs.
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