Are you still stretch wrapping your pallets by hand? Sorry to tell you this, but if your company always depends on manual labor for this, you will be losing money in the long run.
Early in the 1970s, the American industry realized the benefits of unifying pallets. By making one big pallet load out of many smaller ones, companies increased their productivity and reduced the chances of shipping damage.
It didn’t take long for unitizing loads on pallets by hand-wrapping them to become the most popular method for pallets’ shipping. Stretch wrap machines are the modern alternative to this, as they solve the many problems that come with hand-wrapping pallets.
Now, let’s face it. Investing in an automatic stretch wrapper might not make sense to you, especially if you don’t need to wrap pallets frequently. After all, manually wrapping pallets can get the job done, and it’s much cheaper, right?
The problem is there are so many hidden costs to manual wrapping that we don’t generally associate with the overall costs. Here are some reasons why hand-wrapping your pallets are costing you money.
Your workers are getting injured
Hand-wrapping pallets is a physical and strenuous work that can take a toll on your workers’ health and safety. When your employees have to hand-wrap pallets, they are more likely to experience back pain, strain, and prolonged injuries due to the poor postures and high-force movements they need to use.
Some of the consequences of hand-wrapping could have on your employees are:
- Short term injuries to the back and shoulders due to the constant bending and stretching and the high potential to injure while walking backwards.
- Chronic lower back pain that results in lost work time and disability.
- Strained hands and wrists caused by them constantly adjusting the film’s tension manually.
- Dizziness and disorientation due to the repetitive circling of the pallet, walking backward and bending over. Walking backward could make the employee collide with objects or people or even get in the way of approaching warehouse vehicles.
Many companies that switch to automated pallet wrapping see a drop in worker’s compensation claims within their company. In fact, Worksafe Australia highly recommends wrapping pallets with a machine to remove this risk as injury claims can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It’s keeping your productivity low
Even the most skilled workers you have on your team are still bound to make errors and mistakes when hand-wrapping pallets. This means frequent film breaks, as well as inconsistent tension, applied to secure the load. It could also mean they will use too much or too little stretch film for a single pallet.
Using manual wrapping is just not efficient, especially for manufacturers who have higher production volumes. Keep in mind that employees at the end of the production line are always in a rush to meet their targets. This will cause them to make mistakes and not wrap your pallets properly.
When using an automated stretch wrapper machine, you can be confident that the machine will apply the right amount of stretch film every time, saving you on material costs. It will also significantly reduce the time workers spend wrapping pallets and all but eliminate damage due to poorly wrapped pallets.
Your products are less protected
Remember that the whole purpose of a stretch wrap machine is to keep your products safe and protect them from damage during shipping.
Now, most of the damage products suffer during transportation happens because the pallets were not wrapped correctly. Keep in mind a human can’t wrap a pallet perfectly every time.
Not wrapping a pallet with the right containment force could make the pallet fall over during transportation. This could damage the packages and even the products inside them, making them non-viable to sell.
All these issues can add up to a higher cost than most companies realize. However, they can all be easily avoided by adding an automatic stretch wrapper to your production line.
Using a machine is the answer
In every possible scenario, you will reduce the costs of having your employees hand wrap your pallets by investing in an automatic stretch wrapper machine.
Just think about all the benefits you will get: You will save film, won’t have to worry about your workers getting injured, and you will be able to fulfill the demand of your warehouse more efficiently. If you need help selecting the right automatic stretch wrapper for your business, contact us today.
