What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of Pallet Wrapping Machine

Man vs. Machine – when is it more beneficial to stretch wrap a pallet by hand, and when should you use a machine to do the stretch wrapping? 

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To help you decide whether you should continue wrapping by hand or invest in a machine, it is worth having a look at some of the pros and cons of each option.

Pros and cons for wrapping pallets by hand

+ doesn’t require any significant investments
+ space-efficient – you don’t need a huge production area
+ good option if a company only wraps a few pallets per day or per week
+ good choice if a company wraps pallets of many various sizes

– risk for bottlenecks in the production line
– higher risk of ergonomic injuries to employees

Pros and cons for pallet wrapping machines

+ effective for a medium to large company
+ pallets wrapped quicker, not manually saves a company money in the long run
+ ensures more professional-looking pallets
+ decreases potential injuries among employees due to automation 

– a large investment
– requires space for machinery

Stretch wrapping film manually or automatically – which is the best solution?

Looking at the pros and cons, it’s clear that the answer depends on your specific packaging operations – mainly how many and the types of pallets you wrap. A stretch wrapping machine can be quite a heavy investment for a small business, so it is essential to analyse your pallet wrapping needs to see if a machine is worth the money spent. Here’s a few pointers on what would be the best pallet wrapping scenario for you…

You wrap a small amounts of pallets

If your company only wraps a few pallets each day or just some days a week, wrapping pallets by hand is a great way to protect your goods and increase pallet stability. Although a machine may not be required for your operations, using a hand pallet wrap dispenser will save your employees’ backs and improve efficiency and product safety. 

You wrap a large amounts of pallets

It takes a number of minutes for an employee to wrap a pallet by hand, and if your company is stretch wrapping a substantial amount of pallets every day, the time and productivity adds up. It gets to a point where a machine can be more efficient and cost-effective than manual labour. With a wide range of pallet wrapping machine options, there’s one for your specific packaging operations. 

You want to save money

Investing in a wrapping machine might seem an expensive prospect for your business. But productivity can easily become an issue when manual labour is used where an automated machine can help. Human error, customer satisfaction, and productivity are all areas where your company could be losing money without realising.

You want to improve pallet stability

Unstable pallets cost money, cause high amounts of damaged (and returned) goods, and risk safety. To improve pallet stability, suitable packaging material, correct stretch film and the proper tension must be applied to the pallets. A pallet wrapping machinery can assist with this, and really helps to improve pallet stability when applying stretch wrapping film to your pallets.

You want to avoid injuries in the workforce

When stretch wrapping a pallet  by hand, a good idea in order to minimise health and safety risks to employees, is to use a hand pallet wrap dispenser. Hand dispensers for pallet wrap are ergonomically designed for ease of use in the packaging process.  

A wide selection of stretch wrapping film and pallet wrapping machines

If you are responsible for a pallet wrapping operation, you’ll know only too well that your choice of machinery can make an enormous difference to your operational efficiency and costs, the amount of plastic film you use, and the load stability and safety standards you achieve.

However, the wide choice of automatic and semi-automatic pallet wrapping machines available on the market today, and the huge amount of information provided by their manufacturers, can make it very challenging to identify the pallet wrapping machine that best meets your needs. This short guide aims to help you through the selection process by suggesting the questions you should consider and providing some of the information you’ll need to help answer them.

WHAT IS A PALLET WRAPPING MACHINE?

So what is a pallet wrapping machine? In essence, it is a machine that holds a roll of plastic film and applies it to a pallet, either by circling around the pallet, or by rotating the pallet on a turntable. Pallet wrappers can be loosely divided into 2 main categories – Core Brake machines and Power pre-stretch machines. You can read a lot more about their differences, and the pros and cons of each in our pallet wrapping guide.

WHAT TYPE OF PALLET-WRAPPING MACHINE DO I NEED?

Every pallet wrapping situation has its own challenges and nuances which, combined with the variety of different machines on the market, can make it hard to know where to start. We recommend that you begin by considering the following points:

1. Stability of load before wrapping. Can your load be moved at all before it is wrapped?  If not, you’ll need to choose a pallet-wrapping machine that can handle this
2. Load stability. Can you be confident that the machine will keep your load secure and safe on its pallet from the time it is wrapped until the time it’s unwrapped, no matter how it is treated during handling, transit and storage?
3. How much will it cost you to wrap each pallet, once you’ve taken all costs into consideration?
4. Plastic waste. How much single-use plastic will the machine use to wrap a pallet?
5. How much available space do you have in which to wrap the pallets?
6. Can you wrap all your pallets in fixed locations, or will you need to move your pallet wrapping location around?

THE MOST COMMON PALLET WRAPPING MACHINES WITH ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

MANUAL PALLET WRAPPING MACHINE

Generally the cheapest pallet wrapping machine type, this option is entirely mechanical and requires no electrical supply.

ADVANTAGES

• Low initial outlay
• No requirement for electrical supply
• Very easy to use

DISADVANTAGES

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• No Power Pre-Stretch System (which means a higher cost of wrapping)
• Uses a lot more plastic than necessary to wrap pallets
• Still requires operative to walk around the pallet

TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – CORE BRAKE

The most basic of all motorised pallet wrapper machines, this option has a couple of advantages but many drawbacks – as you can see below:

ADVANTAGES

• Low initial outlay
• Can be moved using a fork lift truck

DISADVANTAGES

• No Power Pre-Stretch System (which means a higher cost of wrapping)
• Ineffective when wrapping light items, as load stability is gained by increasing the tension as the film is applied to the pallet
• Uses a lot more plastic than necessary to wrap pallets
• Although it can be moved, it’s not designed to be moved on a regular basis

TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – POWER PRE-STRETCH

These are often the most efficient, and therefore popular, machines on the market. When optimised properly these machines take some beating – as  you can see from the pros and cons below:

ADVANTAGES

• The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised.
• Minimises film used per pallet
• Easy to set up and use
• Can be moved with a fork lift truck
• Low maintenance
• Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of different pallet load types

DISADVANTAGES

• Has a large footprint so needs more space than some other types of machine
• Can generally only be used in one location.

LOW PROFILE TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – POWER PRE-STRETCH

These machines have all the advantages of the Turntable Semi-Automatic Pallet Wrappers, but with the added benefit of having a very low profile, meaning that pallets can be placed on the turntable very easily.

ADVANTAGES

• The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised
• Low profile enables loading using pump trucks or PPTs
• Minimises film used per pallet
• Easy to set up and use
• Low maintenance
• Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of different pallet load types

DISADVANTAGES

• Has a large footprint so needs more space than some other types of machine
• Can generally only be used in one location
• Can not be moved easily once installed

ROTARY ARM MACHINES – CORE BRAKE

These models feature a machine head that circles the pallet, rather than the pallet turning on a turntable, so are great for situations in which pallets are transported on powered pallet trucks or when loads are very unstable prior to wrapping.

ADVANTAGES

• Allow easy access when using PPTs
• No base at all – so pallets can stay on the floor
• Small footprint

DISADVANTAGES

• No Power Pre-Stretch System, which means a higher cost of wrapping
• Not effective at wrapping light items as load stability is gained by increasing the tension as the film is applied to the pallet

ROTARY ARM MACHINES – POWER PRE-STRETCH

With Rotary Arm machines, a machine head circles the pallet rather than the pallet turning on a turnable, which means they are great for situations in which pallets are transported on powered pallet trucks or when loads are very unstable prior to wrapping. The power pre-stretch head also delivers excellent load stability, but these machines do still have their pro’s and con’s:

ADVANTAGES

• Allow easy access when using PPTs
• No base at all – so pallets can stay on the floor
• The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised.
• Minimises film used  per pallet
• Easy to set up and use
• Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of many different pallet load types

DISADVANTAGES

• Large base footprint
• Often a more expensive option
• Cannot be moved once installed

ROBOT PALLET WRAPPER

The latest in the pallet wrapping innovation – the Robot follows the contours of the pallet and literally ‘runs’ round the pallet wrapping it as it goes in much the same way as a human would. Robot pallet wrappers have a lot more advantages than disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

• Easily movable, so can be used anywhere that pallets need wrapping
• Battery operated, so don’t need a local power supply
• Wraps pallets of any shape and size as the robot follows the contours of the pallet
• Power pre-stretch head ensures that film usage is minimised when optimised

DISADVANTAGES

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