Should You Purchase a New Stretch Wrapper?

Should You Purchase a New Stretch Wrapper or Fix Your Old One?

Technology is constantly changing, and this is applicable to the world of packaging equipment. With constant software updates and developments, one must really evaluate the true necessity of an investment in new equipment. Weighing the cost benefits of investing in new equipment can be a daunting task. Knowing the apparent signs of when the upgrade is needed is truly important and will be evaluated for your understanding.

What are some clues that tell you it is time to make the investment?

1) Equipment Age

Answering the question, “how old is my equipment?”, is the first step in this process.

Changes in technology can create extreme differences in materials needed for equipment. As new technologies are developed, older materials and supplies often become more expensive, due to the drop in demand.

Are you prepared for the consequences that may arise if you do not have a plan if machinery goes down? Having downtime at your facility could create problems ranging from completing tasks by hand to having completely stop your production line.

By being proactive instead of reactive, you will save yourself from the stress of having unplanned downtime that will cost you and your facility money.

2) Customization Capabilities

As materials used in machines evolve, it is important to be able to have the ability to adjust equipment settings. If your machine is created with factory settings that cannot be adjusted, your machine will have a hard time adapting to updates.

Optimization of equipment requires improved technologies and materials. There may need to be a change in the current materials you have, but this may become a problem if the manufacturing of your specific materials has stopped.

3) Underlying Problems

Before making a decision, you should conduct a facilities analysis. It can be done internally or you can bring in someone externally (such as one of our Solutions Providers) to get a professional’s perspective on what your actual production problem is. The facility analysis will help you understand the root of your problem and uncover a new array of possible solutions. It could also confirm your suspicion that you need new equipment.

4) Crunch the Numbers

If the facility analysis or audit has revealed a need for new equipment, you should crunch numbers.Our Solutions Providers can aid in making this process simple for you

Questions you should answer:

• What will your ROI be?
• Will the update result in savings on materials?
• Will the change decrease problems with shipments?
• Is there another piece of equipment you should update now?

The stretch wrapper that was manufactured in 1986 is a perfect example of this process.

You have a pallet with a load of 36 inches x 44 inches x 60 inches. Each pallet is wrapped 10 times with 71 gauge film, which equals 60 feet of stretch film per pallet. Your company wraps approximately 3,000 loads each year. In this example, wrapping each pallet costs 59 cents using your current machine and stretch film. (3,000 loads x 60 feet = 180,000 feet of stretch wrap at 59 cents per load)

Using a new stretch wrapper, you would reduce the amount of film needed per load to 38 feet. New stretch wrappers can use different types of stretch film that can be pre-stretched 250% – 300%. Machines from the 1980s were designed to pre-stretch film to 150%.

In this real-world example, you would save at least $3,000 annually on stretch wrap by upgrading your stretch wrapper model. Your current cost per load would be reduced by 40%. If the new machine costs $6k the buyback on film savings would be 24 months, not including the reduced downtime and parts costs.

If your equipment is older and you aren’t getting the most for your current investment, it is time to upgrade and buy new up-to-date equipment. Contact us to have one of our Solutions Providers conduct a facility analysis showing you how much you could save by purchasing new equipment.