Maximising Efficiency & Reducing Plastic Waste for a Leading Paving Company

Installing a Fully Integrated and Automatic Pallet-Wrapping Machine

A leading paving and building products company was grappling with high volumes of plastic waste, inefficient wrapping processes, and escalating costs due to an outdated and underperforming pallet-wrapping machine.

THE PROBLEM

The company's existing wrapping machine failed to stretch the film before application, leading to excessive film usage per pallet and higher energy consumption. This inefficiency was diagnosed by Kwikpac’s knowledgeable load containment team, who pinpointed inadequate stretching of the film as the main cause for excessive film usage and suboptimal load containment. To put it simply, the current machine and stretch film used were not achieving the maximum stretch wrap yield. The outdated machine was not equipped to handle the volume and precision required for the company's needs, resulting in a multitude of issues.

THE REPERCUSSIONS

• Increased Film Usage: Without the capability to pre-stretch, significantly more film was required per pallet to secure the load effectively. This not only led to higher material costs but also more frequent purchases and logistics concerns.?
• Environmental Impact: The inefficient wrapping process generated substantial plastic waste, disrupting the company’s environmental goals. Every roll of film that wasn't fully utilised added to the company's waste output.
• Operational Downtime: Frequent machine changeovers and film reloads led to wasted labour and time, decreasing overall productivity. Employees had to spend more time managing the machine and less time on other critical tasks.
• Financial Losses: The combination of higher film usage and increased electricity costs resulted in significant financial losses. The additional expense for materials and the energy required to run an inefficient machine were considerable.

THE SOLUTION

Once our load containment expert identified the problem, a solution was efficiently and quickly found that would cost-effectively address the client’s issues. The two-step solution involved:

1. Installing a New Pallet Wrapper: We recommended and installed a state-of-the-art automatic pallet wrapper with a rotary arm from Kwikpac. This advanced machine was designed to provide the efficiency, precision, and throughput necessary for the client’s demanding operations. The new wrapper’s technology ensured that the film was stretched appropriately before application, maximising its effectiveness and reducing waste.
2. Switching to KwikFilm? High-Performance Film: To complement the new machine, we recommended KwikFilm?, a high-performance machine film by Kwikpac. This film is engineered to offer outstanding performance, including substantial waste reduction, significant cost savings, increased load stability, enhanced stretch capacity, and higher tension capability.

HOW DID WE ADD VALUE?

The new machine's increased efficiency, paired with the high-performance film, grants the client:

• Improved load containment
• An increase of stretch film yield by over 220%, effectively turning 1.00 metre of film into 3.20+ metres of film
• Pallet wrapping costs reduced by over ￡30,000 per year
• Stretch film usage reduced by 78.3% per year (16,881 kg down to 3,663 kg annually)

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

The carbon footprint & water reduction is significant. We reduced:

Get in touch to discover how?Kwikpac's solutions can optimise end-of-line packaging processes:

www.kwikpac.co.uk

[email protected]

01592 650700