The 'proof' is in the wrap

When Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. upgraded the almost 20-year-old automated stretch-wrapping machines installed at its Fort Smith, AR, packaging facility, the goal was to create a sturdier pallet load that would always arrive at its destination without damage and that could be warehoused easily. The company's existing machines were not up to current prestretching standards, so they produced wraps that sometimes shifted during transit. "Hiram Walker ships its cordials and Kahlua® worldwide, and it is essential that the products always arrive in perfect condition," says Rick Nichols, division manager of material handling at the Fort Smith facility.

A new automatic stretch-wrapping system helps THE DINGLEY PRESS keep its shrink-wrapped bundles of catalogs firmly in place on mail pallets. Read more at www.packagingdigest.com/info/dingley

The solution came in the form of three fully automatic MA-55 rotary, tower stretch wrappers from Orion Packaging Systems (www.orionpackaging.com) that not only deliver a tight stretch wrap, but also provide a considerable savings on stretch-wrap material.

To help select the best stretch-wrapping machines for its needs, Nichols and his team at Hiram Walker worked with Jay Wagner, a local sales representative with Arkansas Packaging Products (www.arkansaspackaging.com), who provided them with information on available alternatives. "We compared three manufacturers and chose Orion based on the sturdiness of the machine, as well as on Orion's dedication to service and their ability to show us similar applications in use," recalls Nichols.

Nichols and his team particularly liked the heavy, 100-percent-steel construction of the stretch wrapper. "High-productivity factory environments require machines that will hold up under heavy use, and solid structures hold up better. Not every manufacturer uses as heavy a frame as Orion," he explains.

Another selling point for Hiram Walker was that it was given the opportunity to observe the Orion equipment running in a factory setting before making a purchase. At a manufacturing plant not far from Hiram Walker's facility, Orion had installed new MA-55 stretch wrappers, so a group from Hiram Walker visited the plant to see the machines in action. They also were able to speak with the maintenance operators, who said they were very impressed with the machines' run time. "It's one thing for a company to tell you, 'I've got just the machines for you,'" says Nichols, "it's another to be able to observe the equipment in an industrial setting during a production run."

Stretch wrapping of a pallet load of product with the MA-55 operatorless, rotary wrapper begins the pallet is brought to the infeed conveyor. As the pallet is carried toward the stretch wrapper, a photoeye detects its presence, and the safety gates open. Once the pallet enters the work zone, the safety gates close to ensure worker safety. During the wrapping cycle, film is applied from the machine's Insta-Thread(TM) film carriage, which has been engineered to prestretch film at a standard fixed rate of 260 percent and deliver it to the load at a constant tension level.

We are using less stretch wrap due to the high level of prestretch the machine provides. Since film is expensive, the savings are significant.

Mounted to the overhead rotary arm, the film carriage cycles to the top of the load and then back down for 10 to 12 revolutions—depending on the height of the load—at 16 rpm, finishing at its base. After the wrap cycle is complete, the film tail is cut and wiped to the load, which is then conveyed to the exit zone. According to Nichols, the machine's uptime is outstanding, and changeover is quick and easy.

To increase system throughput, the MA-55 features a three-speed configuration and a direct braking system that completes a stop in one revolution. According to Nichols, Hiram Walker is running a load every three minutes, two shifts a day, or 180 loads/shift. He adds that the company has realized a considerable savings in film costs through the machine features engineered to save on material use. "We are using less stretch wrap due to the high level of prestretch the Orion technology delivers," he says. "Since film is expensive, the savings are significant."

The machine's RevoLogic(TM) wrap-count technology also eliminates film waste by precisely applying the exact number of top and bottom wraps of prestretched film necessary to secure the load. If the stretch film breaks or runs out, the machine's Insta-Sense(TM) technology pauses the wrap cycle, and once the film is cleared, continues wrapping from the same spot to complete the cycle. Since the stretch wrapper does not have to go back to home position and start a new wrap cycle after a shutdown, management receives an accurate wrap count, and less film is used.

Nichols says that Hiram Walker's switch from its existing turntable-style wrappers to Orion's rotary tower also increased its throughput and stabilized its wrapped pallets. With turntable-style wrappers, pallet loads have to wait for the turntable to physically align with the infeed and outfeed conveyors and lock into position before they can be indexed and be moved forward. In contrast, with Orion's rotary-arm wrapper, the load moves out, and incoming loads can start while the arm is going back to home position.

Also, because rotary-arm machines move around the pallet, rather than vice versa, top-tier bottles, which have a tendency to shift, are wrapped tighter, eliminating potential problems with stability. To accommodate the approximately 60 to 100 different pallet configurations, ranging in height from 2 to 8 ft tall, used by Hiram Walker, Orion engineers gave the rotary arm an extender to raise the wrapping height to 8 ft. Of the 2,500 stockkeeping units produced at the Hiram Walker warehouse, 800 to 900 are packaged by the wrappers.

Concludes Nichols, "These machines are faster, they use less wrap per pallet, resulting in less downtime to change rolls, and they have fewer moving parts, resulting in more run time per shift. We ship to customers all around the world, and we have one of the best reputations in the industry for getting our products to the customer in perfect condition. Our Orion wrappers are a big part of that success. Orion produces a high-quality product, and the company services what it sells. We measure ourselves the same way."

More information is available: