Mack Steel
Macksteel Eliminated Workplace Injuries Through the TAB Wrapper Tornado
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The Challenge
Charlie Mack stopped in his tracks when he entered his packaging department and saw two workers struggling to hand-wrap plastic film around a pallet load of sharp, laser-cut metal parts. The workers were passing the film roll back and forth over and under the pallet while it was raised on a forklift.
As general manager for Macksteel, a metal products fabricator and distributor in Watertown, South Dakota, Mack had finally reached his breaking point with this dangerous process. Though this manual shrink-wrapping process is standard procedure at many metal shops, it’s also responsible for a large number of workplace injuries.
The manual wrapping operation was creating several safety and financial problems:
- Frequent workplace injuries: Time-lost injuries occurred approximately every three months, averaging $2,000 per incident
- Dangerous worker exposure: Most injuries were punctures, abrasions, and lacerations to arms from contact with sharp metal parts
- Costly product damage: 2-3 pallet loads returned monthly out of 900 total, costing approximately $50,000 annually
- Inconsistent wrap quality: Workers either over-wrapped with excess film or under-wrapped, creating insecure loads
- Time constraints: The manual process required two people, spending five minutes per pallet
“People tend to focus on the cost savings involved in avoiding injuries, but there’s also a moral responsibility to provide a workplace that’s as safe as possible,” says Mack. “This particular job always gnawed at me because nobody had a better, safer way to do it, as far as we knew.”
The TAB Wrapper Tornado Solution
Having successfully reduced injuries throughout the plant with automated bending, cleaning, and finishing equipment, Mack began searching for an automated wrapping solution and discovered the TAB Wrapper Tornado.
The patented orbital stretch-wrapping machine wraps stretch film 360 degrees around and under pallets to create secure and unitized loads ready for transport or storage. Instead of workers stooping under heavy loads, forklift operators simply drive pallets into the wrapping ring and press start.
Mack had initially purchased a standard TAB Wrapper model, which fit neatly within the standard nine-foot beam opening in their pallet rack system. When we introduced the automated model with enhanced safety features, Mack quickly upgraded and sold his original unit to another metal fabricator.
Key Benefits Include:
- Complete operator safety: Eliminates employee contact with sharp metal parts during wrapping
- Wireless remote operation: Forklift operators control the entire process without leaving their forklift seat
- Consistent wrap quality: Automated process eliminates over-wrapping and under-wrapping variations that the manual wrapping process causes
- Single-person operation: Reduces labor requirement for wrapping from two people to one
The automated cut-and-wrap device with wireless remote control means forklift operators perform the entire wrapping process safely from their seat, completely eliminating potential contact with thousands of laser-cut parts produced weekly.
“All my drivers love using it,” says Mack. “When other fab shop owners come in to see how we wrap our parts now, their jaws just drop.”
Implementation and Results
Since replacing the manual process in 2012, Macksteel has achieved several improvements across safety, quality, and productivity metrics.
Key Results Included:
- Zero packaging injuries: Not a single injury has occurred in the packaging department since the TAB Wrapper was installed
- Annual cost savings: Saved upwards of $5,000 per year by avoiding workers’ compensation claims
- Eliminated product damage: Zero pallet loads returned due to transit damage, saving approximately $50,000 annually
- Reduced insurance rates: Lower insurance premiums due to improved safety record
- Enhanced productivity: A single person wraps pallets in 15 seconds, versus two people taking five minutes
The transformation exceeded Mack’s expectations. The packaging staff can now meet deadlines with less pressure, contributing to a cleaner, more organized work environment and a stronger culture of safety.
As part of his safety initiative, Mack invited an OSHA Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) consultant to tour the facility. The consultant performed a mock OSHA inspection and was impressed by the transformation.
“The consultant liked how the TAB Wrapper transformed a dangerous job into one of the safest in the plant,” says Mack, who is currently earning SHARP certification that recognizes companies as models of worksite safety and health. “I consider the TAB Wrapper to be the industry’s best practice,” says Mack. “It allows us to work safer and faster, and it just plain works.”
TAB Wrapper Orbital Stretch Wrapper Solutions
TAB Wrapper offers proven orbital stretch wrapper technology, available in multiple configurations with wireless remote and automation options, for operations handling challenging products.
