The EZ Weigh system from Lantech is an integrated scale option for stretch wrappers. According to the company, it helps eliminate costly bill-of-lading (BOL) adjustments due to inaccurate weighing and brings more efficient load preparation to customers' warehouses and shipping docks. The EZ Weigh option is integrated into the turntables of Lantech's Q-Series semi-automatic stretch wrappers, making stretch wrapping and weighing a more convenient one-step process.
The EZ Weigh's design separates the scale from the stretch wrapper's frame and positions the load cells directly under the turntable, ensuring only objects placed on the turntable are weighed. "Scales placed under the entire machine must account for varying machine weight or miscellaneous objects that may be sitting on the machine, often resulting in incorrect weights," said the spokesperson. The EZ Weigh scale has a 5,000 lb capacity, and all weighing components are NIST certified.
"Customers shipping everything from fasteners, to food items, to rubber belting have reported faster processing and the elimination of weight disputes through implementation of the scale-equipped stretch wrapper," said a company spokesperson. "One customer even uses his EZ Weigh scale to settle weight disputes with his carriers."
"We are required by our carriers to provide correct weight for every shipment," said Luke DeVries, Shipping Manager for Midwest Fastener Corp. in Portage, MI. "If we put an approximate weight on the bill of lading, there is a pretty good chance the shipping company will re-weigh it. If we have an improper weight, especially if it is heavier than stated, they will hit us with an extra fee." Midwest Fastener purchased a Q-300 stretch wrapper with the integrated scale in 2011. The company turns out between 30 and 50 shipments per day of a variety of screws, bolts and other fasteners, and shipment weights range from 100 to 3,000 lbs, with typical pallet loads in the 750 to 1,000 lb range. "We have 30,000 SKUs, and each order is different so each shipment is unique," said DeVries. "We used to weigh with a forklift scale, but one bump can put the reading off by hundreds of pounds. If we get a freight claim from the carriers saying, 'your weight was wrong,' we can prove that our stretch wrapper's scale is calibrated and our weights accurate. The carriers weigh with a forklift scale, so now they defer to us for the accurate weight."
Midwest Fastener's Q-Series stretch wrapper with the EZ Weigh system also helped Midwest Fastener handle business growth without adding warehouse personnel. "Our warehouse and shipping operations have increased about 30% over the past five years and we have been able to handle it with the new stretch wrapper," said DeVries. "The cost was well worth it, considering what we have saved in additional shipping fees and labor cost." The warehouse's internal logistics have also improved. "I think the feature I like best is the low-profile turntable," said DeVries. The EZ Weigh scale adds only 5/8" to the height of the turntable. The turntable's new sloped-skirt design also resists forklift impacts. "We have one forklift and one floor jack that raises a load about 6 inches. We could only use the forklift with the previous stretch wrapper because the turntable was too high. Now we can use the floor jack and deploy the forklift in other areas of the warehouse. It makes my life easier when we have a lot of activity in the warehouse," said DeVries.
"According to one of the leading 3PL providers, overcharges of five to seven percent are the norm in freight shipping, and estimated or inaccurate weight is one of the main drivers of overcharges," said Derek Jones, Senior Marketing Product Manager at Lantech. "Accurate weights also help in obtaining competitive bids from commercial carriers, because providing the best information about your operation's shipping volumes and pallet characteristics yields the best rates."
For more information contact:
Customer Response Team
Lantech
11000 Bluegrass Pkwy.
Louisville, KY 40299-2399
800-866-0322
sales@lantech.com
www.lantech.com