Pallet Handling & End-of-Line Systems

Everything After the Load Is Built

End-of-line is the equipment between a finished load and the dock: palletizing, pallet exchange, load transfer, stretch wrapping, labelling and the conveyor connecting them.

It has the least tolerance for downtime of anywhere in a facility, because it sits between production and shipping with nowhere to buffer. Production keeps making product, the dock keeps expecting trucks, and when wrapping or palletizing stops the floor fills within a shift.

Pallet Inverters & Load Transfer

Pallet inverters and load-transfer systems solve different handling problems. A pallet inverter rotates the load. A load-transfer system moves the load from one pallet or support surface to another, with pallet swap treated as part of that load-transfer process rather than a separate machine category.

The distinction decides which machine an application needs. Inverting is faster and simpler where the product can take it. Anything that cannot be turned over, because it is unstable, fragile, liquid or stacked loose, needs the transfer approach instead.

Stretch Wrapping

Stretch wrappers secure palletized loads before storage or shipment. Steel Square can support the surrounding mechanical, electrical, controls, guarding, startup and line-integration work required to make the wrapper function as part of the facility rather than as an isolated machine.

Wrap quality is a load-stability question rather than a cosmetic one. Under-wrap and loads shift in transit or collapse in racking. Over-wrap and film cost rises across every pallet shipped, which is a number worth knowing.

Pallets

Steel Square can supply both wood and plastic pallets. Wood pallets remain a practical fit for many operations. Plastic pallets can be a better fit where repeated handling and wear are the bigger concern because they generally hold up better over time. Where pallet type affects handling or flow, Steel Square can also evaluate the surrounding pallet-handling equipment and process.

Pallet condition matters more in automated handling than in manual. A broken board that a forklift ignores will stop a conveyor or an ASRS infeed.

Service & Maintenance

Steel Square can support pallet-handling equipment through repair, preventive maintenance, controls work, parts, integration and modernization where those services fit the machine and application.

Project Experience

At Walgreens Anderson, Steel Square scope includes a pallet inverter, load-transfer system and Octopus C-Series stretch wrapper. Novo Nordisk can also be referenced for documented preventive maintenance on a pallet inverter.