Use Case – A4 Sealless Steel Strapping Tool

The Challenge

A large steel fabrication facility located near Linz handles the shipment of welded beams and machine bases throughout Europe. The site secures approximately 180 heavy pallets each day using 25 mm steel strap, applied with separate steel buckles and two older manual strapping tools.

The previous approach involved placing and crimping a buckle on every strap, which increased both time and expense. Typically, each pallet required 4 straps × 2 buckles. The cost of buckles amounted to roughly €0.15 apiece, and operators spent about 2 minutes per pallet solely on fitting and closing buckles.

Frequent slippage at the joint, due to excessive strap tension or poor crimping, resulted in an average of 7 pallets per day needing to be re-strapped after internal inspections or during loading onto lorries. Claims for transport damage caused by shifting loads averaged €800 per month. With two staff members occupied for nearly 6 hours per day exclusively on strapping, the plant sought a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative.

The Solution

The facility adopted the A4 Sealless Steel Strapping Tool to replace the buckle-based system for all outgoing heavy pallets. The A4 was selected for its reliable joint strength—80–85% of the strap’s tensile strength—providing secure retention of even the heaviest loads without the need for separate buckles.

Operating at around 60% of its maximum 8,000 N tensioning force, the A4 delivers steady, dependable strap tension while preserving strap quality. Its compatibility with 16–32 mm steel straps aligns with the plant’s existing 25 mm inventory, and the lightweight 4.2 kg, compact build enables operators to manoeuvre easily around large welded structures and confined loading spaces.

Staff were trained within a single shift to use the sealless joint, performing tensioning, sealing, and cutting in one streamlined process. The plant deployed three A4 tools to cover two shifts, keeping one in reserve to reduce downtime.

ROI Calculation

Before – Buckle Strapping:

• Daily throughput: 180 pallets per day, averaging 4 straps per pallet
• Buckles required: 2 per strap → 8 per pallet → 1,440 buckles daily
• Buckle expenditure: €0.15 each → 1,440 × €0.15 = €216 per day
• Operator time: 3.0 minutes per pallet (including buckle application) → 180 × 3 = 540 minutes ≈ 9.0 hours per day
  With a labour rate of €20 per hour, strapping labour ≈ €180 per day
• Rework: 7 pallets per day × 5 minutes = 35 minutes ≈ 0.6 hours per day additional labour
• Total daily cost (buckles + labour + rework): approximately €216 + €192 ≈ €408 per day

After – A4 Sealless Steel Strapping Tool:

• No buckles required: €216 per day in buckle costs eliminated
• New cycle time: 1.8 minutes per pallet → 180 × 1.8 = 324 minutes ≈ 5.4 hours per day
  Labour cost: 5.4 hours × €20 ≈ €108 per day
• Rework reduced: from 7 to 2 pallets per day → 2 × 5 minutes = 10 minutes ≈ 0.2 hours per day
• Estimated claims for damage reduced by half: from €800 per month to €400 per month (≈ €18 per day saving)
• Total daily cost with A4 (labour + remaining rework): approximately €120 per day

Daily savings: €408 − €120 ≈ €288 per day.
Investment:
3 × A4 tools at €690 each = €2,070
Monthly savings (22 working days): €288 × 22 ≈ €6,336
Payback period: less than 1 month, even accounting for maintenance and training.

Results

During the initial quarter, the facility achieved a sustained reduction of more than 40% in overall strapping-related expenditure, alongside a marked improvement in throughput at the loading bay. The same daily workload is now managed by a single operator for part of the shift, rather than two, whilst still ensuring robust and reliable joints on extremely heavy consignments.

Incidents of transport damage attributed to strapping faults have declined significantly, and supervisors note a reduction in urgent re-strapping at the lorry. The A4 tools are now the preferred choice across all heavy-duty lines within the site.

“Adopting the A4 sealless tools eliminated our need for buckles immediately and reduced the strapping time per pallet by over a third, all without sacrificing load security.” — Markus Huber, Logistics Manager, StahlForm GmbH / Linz, Austria