It’s been 10 years since my Dad asked me to join the family business to help launch his patent-pending orbital wrapping machine as a stand-alone company.

He’d been using the prototype to ship metal parts out to fab shop customers and one of the customers liked it so much he wanted one for himself. So Dad built him what we now call the TAB Wrapper Tornado Standard.

Looking back, I’m not sure we realized exactly what we’d be up against as a startup. It’s no secret there were a few other companies with much bigger names that offer pallet wrapping machines, and much bigger operations – and budgets – but I’m grateful we didn’t know any better at the time. We listened to some great people in the metals industry who we trusted. They loved the TAB Wrapper Tornado and agreed other people would, too. Hundreds of TAB Wrappers later, it turns out they were right.

It certainly hasn’t hurt that as a family-owned, American manufacturer, we’re able to offer a more dependable stretchwrapping machine than the bigger names at lower pricing that other American manufacturers appreciate. Every time we load a new machine on the truck for delivery, I think about how we’re helping another owner or manager cut costs, meet payroll, and sleep easier knowing the workplace is safer than the day before. We’re all in the same boat and it’s great to help companies stay afloat.

The other night, I saw one of the talk show hosts ask a celebrity when he realized he’d become famous – when he’d finally made it – and he mentioned the first time he was mobbed by a bunch of fans. That’s how I felt at Fabtech in Las Vegas in 2016. Our booth was packed all day every day, everybody was ready to buy, and I realized we’d grown from a relatively unknown startup to being recognized as a legitimate player in the industry. It felt like it happened overnight.

And while it wasn’t exactly overnight, these ten years have gone by so fast. Now that we’re formally celebrating our tenth anniversary, I want to express my sincere thanks to our staff, customers, distributors, vendor partners, and to everyone who’s helped us reach this proud milestone. It’s been a fantastic decade. And the next 10 years? No, I’m not looking too far ahead, just working on getting the next TAB Wrapper Tornado installed, and then the next.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, we’re offering 10% off the Smart Controls TAB Wrapper Tornado on orders placed during 2021.

“Why did we wait so long?” might be a better question. Since most of our orbital wrapper customers were upgrading from manual hand wrapping, they nearly always asked me or their stretch film supplier what’s the best stretch wrap to use for automated pallet wrapping? There are so many different types of stretch wrap, different grades, gauges, thicknesses, and each type wraps better with some types of pallet loads than with others. A pallet load with cartons of a uniform size, shape, and weight needs less strength and tear-resistance than a pallet load carrying a variety of different parts and products with irregular shapes, different sizes and weights with multiple puncture points. 

The choice of stretch wrap can be very confusing. A lot of people try to get by using the cheapest plastic film available. Or they keep using the same the stretch wrap they were using for hand wrapping on their orbital wrapping machines. Or they use a much stronger stretch wrap than they need for lighter loads and end up spending more on film than they need to spend. Saving money is a big reason for automating the wrapping function so it’s important to find the right stretch wrap for the job and avoid any extra costs. 

To find the right wrap for the job, we often run tests for customers before they buy an orbital wrapper. We’ve performed hundreds of pallet wrapping tests on every type of pallet load using nearly every type of stretch wrap available – just like in this video. We’ve figured out how to match the ideal stretch wrap to the pallet load. And we know which types work best on our orbital wrappers so it unwinds smooth and cuts clean every time. After helping a customer who was struggling with ripped film (not the first call like this), we realized offering the wrapping machines wasn’t enough. To offer a complete solution, we needed to offer our customers exactly the right stretch wraps that we know are proven to work every time. 

We worked with our stretch wrap manufacturer to offer a selection of films proven to work exceptionally well on the TAB Wrapper Tornado. This line offers five different stretch wraps in a range of gauges and styles for every type of pallet load. Need extra puncture and tear resistance for metal parts? One-sided cling for easy stacking? High strength in a cold environment? You’re covered. We stock them by the pallet load in clear, blue, green, and black as standard in our Reading, PA warehouse. Or get a custom color or logo branded stretch wrap for extra marketing impact.

 Test your pallet load – (610) 921-0012 or info@tabwrapper.com

 Get a stretch wrap quote – (610) 921-0012 or info@tabwrapper.com

Learn more about the stretch wrap line here.

TAB Wrapper Tornado Brand Films Tested and Proven for Pallet Wrapping

Reading, PA: Orbital wrapper manufacturer TAB Industries, LLC, Reading, Pa. (www.tabwrapper.com), has introduced a line of stretchwrap. Developed specifically for use with the company’s TAB Wrapper Tornado line orbital wrapping machines, the TAB stretchwrap line features a choice of cast stretch films in 90-, 80-, and 65-gauges that deliver the load containment strength of heavier duty 120-gauge and 80-gauge films, respectively, to reduce the amount of plastic film needed and save on packaging costs. Proven in the wrapping and safe transport of unitized pallet loads with and without boxes, banding or strapping, the TAB stretchwrap films offer a wide choice of properties to suit the pallet load such as puncture and tear resistance, one-sided cling, high force to load ratio, quiet unwind, cold environment compatibility, and color, clarity or opacity.

Ideal for packaging, materials handling, and other professionals responsible for the safe arrival and acceptance of palletized products and equipment, the stretchwrapping films are stocked in clear, green, blue, and black as standard, and in custom colors as an option. The stretch films are also available custom branded with logos and other graphics as an option. In addition to the films for orbital wrappers, the line of stretch wrap includes TAB hand stretch wrap, a clear film for manual pallet wrapping that provides high strength and unwinds quietly for facilities that have not yet automated the wrapping process. 

For a free brochure or more information, contact TAB Industries, LLC, 2525 
N. 12th Street, Reading PA 19605; 610-921-0012; info@tabwrapper.com or see www.tabwrapper.com.