How to Save Money on Bale Ties: Sizing, Quantity, and Freight
“How can I save money on my bale ties and baler wire?” is a question that often arises when speaking with our customers and partners in market, especially given all the rising costs associated with baling and reselling your material. There are several ways to cut costs on the bale ties and/or wire you are currently consuming. In the following paragraphs, we are going to discuss 3 ways you and your company could potentially cut costs on bale ties and baler wire.
Sizing
Many times the size of the bale tie currently being used is not the most effective option. The bale tie currently being used by your team is likely ample in size to consistently handle the weight of the bale you are processing and also likely ample length that your operators have plenty of slack to tie off the bale. These are all good outcomes, however, if you are trying to cut some costs and get the most optimal and cost-effective solution more could be done.
Cutting a foot off the length of the bale tie you are currently using would reduce the weight of the bundle, in turn, dropping the cost of the bale tie. Switching from a 14’ x 13ga bale tie to a 14’ x 13.5ga bale tie reduces the weight of the bundle thereby dropping the cost. Moving from a galvanized finish bale tie to a black annealed bale tie reduces cost because the raw material is less expensive. We make this process easy by always providing customers with free samples so they can test out what makes the most sense given the system they have in place. In addition, we also provide a simple sizing sheet to better help get to the best solution for your business.
Quantity
For many of our customers that bring in bale ties and baler wire the quantity they order is the same over and over. 10 bundles of 14’x14ga. galvanized single loop bale ties every 2 months or one full pallet of 11ga baler wire every 6 months. Looking at the quantity and, beyond that, looking at what space is available to potentially allocate towards a larger quantity is a simple way to reduce the delivered cost per bundle. Though it can be difficult finding a balance between storage space allocation and bale ties consumption is something every company should consider.
Going from purchasing 20 bundles of 21’x12ga galvanized single loop bale ties to purchasing 40 bundles of 21’x12ga galvanized single looped bale ties would save somewhere between $2.00 and $3.00 per bundle. Delivered cost moving from 20 bundles of 21’x12ga galvanized single looped bale ties to 80 bundles of the same material, which would constitute a bulk material price would reduce your cost per bundle by between $4.00 and $6.00 per bundle. Space is a concern in any warehouse situation but if you have some space available it may be worth taking on a larger stocking position to reduce costs. Please contact us and ask about max gaylord pricing and bulk discount if it something you think could work for your facility.
Freight
Freight is a necessary evil when factoring in delivered cost. The rates are always changing and seasonal rates cause prices to roller coaster. While we have some dependable carriers and fair LTL rates in place for most states, reducing freight cost is an easy way to drop the delivered price for bale ties, baler wire, and even stem wire. As you consider the above ways to reduce costs please also consider how the product is being shipped and who is shipping. Oftentimes better rates are available through carriers you are presently working with. In addition, we can also solicit quotes from carriers outside our main network and potentially arrange a better shipping cost to reduce your delivered price. These carriers sometimes have extended schedules but as long as you are not in immediate need are a good solution.
When dealing with larger orders that surpass 4 pallets we also can reach out to some of our bulk carriers for quotes based on the total weight of the load which oftentimes tremendously reduces the delivered cost of your bale ties and/or baler wire. Working with freight can be frustrating and time-consuming but once a system is in place it should be very simple for your purchasing agent to simply duplicate your last order and the same cost will be in place.
Hopefully, the information above is valuable and you are able to take advantage of some of the ways available to save on the cost of your bale ties, baler wire, and stump wire. We are always available to discuss and troubleshoot any issues or potential ways we can get you what you need in the most cost-effective manner. Please reach out if you would like to take advantage of a free sample bundle of product or get an updated quote with different quantities.