The Challenge

A coated steel coil producer near Linz, Austria ships around 160 coils per day, many oversized and highly surface-sensitive. Coils were secured with 32 mm steel strap using manual tensioners and separate sealers.

The method was slow and risky. Each coil needed four straps, taking about 9 minutes/coil including handling sharp strap ends and applying seals. Monthly quality reports showed roughly 6% of coils arriving with edge marks or coating scratches, often traced to steel strap damage or rust transfer. Additionally, three minor hand injuries from sharp steel strap were recorded in one year, and disposal costs for steel scrap were increasing.

Quality and HSE teams requested a safer solution that would maintain coil security while eliminating corrosion risk from steel strapping on coated product.

The Solution

After trials with several systems, the plant selected the ITI 71 Battery Strapping Tool together with 32–40 mm composite strap for all coated coil lines. The ITI 71’s maximum 11,000 N tension comfortably matched previous steel strap holding performance, while the wide textile/composite strap protected sensitive edges.

The ITI 71 is run at around 60% of its max tension to balance security and strap elongation. Operators use the integrated cutting unit to tension and cut in a single step, eliminating separate cutters and metal seals. Two 18V Li-Ion batteries per tool (approx. 400 cycles/charge) support full-shift operation with fast 40-minute recharging.

ROI Calculation

Before – Steel strap & manual tools:

• Daily volume: 160 coils × 4 straps = 640 straps/day
• Average strapping time: 9 min/coil → 160 × 9 = 1,440 min/day (24 h of labor)
• Quality damage: 6% of 160 = 10 coils/month claimed, average loss €350/coil → €3,500/month
• Steel strap, seals, scrap handling (incremental vs. textile): approx. €0.30/coil → €1,050/year (small but real)

After – ITI 71 with composite strap:

• New strapping time: about 5 min/coil → 160 × 5 = 800 min/day (13.3 h)
  Labor saving: 24 h − 13.3 h ≈ 10.7 h/day → at €18/h ≈ €190/day or about €3,800/month
• Damage rate cut to 2% of coils: 3–4 coils/month × €350 ≈ €1,050/month
  Improvement vs. before: €3,500 − €1,050 = €2,450/month saved
• Total monthly savings (labor + damage + materials): about €6,300/month

Investment:
2 × ITI 71 tools (each with 2 batteries & charger): €2,439 × 2 = €4,878
Simple payback: €4,878 ÷ €6,300 ≈ under 1 month
Even assuming additional composite strap cost and contingencies, the plant conservatively calculated ROI at under 5 months across both lines.

Results

Switching from steel strap to wide composite strap with the ITI 71 cut strapping time per coil by almost half and significantly reduced surface damage and corrosion complaints. Operators report easier, safer handling and less fatigue, while quality and HSE teams met their targets without compromising load security.

“The ITI 71 allowed us to move away from steel strap on coated coils without any loss of security. We see fewer claims, faster packing, and our operators are much happier handling textile strap instead of sharp steel.” — Markus Huber, Packaging Manager, StahlCoil GmbH / Linz, Austria