The Challenge

A regional non-food retailer in northern Italy runs 6 medium-size stores, each generating large volumes of cardboard and plastic film from daily deliveries. They initially equipped each location with the TONNA T-Portable lever baler to avoid loose waste and interim storage.

Over time, store managers struggled with scattered 40 kg bales, low throughput at peak times, and frequent waste-hauler collections. Comparing the manual TONNA T-Portable to the hydraulic Recycling baler TONNA10 became essential to reduce labor per ton, cut collection frequency, and improve rebates from denser, heavier bales.

Product B: Film and Paper baler machine TONNA T-Portable

The TONNA T-Portable Manual Press is a mobile, electricity-free baler designed mainly for film and light packaging. It produces bales up to 40 kg with dimensions of about 800 x 600 x 800 mm and weighs only 100 kg, making it easy to move between unpacking areas.

In the retailer’s operation, a realistic manual work rate was about 2 bales/hour per unit once loading, repeated lever strokes, tying and moving the bale were included. At an average of 35 kg per bale, this equals roughly 70 kg/hour, or about 560 kg/shift at 60% effective utilization. Collections remained frequent because low-density 40 kg bales quickly filled containers.

The purchase price of the T-Portable is €1,095 per unit. Although maintenance is minimal and no power is required, the labor intensity and low bale weight limited its suitability for the retailer’s growing cardboard volumes.

Product A: Recycling baler TONNA10

The Recycling baler TONNA10 is a vertical hydraulic press delivering 10 tons of pressure with a 25-second cycle time. It produces compact bales of approximately 700 x 500 x 1000 mm, weighing 70–80 kg depending on material.

At a conservative 6–8 bales/hour, and using the lower figure for reliability, TONNA10 outputs about 6 bales x 75 kg = 450 kg/hour. At 60% utilization across a shift, that is roughly 3.6 hours x 450 kg = 1,620 kg/shift – nearly 3x the mass processed per shift compared with the T-Portable. The hydraulic action ensures consistent density, enabling better transport efficiency and improved cardboard rebates.

The TONNA10 is priced at €3,299. Despite the higher upfront cost, its electric drive, higher throughput and heavier bales quickly offset the difference through lower labor per ton and reduced collection frequency.

ROI & Value Analysis

Product B Performance:

• Cycle time (manual workflow): 30 minutes/2 bales ≈ 15 min/bale
• Daily output at 60%: 2 bales/hour x 7.2 hours = 14 bales/day ≈ 490 kg/day
• Daily labor cost: 3.5 hours active baling x €25/hour ≈ €88/day

Product A Performance:

• Cycle time: 25 seconds plus handling, ≈ 5 min/bale
• Daily output at 60%: 6 bales/hour x 7.2 hours = 43 bales/day ≈ 3,225 kg/day
• Daily labor cost: 3.6 hours active baling x €25/hour ≈ €90/day

Although operator time per shift is similar, TONNA10 processes over 6x more material per day, slashing labor cost per ton.

Investment Comparison:
Product B price: €1,095
Product A price: €3,299
Price difference: €2,204 per unit
Daily savings with Product A (labor + haulage + rebates): approx. €62/day
Payback on price difference: under 6 weeks

Assumptions: Each store previously required 3 collections/month at €180 each; with TONNA10, denser 75 kg bales cut this to 1 collection/month, saving €360/month or €12/day. Labor cost per ton drops from about €180/ton (T-Portable) to €28/ton (TONNA10), saving roughly €50/day at the retailer’s volumes.

Verdict

Choose Product B if your budget is under €1,200, volumes are below 400 kg/day, and you mainly need a mobile, electricity-free solution for light film and packaging at scattered locations.

Choose Product A if you handle regular cardboard and mixed recyclables above 500 kg/day, want to cut collections by more than half, standardise on 70–80 kg bales, and reduce labor cost per ton. For regional retailers and warehouses, TONNA10 is the clear long-term value choice.

“Switching from manual T-Portable presses to the hydraulic TONNA10 in our three busiest stores cut our cardboard collections from weekly to twice a month and reduced handling time per ton by more than 60%. The higher-density 80 kg bales also improved our rebate price with the recycler.” — Marco Rossi, Logistics Manager, RetailCo, Verona (IT)