Get a Grip on Rolls

There are several requirements that all roll handling units should meet before being purchased, however. Safety and reliability, Ellingsworth and Morton agree, are two necessary features on roll handling equipment.

Among the laundry list of must-haves is safety, quality, and a 24-month payoff, Ellingsworth said. Furthermore, he said, look for "zero, or near zero maintenance. Never assume any maintenance will ever be done on the equipment and design the machine to continue to perform safely, at or near delivery specification, for years of production. These qualities produce satisfied repeat customers and reduce a manufacturer's need for constant advertising—[meaning] lower manufacturing and product costs."