When it comes to choosing a waste baler for your business, it’s easy to compare the upfront price, but this doesn’t always tell the full story. Repairs, staff training, and maintenance all add to lifetime costs – making that slightly cheaper baler more costly in the end which became evident during a recent pitch to a key account in Europe.

To help you dig a little deeper when choosing equipment, this article explores some of the benefits of our V5 baler, including 4 key questions our competitors would rather you didn’t ask.

Comparing waste baler equipment

From day one, a waste baler can save your business money by making it easier to manage refuse. The V5 Baler, for example, can easily handle cardboard, plastic, textile, paper, polystyrene, or food waste.

Before you invest in any capital equipment, however, it’s important to do your research. Talking to waste baler manufacturers can help you understand which machine is most compatible with your requirements.

In addition to the initial price tag, you need to understand what features come ‘as standard’ with each machine. This can help clarify lifetime costs. Unfortunately, when pitching the V5 against competitor equipment, we often notice that other manufacturers focus exclusively on the headline price and not the lifetime cost of a machine.

So, here are our top 4 questions to ask when establishing value rather than cost?

1. Is your baler easy to use?

The V5 baler is a versatile and efficient system, ideal for low and medium-volume users. That means it’s great for convenience stores, petrol stations, hotels, and restaurants.

• Compared to its peers, the V5 produces bigger bales with fewer cycles and requires less labour and energy. It is purpose-built to save you time and money with an integrated kicker that makes it easy for staff to remove bales from the equipment.

• Remember to think about how, and where the equipment will be used on your premises. With a bale size of 750mm wide x 500mm deep, the resulting V5 waste bales can fit easily through all standard doorways. Allowing you to make maximum-size bales reducing labour and consumables.

• On-site, LSM balers also ensure noise is kept to a minimum for a quieter working environment. High-quality power packs with helical gears ensure the V5 achieves sound levels of just 70 to 75dB during operation.

2. How robust is your plastic baler?

Our waste baling system is engineered for reliability. We design and manufacture V5 machines at our own facility using top-quality components, including precision laser-cut parts.

• To ensure our V5 balers deliver long-lasting performance, we specify motors capable of continuous operation at their rated power. This means your baler will run for decades, operating consistently and efficiently.

• For a true comparison between equipment, think about the type of products you need to compact, and the crushing force provided. The V5 baler exerts a bale force of 5 Tonnes, while our competitors provide a 2 to 3 Tonne press. Quite simply, the V5 exerts higher forces than other balers, making it a stronger, longer-lasting option.

• Finally, be sure to consider the warranty cover offered. The V5 comes with a 24-month warranty as standard, demonstrating just how robust our balers are.

3. What about safety for users?

Depending on your requirements, the V5 baler is suitable for automatic or manual bale cycles with an easy tie system to fasten waste bales. Regardless of whether you choose manual or automatic operation, user safety is guaranteed.

• Staff training takes time, so the easier and safer your baler is to use, the less burdensome your training requirements are. Our integrated bale kicker improves safety and well-being, ensuring users press the two-handed controls and the bale to remove it from the machine safely.

• Low voltage user controls provide additional safety, ensuring staff are only ever in contact with 24V operational switches.

4. How economical is your baler to run?

With its rapid cycle time and low power consumption, the V5 baler provides an economical waste-handling solution for businesses producing a consistent amount and type of waste.

• In just 28 seconds, the V5 baler can create a bale weighing anywhere between 50 and 100kg. Our wide fill opening of 750mm x 385mm allows you to put more in the chamber than competitor products.

• Dynamic power technology ensures you can run the V5 baler from a standard household outlet. Our e-Power technology utilises a larger motor more efficiently, enabling us to reduce energy consumption

• The design of the V5 delivers greater compaction than competitor machines resulting in high-density bales produced with fewer cycles, and using less electricity. The result? Lower running costs and better value for money.

Consider baler add-ons and extras

No matter which baler you select, there will be recurring costs associated with running the machine. Staff training, labour, machine maintenance and energy costs should all be factored in. As we discovered when pitching the V5 against competitor equipment, however, these criteria are often overlooked in favour of one-off costs.

A quick look at equipment specifications reveals that LSM puts more emphasis on quality during both the design and manufacture of equipment, guaranteeing safe operation and robust performance. With superior compaction and clear labour savings, V5 balers offer excellent value over the machine’s entire lifetime.

LSM can also adapt the V5 to deliver tailored performance for those with additional requirements. Add-ons such as a 25-litre can crushing kit, or a solar-powered option demonstrate just how versatile our engineering capabilities are.

Doing the maths – how much could you save?

To calculate the true cost of your next baler, it’s essential to consider those hidden costs associated with ongoing performance. Recurring costs soon add up, so asking key questions about ease of use, safety and performance can really help you assess value – in addition to the headline price.

With minimal maintenance and reduced running costs over the lifetime of a machine, we believe our innovative balers provide the best value, ensuring that year after year, bale after bale, the V5 will save you money over the long term.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of LSM machines or would like to discuss becoming a distributor, simply call us on +353 57 866 09379 or fill out the form to request a call-back.