North Coast Plastics Blog

The Pros and Cons of Wicketed Bags

Written by Bill Clyde | Jun 18, 2020 3:53:36 PM

If you are looking to increase your packaging efficiency wicket bags are a great option for your business. While there are many benefits to adding a wicket bag to your production, as with any product, it’s important to know the pros and cons before you buy. 

In this post we are going to discuss the pros and cons of wicket bags so that you can make the right decision for your business. If you haven’t already read our post: What is a Wicketed Bag, you should check it out for the details on wicketed bags. 

 

Pros of Wicketed Bags 

The main benefit of using a wicket bag is that it increases productivity on your production line.

The bags are accumulated together in an organized fashion on a metal wire wicket allowing the packaging operator to more efficiently transfer the product from the packing table to the plastic bag and then through the sealing process.

Wicketed bags can be used to package many items. We commonly see wicketed bags being used in the food industry because we can produce wicketed bags that are FDA approved.

These are the main industries that we have seen optimize the use of a wicketed bag in their packaging operations: 

  • Food products
    • Baked Goods
    • Produce
  • Textiles
    • Clothing
    • Socks/hosiery
  • Plastic Injection Molded Parts
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Medical Supplies

Wicketed bags have lots of options in terms of customization. They can be made with vent holes (full or butterfly), bottom gussets, serrated lips for easy tear off, permanent or resealable tape applied to the lip for sealing, and various printing images

There are also automatic machines available for packaging, both table top and industrial styles, to consider if you don’t want to manually load your items into each bag. 

 

Cons of Wicketed Bags

There are two things you should consider if you are going to be using wicketed bags. Both of these things are related to recycling and waste. 

Because wicket bags are hung on wickets they require the use of metal wickets and rubber washers. Once the bags have been used on your production line, you will be left with the wickets.

The same goes for the rubber washers or grommets that hold the bags onto the wickets. 

In an effort to eliminate waste, we are happy to receive your washers and wickets after production. We will reuse them in our own production in an effort to eliminate waste. 

While this isn't something that should discourage you from using wicket bags in your production line, it is something to consider. 

 

Summing It Up 

We hope this post gave you some more insight into how a wicketed bag can benefit your packaging process and the pros and cons. Wicket bags can be a huge asset to your packaging process and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out or click below to receive a quote by email.