Which stacker offers the best ROI? We break down costs, efficiency, maintenance and ideal applications for manual and electric pallet stackers in modern operations.
- Purchase-price picture (five-year TCO, 2024-2025 baseline)
| Cost item | Hand stacker | 1.2 t electric stacker (entry) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOB Shanghai | $450 | $2,150 | inc. lead-acid battery |
| Running h / year | 500 h | 1,200 h | single shift |
| Energy kWh / year | 0 | 126 kWh | 0.105 kWh/pallet |
| Electricity @ $0.12/kWh | $0 | $15 | — |
| Battery swap (yr 3) | $0 | $220 | battery pack only |
| Annual consumables | $35 | $95 | local labour rate |
| Depreciation (5 yr) | $90 | $430 | straight line |
| 5-yr cash cost | $625 | $3,060 | labour excluded |
| Cost per operating h | $0.25 | $0.51 | — |
Conclusion: hand stacker cash cost = 1/5 of electric, if labour is free.
- Add the operator: speed & manpower
| Metric | Hand | Electric |
|---|---|---|
| Lift speed full load | 0.08 m/s | 0.12 m/s |
| Cycle 2.7 m rack | 55 s | 28 s |
| Daily thru-put advised | 60 pallets | 180 pallets |
| Heads per 8 h shift | 2 (rotation) | 1 |
Example—minimum wage $15/h, two-shift, 250 d:
Hand: $15 × 8 h × 2 × 250 = $60 000 / yr
Electric: $15 × 8 h × 1 × 250 = $30 000 / yr
Electric saves $30 000 labour every year—pay-back < 1 month.
- Hidden variables: maintenance, safety, uptime
- Service: hand—grease & oil 30 min/year; electric—add battery change yr 3 ($220–$350).
- Safety: manual lowering accidents = 12 % of OSHA reports; electric < 2 %.
- Uptime: electric runs 24 h with 1 spare battery; hand efficiency drops 18 % after 6 h.
- Decision matrix (2025 applications)
| Scenario | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| < 60 pallets/d, single shift, tight budget | Hand | Lowest 5-yr TCO |
| 60–180 pallets/d, double shift, expensive labour | Electric | Labour savings pay in 6 months |
| Cold store –25 °C | Electric (heated Li-ion) | Hand oil thickens |
| Zone 2 explosive | Hand or EX electric | Cert dependent |
| Rental fleet 1–2 yr | Hand | Fast pay-back, high resale |
- ROI snap formula (2025)
Annual saving (electric vs hand)
= ($30 000 labour) + ($15 energy) – ($60 extra maintenance)
≈ $29 925
Extra investment = $2 150 – $450 = $1 700
Cash pay-back = $1 700 ÷ $29 925 ≈ 0.06 yr ≈ 3 weeks
Rule of thumb: ≥ 70 pallets / day → electric is instantly profitable.
- How to convince buyers in one quotation
- Lead with “labour saved per year”—the line overseas clients feel fastest.
- Insert the 5-yr TCO table above—no Excel gymnastics.
- Attach a 30-s side-by-side clip: lifting 2.7 m, manual vs electric—speed difference is obvious.
Conclusion & next step
Hand stackers fit low-throughput, budget-tight operations; once throughput exceeds 70 pallets a day or local wage tops $12/h, electric stackers pay back in under a month. Send this cost-benefit sheet to your customer, let him fill in his own numbers, and the purchase order will swing to the higher-value electric unit.
Need CE/ANSI docs, FOB price or 24 h shipping schedule?
Email or WhatsApp “Stacker ROI” + target capacity and lift height—we return quotation and loading diagram the same day.
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