Method and device for handling flat and/or film material wound onto reels

A method for handling flat material and/or film material that is wound onto rolls (5) and that serves as packaging material for the packaging of piece goods, bundles, or the like sets of articles, comprising:

• initially mounting a first roll (5) of flat material and/or film material on at least one of the at least two installation positions (EB1;
• EB2) of a packaging machine (3) and guiding a material web (MB) of the first roll into the packaging machine (3);
• after at least partially depleting the first roll (5) of flat material and/or film materials, mounting a new roll (5) of flat material and/or film material on remaining installation position of the least two installation positions (EB1, EB2) of the packaging machine (3), wherein, after mounting the new roll (5), attaching an externally arranged layer (15) of the new roll (5) near or in the area of its free end to a section of a material web (MB) of the first roll (5) being guided in the packaging machine (3),
• determining and/or verifying a direction of rotation and/or the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of the new roll (5) by a capture device (23) before, while, or after the new roll (5) is mounted, and, if a wrong direction of rotation and/or a non-rotation-direction-conforming orientation is determined by the capture device (23), performing an alignment correction of the particular new roll (5) or the new roll (5) is replaced with another new roll with appropriate direction of rotation and/or rotation-direction-conforming orientation.