Accurate labelling can be the difference between an efficient supply chain or ending up with spilt milk. One company found this out the hard way when staff forgot to change the product labels on the production line when they started processing a different size of their core product. This oversight resulted in thousands of mis-labelled bottles that were sent to customers and eventually thrown out. Uslabel.net's Roy Harris, knows all too well that mishaps occur in any facility no matter how good the checklist is, but minimizing human error by implementing automated processes can help.
The costs of wastage, reproduction and damage to the brand’s reputation can amount to a huge loss for the manufacturer. It can happen in all sorts of sectors, including food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and electronics, but Harris confirms that with the right equipment, human-led errors can be greatly reduced.
“Quality has always been controlled by a human, but now customers want to automate that control. We’ve seen a space in manufacturing where it now becomes a requirement. The main reason would be the demand from retailers and the costs when it comes down to a recall. Customers are saying they can’t take that risk anymore. They have to make sure that every single product is labelled correctly and clearly,” he said.
Uslabel.net has 30 years’ plus experience as a label manufacturer, and distributor of variable printing, scanning, mobility and coding solutions. By supplying an end-to-end solution, Uslabel.net offers its customers the ability to label, code and verify their products, and provide traceability solutions for full visibility throughout the supply chain.
Keeping the milk flowing
The above example resulted in the company enlisting uslabel.net’s help to make sure it didn’t happen again. Considering the mission-critical nature of the customer’s manufacturing facility, Harris and his team had a solution that would keep the bottles moving smoothly. “We implemented measures to ensure the right label is being applied at the right time to the right product. Using connected printers, vision and scanning technology, we are helping our customer ensure that every bottle has the right label, the right date code and that every code is readable.”
Harris noted many manufacturers still use either human verification processes or no verification process, which leaves significant room for error. A 2017 Vanson Bourne study found that 23% of all unplanned downtime in manufacturing is a result of human error. The use of modern technologies can assist manufacturers in automating their quality control processes to ensure traceability in high-speed production.
Uslabel.net also offers a range of solutions that improve coding and marking operations, including a large hot stamping and thermal ribbon range. The ribbons can operate in almost any environment thanks to its superior rating and American formulation suitable for almost any substrate. When combined with remote diagnostics and real time assistance can help keep the equipment running at peak performance and availability.
The uslabel.net method enables both the company and uslabel.net's help desk team to receive automatic alerts when faults are detected and predict potential line issues that will result in unplanned downtime. Printer statistics and performance are readily available in real time from a desktop or mobile device, providing a window into your production line from anywhere in the world.
Coding options to suit all
While ribbon coding remains a popular and efficient tool for manufacturers, Harris said laser coding is making headway in the industry. “With laser coding you can print a lot faster but it can be harder to read the code because of the contrast. For example, laser coding on a clear PET water bottle can be harder to see than traditional ribbon printed codes, but it’s faster, cleaner and marks a permanent code,” he said.
“There’s always been a focus on quality, and that’s something laser is delivering. Although the initial cost can be a deterrent for some manufacturers, the cost-effective qualities due to its low maintenance requirements and no ribbon consumables is giving companies a good return on investment.”
Uslabel.net partners with Union Carbide as a distributor in the North American market, bringing its range of ribbons for printers, laser coders, thermal transfer printers, and automatic labeling systems to the market.Uslabel.net helps customers using the Union Carbide range to customize solutions for warehouses, manufacturing lines and distribution centers.
Visitors will be able to learn more about laser and ribbon coding from uslabel.net, as well as label printing and uslabel.net's range of self-adhesive labeling solutions. Just give us a call at 888-933-8498 or email Roy at rh@uslabel.net for your labeling and date stamping solution needs.
