Packs and Closures

In the complex world of labelling, there are some compelling arguments for simply having one supplier that prints your labels and supplies, services and repairs your applicators.

For one, it’s easier to deal with one firm than two. “If you’ve found someone you can work with, you can trust and who gives you a competitive price, it’s much easier from a buying perspective to deal with one company,” says Martin Williams, marketing manager at Etiquette, a supplier of both labels and systems.

It should also mean you end up with the most efficient label application process, as your supplier should understand how labels and machines interact and interface. “The company that can supply both usually has a better understanding of the impact of label quality on line efficiency,” says Ken Dalby, engineering manager at Pago, another dual-supplier.

“Understanding what is technically possible in the labelling process and knowing the parameters of a machine can influence the choice of materials and adhesives.”

Working with one company should ensure labels and equipment are compatible. If companies buy their labels and equipment from two separate sources, they have to act as co-ordinator between the two suppliers to ensure compatibility. “In this scenario, reeling specs, core diameters, winding direction and on-line coding suitability with the label surface are all elements to be raised and signed off,” advises David Embleton, sales and marketing director at Sessions of York.

The compatibility argument relates not only to labels and equipment, but also to software in the case of print and apply systems. “Label applicators often need to synchronise with other parts of a packaging line and print software needs to be flexible and able to adapt, so a business that can cope with all aspects makes life much easier for the user,” says Norprint’s Alan Wright. “It can also tie in with product tracking and tracing systems as these days many packaging operations are linked into operational management and data control systems.”

Comfort factor
One of the biggest benefits of using a one-stop-shop is that if things go wrong, there’s only one company to blame.

“If the customer says they want labels that will work with that machine, the responsibility is on us to make that happen,” says Williams. “You could have a situation like you get with computers where the hardware company is blaming the software manufacturer and vice versa, but we don’t have that luxury.”
However, Des Dunleavy, sales manager with Harland Machine Systems, a manufacturer of labelling equipment, believes the knowledge that there will be no conflict if a problem arises is more of a comfort factor than a real consideration.

“If there are issues – and it does happen, particularly if it’s a new product with a new label design – we do tests here and prove whether it’s the label material or our application. If the problem is the machine we solve it, if it’s the material we advise the label firm on what they need to do to rectify it,” he says.
Peter Goff is sales manager with Herma UK, another equipment specialist. He argues that most companies that supply both labels and labelling equipment are not likely to be experts in both fields and are therefore more likely to have problems in the first place.

“What you’ll normally find is that most of the companies who sell both machines and labels are specialists in one area or another – in particular a lot of the new companies are label companies that have bolted on label applicators. I would say that we are experts in what we do and label companies are experts in what they do, and they are both very different disciplines.”

Suppliers on both sides of the argument agree that many of the new companies to which Goff refers are to be approached with caution, as what they will generally do is throw in a cheaply-constructed label applicator ‘for free’ when a customer agrees to buy labels from them for a fixed period.

“The customer might think they are getting the machine for free but, in fact, they are paying for the machine; they are just paying for it in a different way – in the cost of the labels – but what it’s doing is tying them in to a supplier,” says Dunleavy.

He says another point to consider is that while label machines are not always industry specific, label specifications and requirements generally are. For example, producing a synthetic beverage label that doesn’t bubble or crease when applied is very different to producing, say, a paper label for food packaging and the applicators need to be different too.

“We supply machines into many different industries, from pharmaceutical and toiletries, to chemicals and food, and within each industry you’ll have different specifications and requirements for labels. To try and support all those industries would require a massive printing arm, so we let the end user select the label supplier that best suits their industry.”

One dual-supplier that is keen to demonstrate it understands the specific label requirements of the industries it serves is Sessions of York. At this year’s Total, the company exhibited self-adhesive labels that comply with EU Directive 2004/27, which states that information for the partially sighted and blind should be provided on medical products.

Unproved benefits
It is not clear-cut if customers are likely to get a better deal price-wise if they buy their labels from the same source as their machinery.

Etiquette’s Williams reckons there is not much variance in the price of labelling equipment – most machines are priced at £10,000-15,000 – but labels are considerably cheaper if bought from the same supplier as the machine. “With those companies looking for high volumes, it ends up a lot cheaper if they are buying both labels and equipment, and there’s room for negotiation.”

That said, he does concede that a company pinching pennies and pounds could, if they shopped around and were getting through massive volumes of labels, probably find a label supplier who would give them a better price.

However, Pago’s Dalby warns that it’s not always that cut and dried and urges prospective purchasers to consider overall efficiency when evaluating label costs: “The purchase of labels is often based on price per thousand, which is different from applied costs; 5% downtime on a 300-bottle-per-minute production line has to be balanced against a possible 15-20% saving in label prices from the print-only supplier.”

Switching to cheaper labels from a separate source is particularly tempting for print and apply applications, as one make of plain white label is pretty much like another – isn’t it?

Not necessarily, warns Mark Lilley, commercial product manager, print and apply, with Domino. “What usually happens is as the price goes down, the quality of the material decreases, then you run into print quality issues and you have the whole problem of ownership of that problem – is it the ribbon, the printer or the label? Buying your labels from one source gives you total ownership of that supply chain and therefore the quality performance of that product as well.”

Ultimately, the fact that both single-product specialists and one-stop shops co-exist in today’s cut-throat labelling market suggests that there are merits in both methods. More important, perhaps, is making sure you don’t get caught out by companies that claim to be experts in machinery just to shift labels.

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A FRESH APPROACH
Labels and systems from Norprint have helped cut costs and improve packaging efficiency at fresh produce supplier TH Clements.

The Lincolnshire-based company dispatches around seven million trays of fresh produce a year to the major multiples.

With more than 30 different lines, it is crucial that the right barcode label is put on the right pack. TH Clements was having issues with some codes not scanning, and there was a risk that some codes were appearing on the wrong product as its barcode scanner system verified the codes but didn’t tie them up to a particular product line.

Norprint supplied a track and trace data capture system using hand-held data capture devices. This enables TH Clements to verify the codes at the same time as checking that they apply to the correct product line and are collating detailed product information. As a result, efficiency and throughput have improved.

TH Clements also wanted a more efficient way of applying promotional labels to film-packed produce. Many items are packed using a vertical form, fill and seal system.

Self-adhesive labels flagging up special deals, such as BOGOFs, had to be applied afterwards by hand.
To solve the problem, Norprint built an applicator to add promotional labels to the film on the packaging line before the bags are formed, saving the work of one person. TH Clements has now installed four of these units.

“As a one-stop supplier, Norprint has given us excellent service,” says Graham Neal, packhouse manager at TH Clements. “Having expertise in label application and printing systems, label manufacture and data capture has resulted in a joined-up approach to our packaging and identification needs which have brought significant benefits and savings to our business.”