Pre-printed labels are great for standard products, but they can’t do everything. There are many reasons why businesses need individualized labels (examples include internal logistics, shipping, date coding and legal compliance), and a print and apply label applicator can add these labels to containers quickly and with minimal errors. Read more
When you’re dealing with dangerous chemicals, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. So, complying with chemical labeling regulations doesn’t just keep your business on the right side of the law, it ensures that anyone who comes in contact with materials has information on how to handle them and what to do in case of an emergency.
Of course, you should always consult with your legal team to ensure compliance, but this blog is a great starting point for understanding label requirements with OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and California’s Proposition 65. So, let’s get to it and find the right chemical labeling system for the job. Read more
A label does more than identify a container’s contents. It gives the buyer their first impression of your product, helping you make the sale. Choosing the right bottle labeling machine will improve quality perceptions while keeping your production line running smoothly. Here’s how you can narrow down your choices based on the bottles and labels you use, as well as how the machine fits into your production process. Read more
How soon will your products be ready to leave the production line and ship out to retailers and customers? Good or bad, that answer ultimately depends on the components of your product line, from your workers to the labeling equipment you use.
Truth be told, your labeling equipment partner is your golden ticket to substantially shorter lead times, especially if they’re a Tier 1 label machine supplier with sizable access to resources and inventory.
Want a labeler up and running in half the time others say is even possible? Here’s how to do it and how to tell if your labeling equipment supplier can keep up with the speed you need to get the job done yesterday!
Remember feeling young, unstoppable — like an F-15 Eagle crushing the sound barrier at 1,800 mph?
Hey — we all remember being 18, right? And we’re guessing back then you likely didn’t put too much stock in health insurance — at least not until you broke your leg chasing the sound barrier on a mountain bike.
Then those insurance premiums deducted from your paycheck probably sounded like a dollar store bargain.
It’s the same way with the spare parts kit of your labeling system. Nobody really thinks about it until something breaks down — then everything goes haywire. Read more
In the turbulent world of manufacturing and labeling solutions, you never know what’s waiting on the other end of the line. But, if you’re set up for success and prepare accordingly with proper planning, your custom labeling system should never be a headache. Read more
Think about all the times you’ve had to operate a new piece of equipment but struggled to understand it at first (like the days of the first VCRs, DVD players, smartphones, etc).
Over-engineering often adds to the challenges. And this is especially the case when related to new and sophisticated technologies like high-resolution label printers and high-speed automatic labeling machines. Don’t make that mistake with your facility’s labeling systems!
Well-engineered labeling equipment should create solutions — not exacerbate stress. Keeping the design of automatic labeling machines relatively simple and user-friendly will give you a seamless, pain-free experience and potentially boost your ROI. Read more
Boom times can be challenging. You need to schedule vendor supply orders yesterday. Keeping in front of lead times can feel like you’re trying to outrun a locomotive.
It’s a nice problem to have. Thanks to the booming economy, we’re having one of the best years in the history of CTM Labeling Systems. Fact is — times are so good it can be a challenge to keep up.
In fact, it seems as if the entire country faces this same wonderful problem — business is flourishing and it’s hard to stay ahead of demand. Last September, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent, the lowest it’s ever been since 1969.
Investing in an automatic label applicator can be a big commitment.
Because of that, it’s important to ensure that you’re researching labeling machine manufacturers and doing your due diligence to ensure that you’re receiving the best possible machine.
If done wisely, investing in an automatic labeling system equates to increased efficiency, consistency and throughput. (Not only that, but it can all be translated into real dollars and cents!)
So, it’s important to make sure that you’re getting the best return on investment. Let’s take a look at 5 ways your business can benefit from an automatic label applicator.
Most production facilities invest in an automatic label applicator to increase efficiency. It is, after all, the most obvious benefit of labeling automation. In fact, the potential savings in regard to performance can be multiplied exponentially.
For example, let’s say that a new labeling system labels 100 products a minute and 6,000 products every hour. Calculate the manual cost by the metric of hourly wage per employee required to do it by hand and compare. That’s a very substantial cost difference quantified by lightning-fast math.
One way to optimize labor efficiency is to design the labeling machine to the unique dimensions of the product (round products, glass bottles, flat surfaces, etc). Rather than using a generic system that can’t always meet your needs, custom labeling systems are designed to address any unique challenge. The optimization potential multiplies in the details.
Naturally, increased efficiency enables you to do more. By magnifying labeling capabilities, production significantly increases (and with it, your capacity to process sales).
We’ve seen manufacturers double, triple or quadruple their production rates as labeling equipment becomes abundantly agile. They can quote larger and more valuable opportunities and accept more projects.
It all comes down to being able to get more product boxed, labeled and shipped. Labeling can be a major bottleneck if you’re not careful. But with automatic labeling machines, you’ll be able to fulfill more orders than ever before.
Automatic labeling machines minimize (and often eliminate) rework costs incurred from manual application errors.
While you may have great employees, they’re only human. Mistakes, irregular label placement and missed applications happen. Unfortunately, though, big box stores often fine you for errors that slip through the cracks.
And since increased speed intensified risk, quality control is absolutely necessary when amplifying throughput. If quality control is not central to the product design, chaos may be on the horizon. In just five critical minutes, you might end up with 500 products that need to be relabeled (or outright trashed) if the adhesive proves too strong for reapplication.
To counteract the probability of error, automatic labeling systems can incorporate scanners to mitigate problems. The scanners then provide agile warning systems to ID and remove faulty labeled products, halting production until the error is addressed.
What is one of the most significant factors in savings and production capacity? It’s a well designed, easy-to-use labeling system.
Automatic labeling machines save time and money because they increase efficiency.
Easy-to-use design means that your custom labeling solution can evolve over time. You’ll have less downtime, fewer training issues, and an intrinsic understanding of how to best optimize the automatic label applicator to boost production.
Most importantly, if your machine is user-friendly, your people will be willing to use the labeling system to its fullest capacity. They’ll want to make sure it runs as well as it can because it makes their job easier in return.
More than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day, and that number is only growing! It’s expected that at least 1.7MB of data is created every second for every person on Earth.
Do those numbers seem intimidating? If you learn to appreciate the value that data provides they shouldn’t be because data can drive ROI through the roof. Data helps businesses to cut costs and discover new opportunities for innovation and disruption.
In the age of supply chain logistics and product traceability, data has never been more critical to the labeling industry. Your labeling system can prove to be critical, not only in situations of product recall but in optimizing every aspect of your business to work more intelligently to maximize the bottom line.
For label application, you get out what you put in. Most labeling systems are not an out of the box solution and need to be tweaked to work at peak performance for your business.
More efficient production is the result of increased throughput and accessible, insight-driven data. And, in the end, efficiency means greater potential for your brand, all thanks to your labeling machine investment.
That’s success you can take to the bank, and the kind you can show your team (when ROI is soaring as a result of your automatic labeling system).
Ready to increase your ROI? Download our free guide, “The Secret to Planning a Labeling System,” and find out how to get the best automatic labeling machine on the first try.
Have a question about a labeling system for your specific needs? We’re happy to chat and point you in the right direction, whether you’re looking for a wrap labeler or a print and apply system!
As a kid, ever play blind man’s bluff?
It’s a lot like tag, but you can’t see a thing. You’re blindfolded in a field, scrambling like crazy as every kid on the block screams your name, taunting you to tag them out. Blindly waving your arms like a madman, you fumble, trip over a lawn chair, fall flat on your face.
Sound fun? In many ways, it can be a lot like buying a labeling system without first providing a proper product sample. It hurts right in the pocketbook. Read more
