Efficient labeling machine helps promotions

A bad experience with promotional labels a few years ago led Alan Jumper, a factory engineer at Cadbury Schweppes, to be skeptical about the company's similar promotional plans. This spring, in order to tie in with the company's promotional activities, the company wanted to put an 8-sided folding promotional label on the shoulder of 13 million 1-gallon PET bottles.

“I just described how this plan will be completed. Everyone in the production department said that this is not feasible and they are unwilling to start work,” Jumper said. He is even more reluctant to disclose the problems in previous similar projects. He explained: "That was not a good experience. This time it was successful because the technology of the labeling machine used is now much better than before."

Now, this beverage company in Rye Brook, New York, uses four Label-Aire 3111 pneumatic labelers. The equipment was leased from RayPress, a distributor of Label-Aire. RayPress is a manufacturer of promotional labels, and the pressure-sensitive labels used this time are also provided by the company.

This type 60 coated single-sided pressure-sensitive paper label printed with four colors also uses a 1 mil thick PP film to protect the underlying print layer.

"In order to carry out the commemoration day promotion from May 24th to September 4th, we started using this tag from May 3," Jumper said. This "release shock" promotion competition attracted children aged 6 to 12 and they had to fill in an entry form attached to this label. Each applicant must submit an original rap lyrics with a vocabulary of about 50 words, and a piece of music in MP3, tape or CD format. The grand prize is worth up to $10,000, and there is an opportunity to meet the famous rap artist Bow Wow in November.

The multiple benefits of the machine
Jumper said that in order to tie in with this promotion, it took them 7 weeks to complete the production task. “We start work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and use two production lines to fill one gallon bottle. One line runs at 200 bottles per minute and the other at 225 bottles per minute.”

"During the promotion period, we used folding shoulders that printed detailed information about the competition." Label-Aire's equipment left Jumper with a deep impression for several reasons: First, " We added two Label-Aire labeling machines on each of the two production lines to paste this folded label, which did not affect our production efficiency.”

During operation, the start tag is attracted to the predetermined position by the vacuum grid on the 3111 labeler. When a 1-gallon beverage bottle passes under the grid, the precisely controlled air nozzle activates and blows the label onto the shoulder of the bottle.

Using two labeling machines on each production line provides additional security. Jumper said: "If there is a problem with one of the labeling machines, we can withdraw it from the production line, take the appropriate repairs, and then activate the second labeling machine so that our production line does not have to be down. There is no need to make other adjustments on the production line."

The reason for renting equipment is also justified. “We generally don't rent equipment,” he admits: “But when we only need short-term production, choosing a lease is a very reasonable decision.” In addition, renting does not require the approval of the superior when purchasing fixed equipment. , not to mention the actual financial expenditure.

Another factor favorable to Cadbury Schweppes was the hiring of a RayPress company technician who was responsible for field equipment training. “He stayed here for the first three days of production. We arranged for about 40 workers to take part in the training. After the official start of production, there was no problem whatsoever.”

Jumper also mentions another significant benefit of not using roll labels. “We didn't use roll labels, which made the production process a lot easier. The fan fold labels we used allowed us to join the new labels as the production progressed. If you used rolls, you had to shut down first, and then Install a new roll of labels."

RayPress has designed a label format that is somewhat similar to that of an old printer, based on their requirements, from a stack. In the production process of Cadbury Schweppes, 5,000 tags were placed in each box. The last label in the box is connected to the first label in the other box so that the entire production line can continue to run. According to Jumper, this ability can reduce downtime and labor costs.

Another benefit is that this experience of “release shock” activities has changed Jumper’s views on the promotion label. "Now I am completely in agreement with the use of such tags and equipment. This promotion was a success."