IMAJE LABELLERS SAVE A LOT OF DOUGH!

Working with Imaje UK on a project to replace their existing high maintenance labellers, they were delighted to find that over 92% of the required investment in the new equipment would be recovered as a result of annual cost savings in consumables and a reduction in downtime alone.

Bakemark now have five Imaje 2000 print & apply units, together with Imaje Crayon Large Character and Imaje Nova desktop printers working on their production lines at Bromborough. 

"A major factor in purchasing the Imaje 2000 print & apply systems was the significant savings we could make in consumable costs," Bakemark UK's Factory Service Manager, Ian Hamer, commented.  "We now print all the information required, including traceability and product identification codes, such as manufacturing date and time, production line number, batch number, product name, logo and barcode on a much smaller label.  By using a smaller direct transfer label, instead of the thermal transfer ribbons and labels used by the old printers, we achieve annual savings of almost 67,000 on labels and ribbons alone!"

"Initially we did consider other manufacturers," continued Ian, "but the Imaje 2000 was the only labeller that offered front and side label placement at the speeds we required using only one machine." 

Bakemark's throughput of 50-55,000 cases per week on the cookie line required a machine to print and apply labels to two sides of each box at a rate of up to 30 cases a minute. The Imaje 2000 printers operate at these speeds thereby eliminating the bottlenecks that were previously experienced on the line.  
 

Downtime has also been reduced; by using wide edge leading labels, the label reel capacity is increased from 1000 to 5000 labels per reel with the Imaje 2000 meaning the print rolls last 5 times longer than on the old labellers, considerably reducing downtime for roll changes.  In addition, the label warning indicator on the Imaje 2000 gives the operator plenty of warning when the roll needs changing allowing them to change it at their convenience again reducing downtime during production.       

Another benefit of printing labels wide-edge leading is a significant increase in the number of labels that can be printed during the printhead's life, thus guaranteeing even more savings in replacement parts.
 
With an extensive product range, Bakemark UK have almost 180 different label requirements with a choice of up to 20 varying templates.  Imaje modified the application software to accommodate all possible label configurations and, where label selection was previously complicated and unreliable, now users merely type in a simple 3-letter code on the Imaje keypad to select any of the label configurations.

Since installing the Imaje 2000 printers, Bakemark are meeting their customers' high expectations in terms of quality of print, readability of barcodes and consistent positioning of labels making barcode scanning easier.  A barcode verification system has also been implemented on the line to ensure the correct barcode is printed thereby reducing the risk of errors. 

Ian concluded, "Bakemark trialled an Imaje 2000 print & apply unit before committing to this investment and we very quickly became reliant on the machine, making our old labellers almost instantly redundant.  Imaje worked with us to ensure we achieved the best solution for our needs, not just in terms of the labelling equipment, but also the ancillary equipment such as belt conveyors.  The result is self evident - professionally printed and consistently applied labels with clear, readable barcodes... and a lot of satisfied customers."