FEATURE Labelling
CHOCOLATE LABELLING IN THE CLOUD
Tony’s Chocolonely sweetens production, and removes manual processes, using Cloud labelling from Loftware
L
oftware, a global leader in product identification and connected packaging, has helped Tony’s Chocolonely move its production
labelling to the cloud. Working with implementation partner De Koningh and printer manufacturer SATO, the chocolate manufacturer has replaced digital infrastructure that relied on manual data entry and an on-premise server with one that runs entirely from Loftware Cloud. Tony’s Chocolonely is an Amsterdam- based impact company committed to ending exploitation in cocoa. At its production facility in Borsbeek, Belgium, five high-speed lines produce chocolate bars across a wide range of flavours, weights and packaging formats, with frequent changeovers between them. These frequent changeovers mean labelling needs to be accurate and efficient to avoid disrupting
production or compromising compliance.
Where manual entries fell short As production became more complex, labelling turned into a weak point. Printers on the shop floor had to be configured by hand and systems operated in silos, but the most serious problems sat further up the chain. “Our ERP system was not connected to the labelling software. This required a lot of manual re-entry, which led to errors. And when the server went down, production came to a complete halt,” said Feike van der Werf, Head of IT at Tony’s Chocolonely.
A phased move to the cloud Working with De Koningh, Tony’s Chocolonely adopted Loftware Cloud through a structured three-phase approach designed to limit disruption. The first phase integrated Microsoft Business Central with Loftware, with existing printers staying in use and the on-premise server acting as an intermediary. The second replaced printers that
were not cloud-ready with SATO cloud- enabled models. The third removed the server altogether, so that every process and printer is now controlled directly from the cloud, with label design and driverless printing handled in one place.
8 October 2026 | Automation
On the project, Jean-Paul van Oudhuis, Software Engineer at De Koningh, said: “We rebuilt the entire process, from label design to printing and control. Everything is now managed from a single, centralised cloud environment.”
For operators, the difference shows up in their day-to-day work. Labels are selected directly from Microsoft Business Central using designs held in Loftware, and nobody has to configure a printer on the shop floor. Loftware also integrates with systems such as WMS, MES and PLM, so label data stays consistent as operations grow.
Fewer errors and greater uptime Taking product data straight from the ERP system has removed manual re-entry from the process, and with the server gone, a single failure can no longer bring the lines to a stop. “All label printers are now controlled from the cloud. This significantly reduces errors and lowers the risk of incorrect labelling and product recalls,” said Antoine van Delft, Software Expert at De Koningh. There has been a time saving as well. “We save approximately 30 minutes per day, which quickly adds up,” said Victor van Dijck, Operations Planning Lead at Tony’s Chocolonely. “We can monitor everything remotely from Amsterdam and intervene without being on-site,” said Van der Werf.
Loftware
www.loftware.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
