BARCodING, LABELLING & PACKAGING


OvercOming the shOrtage Of drivers For businesses concerned about how a lack of qualified drivers is affecting distribution, one of the best ways to minimise the impact is by maximising load sizes and reducing the number of vehicles required in the first place.


minimise pack weight and volume


Using less packaging, particularly bulky void fill and cushioning, means smaller cartons can be used and therefore more cartons can be loaded onto a pallet. Also consider retention and suspension packaging; not only does it eliminate the need for void fill and cushioning, reducing weight and space, it also looks good and minimises the amount of waste the end customer has to recycle or dispose of.


right-sizing cartons


Machinery that automatically matches the box size to the contents can improve speed and efficiency as well as reduce the use of materials and save money. After measuring the height of the box contents (placed manually), the box is folded to size before gluing the upper flaps to seal it. The resulting boxes can then be neatly stacked.


Bespoke packaging design


Antalis’ Smart Packaging Centre can create bespoke packaging designs to solve a whole range of challenges, including reducing transport costs. Packaging that has been designed to fit snugly around a product takes up less space, which means more packs can fit onto the truck – as well as reducing transport costs it also helps cut carbon emissions.


changes made nOw will deliver lOng-term Benefits While preparations for peak will be at the forefront of the minds of most people working in the packaging and logistics industry, it is important to remember that well-thought-out changes and investments made now will deliver benefits long into the future. Your packaging supplier should be able to advise on the best solutions for your business. Antalis offers free audits whereby it will come in and review your operation and make recommendations on the kinds of improvements that can be made.


antalis UK www.antalis.com


CLEARMARK MovES INTo PALLET LABELLING


C


learmark is celebrating its 20th anniversary by making its foray into the logistics labelling space with the


launch of the innovative ICE vector Pallet Labelling System. The ICE vector brings to the marketplace a new high performance, low maintenance tertiary option that is exceptionally easy to integrate with line and warehouse management systems. ICE vector completes Clearmark’s coding portfolio, enabling customers to benefit from joined-up coding solutions across their primary, secondary and tertiary operations paving the way for the factory of the future. Unique engineering differentiators


makes the ICE vector a high performance system including: climate controlled cabin to ensure consistent print quality; robust long-reach cartesian-style arm guarantees GS1 specification label placement on all pallet configurations; a dual operator interface for continual working during ribbon/label reel changes; intelligent I/o system to seamlessly communicate with today’s highly automated warehouses. “We have been paving the way for entering the tertiary marketplace ever since we moved into secondary coding with our now flagship product, the ICE vulcan, in 2014. Having spent the intervening years building our expertise in print and apply and honing our technology, we have developed a tertiary offering that is unmatched by anything else available on the market today” says Clearmark’s Chris Simpson. The launch of ICE vector is timely, with


warehouses accelerating their investment in intelligent automation, mitigating supply chain issues (exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic). As more products flow through supply chains at speed, warehouses call for smarter, faster, self-reliant systems to meet demand. The ICE vector Pallet Labelling System promises


to deliver an attractive RoI for any high-throughput operation looking to automate its pallet labelling process, from food, beverage and pharmaceutical factories, to supply chain and logistics operations. Powerful, reliable performance and seamless integration with factory warehouse management systems (WMS) are the bedrock of the ICE vector advantage. The ICE vector is powered by the ICE vulcan print engine – the fastest in its class. With a compact footprint of just 1125mm x 875mm and operational speeds of up to 100 pallets an hour, it can perform up to four label applications per pallet, with two adjacent sides to conform to GS1 specifications for SSCC pallet labelling or three sides for specific applications. The ICE vector is designed as a robust, fully


enclosed system, thanks to a pneumatic guard protecting the print engine from dust and environmental conditions. optimum conditions within the enclosure are maintained via a thermostatically controlled heater with the doors only opening at the point when it is ready to label. With a label arm reach of 650mm out of the


enclosure via a sturdy two axis cartesian guided motion control system, label placement is accurate and repeatable on a wide range of pallet configurations. This ICE vector is capable of printing at up to three times faster than rival print engines and thanks to Intelligent Motion technology, which enables precise automatic control of the labels and ribbon feed, this translates to the removal of 80 per cent of wear parts compared to traditional pallet labelers. The result is an incredibly low maintenance solution with the lowest cost of ownership and gives greater reliability of equipment, without traditional service intervals. With warehouses becoming more sophisticated,


system communications are having to follow suit. The ICE vector is simple to integrate with a WMS system in an extensive range of onboard data- protocols, including both Zebra and SATo. The machine features two CLARiTY touchscreen interfaces. Label and ribbon changes can be executed efficiently thanks to the internal interface and the external interface gives full access to machine settings and performance information of the ICE vector's interface with the line PLC. Additionally, the screen can also be viewed remotely using a networked PC and standard web browser. As well as helping to mitigate coding errors and meeting retail and regulatory traceability requirements, this automated data management of SSCC codes approach can enhance overall Equipment Effectiveness (oEE). The Government’s recently announced capital


allowance incentive for investments in new machinery and plant is providing further impetus for automation. Between now and March 2023, British manufacturers investing in qualifying plant and machinery assets will be able to benefit from 130 per cent corporate tax relief (usually 18 per cent) allowing the financial case to stack up. With the introduction of the ICE vector,


Clearmark now has a coding solution for all three packaging types: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary coding applications are served by the ICE Zodiac Hawk family and the ICE viper Plus, while the ICE viper Plus, ICE vulcan, ICE Torus and Zebra systems address secondary coding.


clearmark www.clearmark.uk/vector


FACToRY&HANdLINGSoLUTIoNS | SEPTEMBER 2021 23


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  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74