It’s inescapable, as a nation we’ve finally succumbed to the ‘big US sale’, with web searches for ‘Black Friday’ growing year on year since 2004 (Google), making it inevitable that more and more manufacturers are fighting to take advantage of the booming £10bn early sale season. With this in mind, the most important question to ask is, can your production line handle this lucrative opportunity and is it equipped to thrive and meet changing market demand?

With companies such as Amazon paving the way for greater logistical efficiency, manufacturers looking to follow suit should consider print and apply labelling as the undisputed champion for label-adding operations, not just for the speed, precision, traceability and real-time data, but for the ability to print and apply directly onto a variety of packaging including boxes, cases and shrink-wrapped packs.

Here, our print and apply experts at Interactive Coding Equipment discuss key benefits of the technology and its advantages over traditional hand apply label operations in modern high-speed manufacturing environments:

Greater barcode visibility for speed efficient shipping:

While direct apply may be the most common method of placing labels (i.e. on the side of the package), in order to gain an advantage over competitors, it is essential that your factory is prepared to print labels in various orientations.

Print and apply technology allows for printed labels to be applied accurately and consistently on the front of pack (this means you can print not only on the front of the package, but the back too), corner wrap – wrapping the label around the corner of the package and on top of the pack. Increased barcode visibility is especially helpful with densely stacked pallets in automated warehouse environments, as it allows labels to be scanned easily from multiple viewpoints, processed and distributed in the most efficient way.

Less waste, downtime and disgruntled shoppers:

The flexibility of print and apply labelling, especially during busy sale periods, makes it much easier to gain a competitive advantage within the industry. Label information data can be inputted both on the production line and through a networked database.

This ensures that a high volume of labels do not need to be pre-printed, managed and manually applied, which in turn reduces the risk of human error and misprints during high pressure and time-critical fulfilment periods.

Super speeds that match manufacturing need:

It’s simple – the faster you print, the more labels that can be applied to packages and the more packages that can be shipped, essentially reducing the amount of time it takes for a customer to receive their order.

Print and apply labelling is, by nature, fast. Machines such as the ICE Vulcan have the ability to print and apply 60 labels every minute (even with tightly spaced packs), unlike hand apply line operation which can be much slower, requires management, prone to label shortfalls and unable to handle real-time information.

Choose the right supplier:

If you’re investing in print and apply labelling technology, it’s important you research into the different suppliers, before choosing the best one for you.

A good supplier should offer support, consumables and maintenance, and ensure you stay ‘online’. This will help your print and apply labelling process to run smoothly, giving you an edge over competitors that may not have the same level of support.

By having a supplier who will ensure your print and apply labelling is effective; your cost of ownership is much lower than it would have been, had you invested in unreliable technology. This means that technically, you’ll have more money to invest in innovations, helping your company to retain that competitive edge.

See how ICE coders, consumables and customer service helped to transform a high volume wholesaler by replacing its hand-apply operation with print and apply technology.