In high-speed food and beverage packaging environments, it is essential for manufacturers to be able to print virtually anywhere on their packaging, in any orientation, and onto a wide range of substrates.
You will have seen 'Best Before Dates' on your tins and jars...but have you ever wondered why it is there and how it got there?
Food safety accreditation is often a key requirement for companies to sell their products for human consumption, and to achieve this they must demonstrate they are able to quickly and easily identify where their products have come from and where they are going to. That traceability can come from linear 1D or Datamatrix 2D barcodes, batch numbers and manufacturing date information.
Food & beverage manufacturing and packaging is fast-paced work, and requires a reliable, cost-efficient solution that can stand the test of time and is able to keep up with the workflow.
Whatever the size of the company, semi-automation offers the opportunity to cut operational and consumables costs significantly. Obviously, it’s also labour-saving compared to applying labels to products and packaging by hand. But, perhaps the most important benefit is that semi-automation significantly reduces the chance of human error.
The risk of getting labelling and coding wrong can be costly – and not just to reputation. If poorly coded packaging reaches a retailer it can cost a small business anywhere from £1,000 - £10,000 per pallet. Retailers are understandably quick to return pallets of goods if barcodes cannot be scanned, text codes are unreadable, or labels are missing or have been defaced.
With all the benefits of CIJ printing, it has mostly been used in industrial applications where time is money and quality are a priority. The expiration dates found in most food products are some of the most common examples of CIJ printing. Whether the food packaging is made of paper, plastic, or glass, CIJ printing can be relied on to print these codes and marks clearly and accurately.
If you would like some help choosing the best coding printer, get in touch with our coding team!
Phone: +44 (0)1948 662629
Email: enquiries@needham-ink.com