Product category:
General packaging materials, equipment and services
News Release from: Advanced Labelling Systems | Subject: ALX 720 and ALS CHESS label printer systems
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 July 2002
Print and apply labelling is ERP-enabled
Fifteen years of unwavering reliability meant a polish manufacturer had no hesitation in selecting a complete ERP-enabled print and apply labelling system from the same supplier.
Fifteen years of unwavering reliability meant Turtle Wax Ltd had no hesitation in selecting Advanced Labelling Systems (ALS) to supply a complete print and apply labelling solution that could be integrated into its enterprise resource planning system (ERP) Renowned for its innovative products and imaginative marketing techniques, Turtle Wax Inc has grown into an internationally-recognised manufacturer and supplier of quality car care products
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 15 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Labeller works continuously in harsh conditions
Advanced Labelling Systems (ALS) has launched a new heavy-duty, automatic print and apply labelling solution, the ALX 2038.
Labelling system prints at 300mm/sec
In response to customer demand for increasingly faster 1:1 print and apply labelling, Advanced Labelling Systems (ALS) has launched the ALX 924, with a print speed of up to 300mm/second.
Supplying countries throughout the world, the company is based in Chicago, although its international manufacturing centre can be found in Skelmersdale, England.
Turtle Wax Ltd (TWL), a subsidiary of Turtle Wax Inc, supplies Europe, Africa and the Middle East with a range of automotive products from its Lancashire factory.
Following customer feedback that highlighted the advantages of supplying Turtle Wax products in cartons of six or 12 bottles and improving product traceability and warehousing procedures, the company has recently reassessed its back-end processing systems.
Further reading
Pallet printers are stand-alone or integratable
Advanced Labelling Systems Ltd (ALS) has launched the ALS-PL-Series, a new range of cost effective and highly reliable pallet labellers which use thermal direct or transfer print technology.
Labelling products at high speed
ALS produces a high speed, rotary labelling machine, the ALS-R-Series, which produces high quality results in the application of front/back, neck position, multi-panel and wraparound labels.
Labelling squeezable tubes cost-effectively
Advanced Labelling Systems' ALS-T-Series tube labelling system is designed to provide cost effective, accurate, high quality tube dressing for aluminium and plastics squeezable tubes.
The success of the revised processing system relies heavily on the integration of accurate labelling machinery with the company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Jacqueline Smith, European IT Manager at TWL, regards the computer system, known as TROPOS, as central to business processes and paramount to business growth.
"TROPOS controls all key functions - it controls the manufacturing planning process, purchasing and sales order processing etc," explains Jacqueline.
TROPOS provides TWL with increased control over production, including its labelling systems, which have been supplied for over 15 years by ALS.
The long-term relationship between TWL and ALS meant that Derek Warren, Project Manager, had no concerns about approaching ALS when TWL required an accurate print and apply labelling system for its cartons.
"The relationship," Derek explains," is based on quality workmanship, good back up and excellent customer service.
Since ALS has always provided us with labelling machines that run well and give us nothing but quality, we immediately chose ALS for the carton-labelling job." TWL's confidence in ALS led to the acquisition this year of four ALX 720 high speed, print and apply labelling systems and three ALS CHESS label printers.
Jacqueline says the ALX 720s are used to print labels containing EAN128 barcodes and details corresponding to the product's name, size and manufacturing date.
The ALX 720s then apply the 110mm x 120mm labels on to the six or 12-bottle cartons, which are subsequently loaded on to pallets containing between 50 and 200 cartons.
Jacqueline explains that the ALX 720s can run at on-line speeds of up to 30 cartons per minute and meet TWL's stringent requirements of "day-in-day-out" reliability, a full back-up service and ease of use.
She also says that since the ALX 720s incorporate a scanning device to ensure a label-stop accuracy of +/-0.5mm, the ALS machines add an additional level of quality control.
Once the cartons have been assembled onto a pallet, Jacqueline explains that a barcode on one of the cartons is scanned and the information fed into a computer which then prints an A5 pallet label via one of the ALS CHESS printers.
The pallet label is then used throughout the factory to determine the contents of the pallet.
This process is especially important as TWL utilises fully-automated warehouses, which rely on hand-held scanning machines to achieve quicker turnarounds.
Jacqueline says, "This system will eliminate all handling paperwork, including delivery notes, and provides us with the means of controlling stock from a central location.
It also speeds up the whole operation and minimises human error." Although the machines have only recently been installed, Jacqueline admits that initial feedback has been extremely good.
"The ALX 720s and CHESS printers arrived in January and preliminary work has shown that label accuracy and application speed has exceeded our specifications.
What's more, with the help of a software generation tool developed by Aurega Integrated Manufacturing, the ALS machines have been totally assimilated into our TROPOS system." Operating 12 hours a day, six days a week, Jacqueline anticipates that the ALS equipment will provide TWL with the same level of reliability that has come to be expected from one of the world's leading innovators in ground-breaking print and apply technology.
Derek Warren concludes: "I'm confident the new machines will match the dependability of the old machines, which - 15 years on - still deliver the same levels of accuracy as they did when they first arrived.".
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