Product category:
Coding and marking materials, equipment and services
News Release from: Imaje UK | Subject: Coding and marking system with AutoCoding
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 August 2005
Imaje Coding/Marking Meets Gerber's
Requirements
Gerber Foods Soft Drinks (GFSD) has installed an Imaje coding and marking system to code onto products, boxes and pallets, all managed via an Imaje AutoCoding software package.
Gerber Foods Soft Drinks (GFSD) is part of what is believed to be the largest juice group in Europe and is also one of the largest UK producers of ambient and chilled juice and juice drinks The company operates in all sectors of the marketplace from supermarkets to foodservice, producing over 700million litres of juice per annum for private label and branded customers
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Imaje has successfully met Gerber's requirements for a coding and marking system to code onto products, boxes and pallets managed via an Imaje AutoCoding software package.
"We needed an overall integrated quick, reliable, accurate coding system that would minimise downtime, operator error and potential quality defects," explained Graeme Macfarlane, Gerber's ambient operations manager.
"Imaje offered a competitively priced, complete solution; one that could be developed to suit our needs, rather than our company conforming to a ready-made product".
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Mr Macfarlane has been very satisfied with the Imaje system.
"From test phase through installation and production to-date, the reliability of the day-to-day running of the Imaje equipment has exceeded our expectations".
Like many major food and drink manufacturers, accurate product coding is a priority for Gerber.
The repercussions from miscoded information onto products, cases and pallets can result in heavy compensation charges from retailers, as well as incurring substantial costs from mass emergency product withdrawals and scrapped unusable products.
"Initially we had been considering inkjet coders only and had invited four main suppliers to put forward their proposals," explained Mr Macfarlane.
"However, with the introduction of the new Combi Lines, it was apparent we also required downstream coding equipment for labelling outer cases and pallets".
"We, therefore, started to look for a complete system".
The success of the project was greatly assisted by the ongoing collaboration between Imaje and Gerber from the outset.
"Gerber's clarity in defining the objectives assisted the Imaje team to develop a customised proposal utilising the correct coding technology," commented Carsten Soerensen, Imaje systems and applications sales manager.
Imaje has a wide range of marking technologies at its disposal which made it possible to explore various options before reaching the final solution.
The total solution was designed to meet the specific needs of Gerber and to date over 30 ERP interfacing production lines have been installed with small character inkjet coders, multi-pack outer case coders, flash labellers and pallet labellers, all managed via Imaje AutoCoding software.
The Imaje equipment codes a combination of use-by dates, times, batch numbers, production line numbers, barcodes and product description information onto the juice cartons, cases and pallets.
"The old system had been quite cumbersome with an operator taking anything between 10 and 20 minutes to manually change the code," said Mr Macfarlane.
"The potential was there for operator error, but now that's removed".
"The operator scans the bar code, and the data we need is provided accurately, in seconds, via our own IT system".
The integrated software has saved Gerber considerably as each production line is fitted with a terminal that controls all coding and scanning equipment on the line.
With the system being fully automated, the possibility of human error from manual entry of product coding is eliminated and ultimately production downtime is reduced.
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