Marking And Coding Solutions Help Baked Goods Manufacturers Rise To The Challenge
According to the most research conducted by Global Industry Analysts, the global baked goods market will reach $310.3 billion by 2015, stemming from a demand for higher-end products from the health conscious consumers favoring whole wheat and multigrain packaged breads, while the artisanal pastries and cakes were seen as an affordable indulgence even in the economic downturn. The wide variety of products offered is not without challenges for baked goods manufacturers so we asked Matt Perkins, Vertical Marketing Manager for Baked Goods at Videojet Technologies, to explain how to improve marking and coding performance and increase uptime on baked goods production lines.
What are the main challenges faced by the baked goods industry?
The sheer variety of products, packaging types, and production environments can complicate the coding and marking process. With a continuous baking process, keeping lines up and running is mission critical. Additionally, consumers, business partners and the regulatory authorities demand ever more accurate on-pack coding and information. It is therefore imperative that equipment and processes are flexible enough to deal with a range of modes of operation that match an ever-changing industry while complying with increasing quality and safety standards.
What are the things to keep in mind when selecting the appropriate solutions for marking and coding technology in the baked goods industry?
The type of packaging material, line speed and processing environment are key factors to consider when choosing the right marking and coding technology. How the product is packaged will drive most of the decisions on what coding challenges might develop and the best solutions available.
For example, many baked goods companies have released individual and smaller portioned packages which run at higher speeds than larger products. Flow wrapping has become a very popular way to package these baked goods. The appropriate coding system for a flow wrapping line that runs at 200 packages per minute may be very different than one for a line that runs at 400 packages per minute. The baked goods industry is also characterized by a wide variety of production environments, which can range from very hot, especially in the vicinity of the oven, to cold and wet when frozen products are being processed. In addition, the product type must also be taken into account as its quality might be impacted by the coding solution.
What coding and marking solutions address these concerns?
Given the wide range of applications in this industry, there are a number of technologies to address these concerns. The specifics of each application will determine the ideal coding solution for your line. It is therefore important to work closely with the coding equipment manufacturer for guidance on these different technologies, sample testing or a production line audit. Some of the relevant technologies for baked goods and cereal companies are:
Thermal Transfer Overprinting (TTO): Perfect for your flexible packaging applications including flow wrapping and VFFS, TTO gives you high quality codes and images, from date, time and ingredients to allergy warnings and logos in a variety of colors, with no solvents.
Laser Marking Systems: Lasers simplify your process and improve the appearance and readability of your baked goods products by permanently etching the material surface without physical contact or any need for extra supplies. Laser systems are also relatively low in maintenance, with a typical month of production requiring few maintenance interventions, if any.
Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ): The most versatile of all variable coding technologies, CIJ prints on nearly any package type or product shape you might use. Its flexible operation makes it a popular choice for baked goods applications from cartons to bread closures.
Large Character Marking (LCM): Eliminate pre-printed cartons and labels by printing your supply chain information directly to the case, saving time and reducing the costs and production delays associated with labels.
Why is timing key in the baked goods industry?
The main challenge for baked goods manufacturers is to keep their production lines running. Any problem with your coding and marking equipment that causes production to stop is problematic as the production process is continuous. The production process is carefully timed and any stoppages or delays can impact the overall quality of the product: five minutes too long or too short can make all the difference. If your packing line goes down because of your coder, you are still making cookies, but you cannot package them, which causes waste and productivity loss.
What uptime advantage can coding and marking solutions offer to manufacturers in the baked goods industry?
Tight profit margins and the continuous production process in the baked goods industry drive the need for operational efficiency, which is why manufacturers should opt for coding and marking solutions that help them increase uptime. For example, Videojets patented clutchless ribbon drive in its Dataflex line of TTO printers minimizes maintenance-related downtime and maximizes ribbon efficiency.
Also, solutions that help prevent coding errors, such as Videojets Code Assurance solutions, reduce waste and rework. In addition, advanced diagnostics identify faults quicker, so that manufacturers can take corrective actions and bring the line up sooner. Very intuitive and easy to use, these solutions make changeovers quick while message creation and job set up are streamlined to start coding products quicker, increasing productivity.
About the Author:
Matt Perkins, Baked Goods Industry Manager, Videojet Technologies
Matt Perkins is a Vertical Marketing Manager for Videojet Technologies where he specializes in the baked goods, salty snacks and tobacco industries globally. Through his work, he visits baked goods, salty snacks and tobacco manufacturers to better understand their processing and coding challenges and improve marking and coding solutions for those industries. Prior to Videojet, he was an Associate at A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. He holds a BSE in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
What are the main challenges faced by the baked goods industry?
The sheer variety of products, packaging types, and production environments can complicate the coding and marking process. With a continuous baking process, keeping lines up and running is mission critical. Additionally, consumers, business partners and the regulatory authorities demand ever more accurate on-pack coding and information. It is therefore imperative that equipment and processes are flexible enough to deal with a range of modes of operation that match an ever-changing industry while complying with increasing quality and safety standards.
What are the things to keep in mind when selecting the appropriate solutions for marking and coding technology in the baked goods industry?
The type of packaging material, line speed and processing environment are key factors to consider when choosing the right marking and coding technology. How the product is packaged will drive most of the decisions on what coding challenges might develop and the best solutions available.
For example, many baked goods companies have released individual and smaller portioned packages which run at higher speeds than larger products. Flow wrapping has become a very popular way to package these baked goods. The appropriate coding system for a flow wrapping line that runs at 200 packages per minute may be very different than one for a line that runs at 400 packages per minute. The baked goods industry is also characterized by a wide variety of production environments, which can range from very hot, especially in the vicinity of the oven, to cold and wet when frozen products are being processed. In addition, the product type must also be taken into account as its quality might be impacted by the coding solution.
What coding and marking solutions address these concerns?
Given the wide range of applications in this industry, there are a number of technologies to address these concerns. The specifics of each application will determine the ideal coding solution for your line. It is therefore important to work closely with the coding equipment manufacturer for guidance on these different technologies, sample testing or a production line audit. Some of the relevant technologies for baked goods and cereal companies are:
Thermal Transfer Overprinting (TTO): Perfect for your flexible packaging applications including flow wrapping and VFFS, TTO gives you high quality codes and images, from date, time and ingredients to allergy warnings and logos in a variety of colors, with no solvents.
Laser Marking Systems: Lasers simplify your process and improve the appearance and readability of your baked goods products by permanently etching the material surface without physical contact or any need for extra supplies. Laser systems are also relatively low in maintenance, with a typical month of production requiring few maintenance interventions, if any.
Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ): The most versatile of all variable coding technologies, CIJ prints on nearly any package type or product shape you might use. Its flexible operation makes it a popular choice for baked goods applications from cartons to bread closures.
Large Character Marking (LCM): Eliminate pre-printed cartons and labels by printing your supply chain information directly to the case, saving time and reducing the costs and production delays associated with labels.
Why is timing key in the baked goods industry?
The main challenge for baked goods manufacturers is to keep their production lines running. Any problem with your coding and marking equipment that causes production to stop is problematic as the production process is continuous. The production process is carefully timed and any stoppages or delays can impact the overall quality of the product: five minutes too long or too short can make all the difference. If your packing line goes down because of your coder, you are still making cookies, but you cannot package them, which causes waste and productivity loss.
What uptime advantage can coding and marking solutions offer to manufacturers in the baked goods industry?
Tight profit margins and the continuous production process in the baked goods industry drive the need for operational efficiency, which is why manufacturers should opt for coding and marking solutions that help them increase uptime. For example, Videojets patented clutchless ribbon drive in its Dataflex line of TTO printers minimizes maintenance-related downtime and maximizes ribbon efficiency.
Also, solutions that help prevent coding errors, such as Videojets Code Assurance solutions, reduce waste and rework. In addition, advanced diagnostics identify faults quicker, so that manufacturers can take corrective actions and bring the line up sooner. Very intuitive and easy to use, these solutions make changeovers quick while message creation and job set up are streamlined to start coding products quicker, increasing productivity.
About the Author:
Matt Perkins, Baked Goods Industry Manager, Videojet Technologies
Matt Perkins is a Vertical Marketing Manager for Videojet Technologies where he specializes in the baked goods, salty snacks and tobacco industries globally. Through his work, he visits baked goods, salty snacks and tobacco manufacturers to better understand their processing and coding challenges and improve marking and coding solutions for those industries. Prior to Videojet, he was an Associate at A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. He holds a BSE in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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