Welcome back to the final post of our three-part series on coding innovations within the beverage sector. Over the last few posts we have explored in various levels of detail, a) how consumer demands have changed and require further engagement and innovation from the beverage industry in part 1, before then b) exploring the types of innovation that Domino has delivered in the way of automated keg labelling and new inks for bottle applications for brewers in part 2.
In this post, we will be exploring how you can optimise coding systems to drive growth, increased efficiency through operational leases (including cost savings), production uptime and improved traceability.
Optimising coding with vision systems and software solutions
Recently, drinks producers are requesting ancillary applications and software to improve the operational performance of their production lines – especially in relation to quality control. Therefore an important addition to coding and marking equipment involves scanning and camera vision systems for code recognition and quality assurance.
Any beverage product which reaches a major retailer with either an unreadable code, incorrect code – or no code at all – is liable to a significant penalty. Some manufacturers have advised that they have to pay annual penalty fines to retailers of over £100,000 due to printing issues – which may be caused by simple operator errors or a printing issue (causes may include poorly cleaned printers or ageing technology).
The vision systems can identify and flag any issues prior to products being palletised. Beverage producers are also able to mitigate against operator errors by adopting Domino QuickDesign – an integrated software solution which can integrate with many ERP and stock control systems. It is able to coordinate communications between all Domino on-site coding equipment, thereby ensuring better management and control of coding requirements. When coupling QuickDesign software with scanning and vision systems, a producer can essentially prevent 99% of all coding issues from reaching a retailer.
Operational Leasing to Drive Growth and Efficiency
All of this innovation in equipment, ancillary applications and inks are rendered futile if a customer does not have capital expenditure available to purchase and invest in these solutions. This is why Domino offers operational leasing for coding and marking equipment. Operational leases are an enabler, allowing a customer to lease market-leading coding and printing technology, along with installation, ongoing training, servicing and multi-year warranties bundled into fixed repayments. These repayments can be structured as either monthly or quarterly payments. An operational lease has many benefits for a beverage producer, including:
- Predictable fixed cost budgeting
- New equipment running on production lines – the latest technology ensures that running costs are low and line uptime is high
- Lower maintenance costs
- Free up cash flow for urgent business needs.
In the developed economies, in particular, low growth rates driven by macroeconomic issues, as well as the threat of increased regulation and taxation of sugared drinks and alcoholic beverages, means manufacturers rely on their partners to provide innovations that facilitate growth.
All in all, coding and marking onto packaging for a beverage producer is a driver in economic and social terms, protecting brands from counterfeit and product recalls, and increasing consumer confidence. There are a variety of technologies available, but choosing the best solution for your business needs requires an understanding of packaging and production processes, business objectives, as well as satisfying the consumer, legal and environmental landscape of today’s world.
This concludes our three-part series on exploring coding innovations within the beverage industry – we hope you’ve found it worthwhile. Got a comment? Let us know in the section below or tweet us at @DominoPrint_UK