Trolley and cage identification

Posted on 23/05/2019 in New Product Launches, by Jon

Large retailer benefits from innovative solution from Soabar for efficient trolley identification in distribution centres which guarantee easy handling

The Challenge

The customer required a labelling solution for their mesh trolleys in their distribution centres. Mesh trolleys are used to move goods to the different stores on a daily basics. There is a huge quantity of trolleys with fast turnaround time. The challenge is to spend as little time as possible on cleaning them and getting them back ready again. In the past the trolleys were identified with a normal self-adhesive label which contained information what to pack and where to ship it to. The labels had to be completely removed from trolley before reusing them in order to be HACCP compliant, especially in hygienic environments like Food. The removal process was very time consuming and chemicals had to be used to get off the glue.

Key points to focus on

  • Retailers distribution warehouse use mesh trolleys to move good to the shops
  • Usually these trolleys have a metal plate attached to them where the shipping label is stuck to
  • Removing those labels when the trolleys are recycled is time consuming
  • Trolleys need to be washed down with chemicals to remove glue residues

The Solution

We found a perfect customized solution for this customer. The solution is a printed label which is attached to the top of trolley like a flag and it consist of different products which were combined for this customer: Instead of using a normal self-adhesive label material they now work with a linerless material from Sihl pressure TAC. The material only sticks when it is folded and two sides are put together. This way the glue is activated and the label only sticks to itself and not the metal grate.

For printing the labels we offer the Soabar 6 Series printer in the distribution centres. These printers are able to print on the linerless material as they have a special roller which ensures a perfect handling of the sensitive material. In addition, due to a special mechanical position of the print head the challenging label material does not stick to the printer or the roller when nothing is printed.

Last but not least an MDF cabinet can be supplied to protect the printer against the rough environmental conditions in the distribution centres.

Benefits

The retailer improved its labelling process within the distribution centres and strongly benefits from this new solution. They save time and chemicals as the new labels with innovative material are easy to remove from the trolleys: They just have to be pulled off and there is no glue residue or label left on the trolley. This means they can quickly be reused and a clean environment with no contamination.

The run length of the linerless material is 50% more than on conventional converted labels as there is no backing paper. This means less material changes and less downtime.

In addition no backing paper material has to be disposed. Like this waste can be reduced and also costs for disposal can be saved.

In total a significant longer uninterrupted operation within the Supply Chain and an increased productivity can be guaranteed.

Results

  • Easy to remove labels from the trolleys
  • No glue or label waste residues on the trolleys
  • Significantly longer uninterrupted operation
  • No backing paper disposal
  • Clean working environment (HACCP compliant)

Get in touch with us to find out more details and request a demonstration.