Labelling polystyrene boxes made easier

Aldus - Tronics Pty Ltd
Friday, 13 April, 2007


The producer of polystyrene boxes for a group of Queensland fruit and vegetable growers recently move another step forward, with an improved method of labelling the shipping boxes they produce.

RMAX's Brisbane-based plant is the supplier of choice for a great many of the growers in the Stanthrope and Gatton areas, as well as the Lockyer Valley in Queensland.

"Initially, we manufactured the polystyrene boxes at our Brisbane site for the growers and, before dispatching them to the individual farms, we would stencil content detail, which the growers gave to us, on the ends of the boxes," said Merv Staader-Brown, Brisbane operations manager for RMAX Rigid Cellular Plastics.

"But stencilling was not presenting the detail well, so it was decided to upgrade by placing printed colour labels onto the boxes. On the surface, it seemed an easy upgrade. But it later proved to be not so easy.

"The labels, and the machine we used to apply the labels, gave us some grief. The positioning of the labels was not always consistent and some labels were not entirely straight when applied to the boxes immediately after they came from the moulding machine.

"And I recall one morning examining some boxes we had labelled the afternoon before. Overnight, the labels had slipped - they finished up in all sorts of different positions and angles on the boxes," said Merv.

"And, frequently, we could not label on the box production line - instead, we had to clear the boxes from the area near the moulding machine to label on a separate line in the storage warehouse, which slowed down output quite a bit."

A review resulted in RMAX deciding to upgrade its labelling machine to a Tronics labeller.

"That move eliminated the problems, saved us a lot of time and helped us achieve a consistently higher output," explained Merv.

Because the new labeller can apply relatively large labels, a stack of boxes now presents extremely well, particularly when the labels present a bank of bright, inviting colour.

"With the machine upgrade, we are definitely spending less time on the job of labelling - and changeover from one kind of label to another is far quicker.

"It's seconds in lieu of minutes and this is important when our line is running at 1400 boxes a shift with up to eight label changes a shift and box sizes changing from as much as 300 mm up to 2000 mm," explained Merv.

In the last 12 months, with the new labeller, RMAX hasn't had to label off the box production line - all labelling has been as the boxes come off the moulding line, which has meant much higher levels of productivity and lower costs.

"What we notice out here on the line," said distribution manager, Richard Hooper, "is that our Tronics machine is a lot more user friendly. That's a major issue for RMAX, as the plant runs 24/6, and they don't always know which person is coming on next.

"Machine down time is now reduced when compared with the old superseded labeller. And, with the old machine we couldn't troubleshoot, so that added to problems. Now, with the Tronics labeller, troubleshooting is far easier.

"Cleaning is easier too. Rollers, for example, tend to attract a build-up of adhesive from the labels and the environment - one of steam and condensation - puts the machine's mechanisms to the test.

"Another area where we are ahead is service - Tronics has definitely stood by us. When we had a few problems they were down on site and stood with us even although the problem at the time was not the labeller," said Richard.

RMAX said it has found it now has less wastage of labels. For example, with the old machine it was a loss of around six labels to set up.

With three set-ups a day, that's say 20 labels a day. The saving has translated to about $5000 per annum.

Related Articles

Choc, paper, scissors: chocolate bars with 100% paper packaging

Koehler Paper and chocolate manufacturer nucao are collaborating to produce what are claimed to...

Sustainabili-tea: compostable teabags in hotel sector

In the UK, packaging specialist Parkside has partnered with tea brand Hoogly to develop a range...

Sustainable plastic for biscuit packaging

Tim Tams could soon be wrapped in food-grade PET recycled packaging thanks to a new technology...


  • All content Copyright © 2024 Westwick-Farrow Pty Ltd