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Ten tips for buying coding/marking equipment for cases and pallets

The handling of cases hasn’t changed, but the information required on the cases has.

This is driven by documentation concerns (i.e., traceability) and the growing realization that all space is marketing space; so, cases, once considered dumb carriers, are now being leveraged to display corporate branding. Corrugated cases are moving closer to primary packaging.

Also, ink-jet technology has improved considerably. Connectivity and footprints are smaller, and machines are easier to use. There are common touchscreen interfaces, levels of control, and higher resolutions. Instead of bottles of ink that you turn upside down, today’s technology features self-sealing cartridges and meters for easy visual checks.

Here are some best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid when buying coding/marking technology for cases and pallets:

1. Understand your application fully to reduce costs. It’s cheaper to use ink-jet than it is to use a label, but will your application allow for it alone? Assess the technology in detail in terms of what you’re doing. Research the technical aspects of coding and marking to fully understand the role of yield, imaging, and performance to compare models and brands. Learn how the equipment works; understand what different yield and imaging capacities mean for your specific applications.

2. Ensure that coding quality will meet customer needs. Large-character printers may not give you the highest-quality scannable code. Companies such as Walmart want better-quality coding on what they call high-velocity goods, which they process in a highly automated warehouse. For your product to qualify as a high-velocity good, you may find that print-and-apply technology works best, but at a higher total cost of ownership, including equipment and consumables (labels and ink).

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