Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Snapware puts a lid on label variability

Using a single supplier for new labels and automated labeling equipment allows plastic storage container supplier to maximize efficiency and enhance product quality.

Snapware had been using preprinted inserts, placed inside the containers (at right), as the primary means of branding its products. In June 2010, it switched to an automated labeling system that applies p-s labels to the side of the containers (at left).
Snapware had been using preprinted inserts, placed inside the containers (at right), as the primary means of branding its products. In June 2010, it switched to an automated labeling system that applies p-s labels to the side of the containers (at left).

For Snapware Corp., Mira Loma, CA, double-digit growth throughout the past six years has been more than a stroke of luck. A fully integrated manufacturer of plastic storage containers, from raw materials to finished parts, Snapware values efficiency and automation, employing the continuous improvement philosophy of Kaizen in everything the company does.


When the volume demand picked up for its Snapware storage containers in early 2010, the company decided it made sense from an ROI standpoint to minimize variability and automate the labeling process.
Snapware had been using commercially printed offset inserts, placed inside the containers, as the primary means of branding its products at the shelf of mass merchandisers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, and Target. The cost to produce the inserts, combined with the manual labor required to put them inside the containers, did not fit the company’s long-term goals.


Having used labels on a small scale in the past, Snapware saw a cost savings in a large-scale changeover to applying labels directly onto all of its containers, in place of inserts. The company turned to label converter WS Packaging Group (www.wspackaging.com) for a solution to incorporate automated labeling systems into six of the injection-molding lines at its 170,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility.


“By fully mechanizing our labeling system, we could increase efficiency, drive out waste, and eliminate a lot of variability, which would improve the quality look of our products,” says Ken Tran, COO of Snapware at the time of the project. “To take it a step further, we were committed to investing in the right equipment and aligning ourselves with the right supplier that could provide a fully integrated solution.”


Material decisions
Snapware turned to WS Packaging to provide the expertise to bring the idea of automation to fruition, starting with new labeling for its line of Airtight food-storage containers.


WS Packaging quickly got to work on the project after Snapware asked the company in April 2010 to provide full system application solutions for six machines in the time frame of one month—approximately half the time it normally takes for a project of this scope. The project required producing the labels and manufacturing the custom equipment needed to apply them. Says Tim Newberry, product specialist manager with WS Packaging Group’s Automated Systems Division (ASD), “We are the original equipment manufacturer, so we had to procure the parts, and specify and build the six machines within that one-month time frame.”


Explains Tran of the need for speed, “Because we were in the process of changing the look and feel of our packaging, we needed everything to happen very quickly. Having WS Packaging make both the labels and the application equipment felt really good, from an integration standpoint, because they had full accountability in the entire process.”


Determining the appropriate label material was the first step in the process and was the key to the whole application. Snapware wanted an automated system that would seamlessly apply labels to the outer side panel of the containers during the production process. The materials had to be temperature-resistant to withstand application to hot containers coming out of the injection-molding system to prevent wrinkling. Equally important, the labels had to provide brand impact on shelf, as well as be easily and cleanly removable by consumers after purchase.


WS Packaging tested a variety of label materials before selecting two different Fasson® brand pressure-sensitive label materials from Avery Dennison to fulfill the application requirements for the range of label and container sizes. One material could not do it all. They first chose a white, semi-gloss paper with removable adhesive, which they printed in four-color process, plus three spot colors on the front of the label and one spot color on the adhesive side, with a 1-mil clear overlaminate to protect and add visual appeal to the label.

Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, you’ll see machinery in action and new tech from 2,300 suppliers, collaborate with experts and explore transformative solutions. Join us this September to experience a breakthrough in packaging and processing.
REGISTER NOW AND SAVE
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
Looking for CPG-focused digital transformation solutions? Download our editor-curated list from PACK EXPO featuring top companies offering warehouse management, ERP, digital twin, and MES software with supply chain visibility and analytics capabilities—all tailored specifically for CPG operations.
Download Now
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO