Label it 'user friendly'

Converter and contract labeler U.S. Tape and Label Co., St. Louis, MO, uses a versatile, quick-change labeler for a range of containers from 1 oz to several gallons in size.

Installed last December on a 12’-long container labeling line, the Label-Aire Series 9000 pressure-sensitive labeler can apply single or multipanel front/back and wraparound labels at speeds to 400 containers/min. Most of USTL’s containers are plastic.

The labeler is electronically more sophisticated than the labeler it replaced, vice president and general manager Harrison Chien says. But he feels its user-friendliness, straightforward operation, and consistency are its primary assets. “We consider it the ‘Cadillac’ of the industry. It’s robust, reliable, easy-to-use and easy to maintain. It works well for us and for our customers.”

Helps business

Chien says they serve a diverse range of clients, some of whom have complicated container and label configurations. “We have custom-produced, printed and applied labels for bottle volumes as small as 11¼3-ounce up to jug volumes as large 6 or 7 gallons,” Chien notes. “We also have printed and applied holographic tape labels to perforated shaker-type lids for products like sink cleansers or grated cheeses. We also print and apply bar code labels and are in the process of exploring the development of technologies for in-line printing and application of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and Electronic Product Code (EPC) labels. Our contract labeling customers require us to be as flexible and versatile and forward-thinking as possible. The Label-Aire Inline Series 9000 definitely helps us do that.”

The Series 9000 labeler replaced a Label-Aire Model 3200 labeler that Chien says provided them performance they were happy with, but they decided to upgrade to the electronically more sophisticated system. The Model 9000 can be configured to handle four panel, neck-on-oval, semi-oval, triangular, three panel, or safety seal (tamper-evident) labeling.

Due to the labeler’s cabinet-based, integrated design, U.S. Tape & Label saves 20 minutes per changeover vs the previous labeler, Chien notes. “Synching of the drives for a changeover is done automatically, rather than manually as before, and that’s a huge benefit.” He estimates the company can label around 1ꯠ more containers per shift as a result. “That saves our customers money,” Chien states.