Wet Wipe Manufacturer Meets COVID-19 Challenges with Highly Scalable Coding Solutions

A large manufacturer of hygienic wet wipes achieved greater labelling efficiency with centralised control, reduced ink costs, and an anticipated quick-turn ROI.

Summary
Adaptability and agility are critical assets for any business, but today—with the additional challenges created by COVID-19—they are more important than ever. The global pandemic forced a fundamental shift in how companies do business, regardless of the industry they serve. Many had to adapt to a completely digital operation almost overnight while some were forced to develop new delivery models. And others faced an unprecedented surge in demand.

For this large manufacturer this meant an exponential increase in demand for their cleaning products as the coronavirus took hold all across the globe. To help respond to the situation, MPERIA® helped the company quickly replace their existing coding system to deliver:

• Centralised control to boost efficiency
• A 30% cost savings on ink
• An anticipated quick-turn ROI

The Challenge
The company which has been established for almost 25 years is a manufacturer of sanitising wipes that offers contract manufacturing to a variety of industries (foodservice, hospitality, cleaning, healthcare, and beauty) as well as their own premium and value wipes for the consumer market.

When COVID hit they pivoted to operating in the new norm while witnessing an astonishing increase in demand for one of their biggest product lines – the individual wipe packets included in many first-aid kits.
Unfortunately their existing coding system had several critical shortcomings. Most importantly, it could not scale to meet the surge in demand. Because the system was neither centralised nor capable of integration with the rest of the production systems, expanding their operations simply wasn’t feasible.

Additionally, the legacy system was truly inefficient. Its clunky, standalone user interface (UI) required floor operators to manually make changes across fifteen individual printers each time a code or date needed to be updated. Not only was this process incredibly time consuming, slowing production on a regular basis; it also increased the risk for potential coding errors.

The company knew a more efficient and modern coding solution must exist, one that would positively impact their bottom line while driving efficiency gains in operations and ink consumption.

The Solution
The MPERIA® controller with VIAjet™L-Series thermal inkjet (TIJ) printer offered everything they needed to modernize their production line for greater efficiency and cost effectiveness while also providing a seamless method to scale operations and meet growing demand.

ACCURACY, SPEED, AND HIGH RESOLUTION
They chose the L1 VIAjet printer, an ultra-compact, high-performance printhead, perfect for tight spaces and OEM integration. It’s an excellent solution for high-resolution codes up to 2mm (as well as larger codes and text up to 6mm), and ideal for the kind of high-speed commercial printing they do.
In addition to unmatched speed and quality, the VIAjet L1 also helps positively impact their bottom line with superior ink utilisation. Droplets of ink from the L1 printhead are smaller, translating to a yield advantage of nearly 30% over comparable HP cartridges. Also, because cartridge changeover is easy and happens less frequently, the company saves on routine maintenance costs and reduces downtime.

FLEXIBLE INTEGRATION OPTIONS AND SCALABILITY
Perhaps the most appealing feature of this solution is seamless scalability. The compact, low-profile system is fully networkable, allowing the company to connect all necessary components to a single MPERIA controller via Ethernet. True scalability enables easy expansion of their production capacity, adding printheads as needed.

EFFICIENT CENTRALISATION, USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE, AND REMOTE ACCESS
Unlike their previous system, the MPERIA platform integrates easily with existing systems—virtually any ERP, MRP, or database. Because there’s no middleware or third-party hardware required, The company was able to manage the integration quickly and with very little effort.

Once integrated, the MPERIA platform centralises control of all the L-Series units so that making changes is painless. Instead of having to make the same change on multiple printers—slowing production and risking errors—the operator makes one change at the MPERIA controller, instantly updating all the printers on the line.

MPERIA® also gave the convenience of VNC (virtual network computing)—allowing remote management of the system from anywhere. This is especially relevant as production lines run five days per week, two shifts per day. Reliable, 24/7 remote access ensures consistently smooth operations and tremendous peace of mind.

The Results
The company was up and running with their new MPERIA solution in a couple of days. Their staff handled the installation without middleware or third-party hardware. The commissioning to set up the line, controller, and VNC also only took one day.

FAST, EASY SCALABILITY
The company initially implemented five VIAjet L1 Series printers at one location. They were so pleased with the initial results that they quickly installed five more printers in that facility and five additional printers at another location. Their plan is to expand this solution to their full production capacity, between 40 and 50 printers across two facilities. Flexible and scalable, the solution facilitates the easy addition of printers for them, ensuring they’re always able to meet a surge in demand.

CENTRALISED CONTROL
The MPERIA® platform gives efficient, centralized control of all the printers on their production line through a simple, user-friendly interface. In addition, it allows for remote access via VNC so that operators not only maintain social distance protocols while on the production floor, they can also see and manage what’s happening even when they aren’t on site.

COST SAVINGS AND QUICK-TURN ROI
Cost savings were apparent in three areas:
• Lower Ink Costs: Superior ink utilisation, as compared to HP cartridges, allows the company to generate 30% more printable quantity for the same cost.
• Lower Maintenance Costs: Easy-to-change cartridges and reduced frequency of changes helps them reduce expenses related to regular maintenance and upkeep.
• Greater Overall Efficiency: The centralised control, speed and accuracy of the printing process, and seamless system scalability all contribute to an overall increase in their production efficiency.
All of these cost savings combine to deliver an anticipated quick-turn ROI.


ENDS

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA® and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA® and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

MPERIA® V-Series – Delivering Unrivalled Performance in the Harshest Operating Environments

A leading UK supplier of bulk and bagged cement needed a robust printing system for the application of batch and date codes to bags of cement.  We provided our robust MPERIA® V-Series printing system which included the 16v 8000+ MIDI print head.

Additional Info

Our years of expertise within the industrial sector was key to the decision-making process and therefore placing their business with Xact, in-particular our knowledge and proven success coding & marking in the harshest operating environments of the construction industry.

Other factors influencing the decision-making process were;

  • The capability to apply a large print format at high production speeds to ensure clear visibility of the codes when the bags are palletised and stored in the warehouse.
  • References received from within the industry highlighted the proven long-term performance of our systems within the toughest operating environments where they are subjected to dust, vibration and variable operating temperatures
  • Our competitors were offering CIJ (continuous ink jet) printing technology. This was also an option available within the range from Xact. However, we proposed our latest V-Series printing system which, in comparison to CIJ technology, not only increased the legibility of the codes but also significantly reduced initial investment and operating costs moving forward, not to mention increased reliability in the harsh operating environment.
  • The V -Series offers superior throw-distance to other systems, ensuring a quality code is applied despite inconsistent presentation of the bag.

About the MPERIA®  V-Series Printing System

The MPERIA®  V-Series marking system is our robust and reliable large character drop-on-demand (DOD) valve technology specifically designed for challenging industrial environments.  The V-Series marks on porous and non-porous substrates including metal, paper and pulp, wood, concrete and plastic. Powered by MPERIA®, the Matthews VIAjet™ DOD valve print heads are considered the fastest in the industry, marking products at speeds in excess of 400 meters/min, with the longest life expectancy of any comparable technology.

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA® and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA® and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

 

Top Marks for MPERIA™!

UK manufacturer of glass wool insulation products required a marking system as part of the quality and reject process on the production line. Scanning systems, operating 24/7 on the line check for imperfections in the glass wool and upon detection automatically initiate the reject marking process relative to the location of the defect across the web. Xact proposed our MPERIA™ V-Series printing system including 6 x 8000+ V series print heads.  The 8000+ V series heads positioned across the line are activated to apply the reject mark relative the position of the defect.

Key to the decision-making process and placing their business with Xact was the unrivalled flexibility and mark quality the system provided the business, including;

  • Complete control over the size and repetition of the reject mark in conjunction with our range of high contrast inks provides clear identification of the rejected product which can easily be identified further down the line as part of the final rejection process (i.e. ejection of the product from the line)
  • Our unrivalled throw distance (head-to-product) ensures the marking process is unaffected by significant variances in product thickness, which in turn means no adjustment to the operating height of the heads is required between production runs or changeovers
  • The V-Series heads offer the most industrial printing technology on the market and are already proven within the insulation sector, so the tough operating conditions of the plant are no issue to the long-term performance and reliability of the marking system
  • Our years of expertise within the industrial sector, in-particular our knowledge of coding & marking construction products also provided added confidence to move forward with Xact

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About the MPERIA™ V Series Printing System

The MPERIA™ V Series marking system is our robust and reliable large character drop-on-demand (DOD) valve technology specifically designed for challenging industrial environments.  The V-Series marks on porous and non-porous substrates including metal, paper and pulp, wood, concrete and plastic. Powered by MPERIA™, the Matthews VIAjet DOD valve print heads are considered the fastest in the industry, marking products at speeds in excess of 400 meters/min, with the longest life expectancy of any comparable technology.

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA™ and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

MPERIA™ – Ticking all the boxes, and more!

Xact provide coding solutions for use in the world’s harshest offshore environments.

A world-class provider of subsea technologies and services for the global offshore energy industry approached Xact looking for a cutting edge coding solution.  The company, who designs, engineers and manufacturer subsea power cables and umbilical systems needed clear codes applying to extruded plastic cables and umbilical’s for product identification comprising of product specification, depth mark and traceability codes.  Our robust and flexible MPERIA TM V-Series met all their requirements and more.

Key to the decision-making process and placing their business with Xact was the unrivalled flexibility and robust design our MPERIA TM V-series system offered the business.

Our competitors were offering CIJ (continuous ink jet) printing technology, which had proven to be problematic on their other production lines. CIJ technology was also an option within our own range but based on the requirements stipulated by the customer and our experience of industrial applications our MPERIA TM V-series system was proposed as the ideal solution incorporating 2 x 16v 8000+ print heads.  The technology met all requirements and more, including;

  • Small and large character printing anywhere between 2.5mm to 64mm high from a single head – key to meeting the individual print requirements and changing demands of their customers across the Oil and Gas industry.
  • The facility to operate two heads from a single system for the application of product information and depth marks to opposite sides of the umbilical enhances ease of use and lowers investment costs
  • The durable and high quality mark from of our standard range of inks, including options for different colours to suit the range products manufactured at the plant.
  • The robust design of the MPERIA TM V-series system ensures high levels of performance and reliability giving added flexibility to adjust the position of the heads to suit the mark position on each product and moving the system between production lines, without incurring downtime
  • The opportunity to standardise on the operating system across the plant irrespective of the marking process was also an advantage, as this reduced costs as well as eliminating the requirement for additional operator training.
  • The added flexibility of operating our other printing technologies within the range to suit other substrates or marking processes was also key to choosing MPERIA – a future-proof solution, making their investment secure.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

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About the MPERIA™ V Series Printing System

The MPERIA™ V Series marking system is our robust and reliable large character drop-on-demand (DOD) valve technology specifically designed for challenging industrial environments.  The V-Series marks on porous and non-porous substrates including metal, paper and pulp, wood, concrete and plastic. Powered by MPERIA™, the Matthews VIAjet DOD valve print heads are considered the fastest in the industry, marking products at speeds in excess of 400 meters/min, with the longest life expectancy of any comparable technology.

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA™ and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

Competition ‘floored’ again by MPERIA™

A leading global player in commercial floor coverings required a printing system for applying variable product information, traceability codes, company branding and barcodes to outer cases containing carpet tiles.

Xact proposed the latest MPERIA™ L-Series TIJ high resolution inkjet printer which, in comparison to CIJ technology not only provides a higher print quality but also significantly reduces initial investment costs as well as operating costs moving forward.

Expanding on the 10 head MPERIA TM V-series printing system installed by Xact last year for back marking their flooring products, the new MPERIA TM L-series printer meets the end-of-line packing and case coding requirements at the plant.

The MPERIA 12” touchscreen controller with L50 print head offers unrivalled flexibility in comparison to other printers reviewed during the tender process, as well as superior ease of use and management of the marking process.  Other advantages of the system include:

  • The opportunity to standardise on the operating system across the plant irrespective of the marking process was also an advantage, as this reduced costs as well as eliminating the requirement for additional operator training.
  • A key factor in the decision-making process was the scalable design and ease in which MPERIA TM can be expanded as their business grows, as the customer plans to implement a new packing line next year. MPERIA TM provides them with a future-proof system, ensuring their investment is secure.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

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About the MPERIA™ L Series Printing System

The system provides exceptional print resolution and versatility along with unparalleled levels of readability.  Ideal for printing on porous and non-porous materials, the L-Series printheads perform in a range of challenging packaging and industrial environments, such as the coding of outer cases, cartons and uncoated media, bags, timber, plastics, films and construction products.

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA™ and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

MPERIA® L-Series – Clean High-Quality Marking Solutions for Industry

A leading innovative company producing single-use pump technology required a printing system for the application of traceability and identification codes to their valves all contained within a clean room environment.  Our MPERIA ® L-Series printing system incorporating the compact L12 print head was the ideal solution.

The client wanted to mark a drink dispenser pump valve with traceability and identification codes.  We were required to integrate our system into an automated assembly line incorporating quality testing for the patented dispenser valve, all of this was contained within a clean room environment.

Additional Info

Our MPERIA® L-Series printing system, incorporating the compact L12 print head offered unrivalled flexibility in comparison to other printers reviewed during the tender process. As well as meeting the general requirements of the coding application, other features & benefits key to the customer moving forward with Xact included;

  • High speed marking of high-resolution codes
  • The compact modular design of the system was suited to the limited space available within their assembly line
  • Our safe, non-pressurised ink delivery system operating food grade ink ensured their on-site and customer quality assurance procedures were met
  • No downtime for start-up or shutdown enhanced running and operational costs.

About the MPERIA® VIAjet™ L-Series Printing SystemThermal Inkjet Printer
With a variety of ink types and colours available, the VIAjet™ L-Series thermal inkjet printer is a clean, fast, and cost-effective alternative to thermal transfer and adhesive labels. It is ideal for marking and coding variable data in both primary packaging and industrial applications, imprinting onto paper, chipboard, corrugated, and plastics

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA® and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA® and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

MPERIA® – Delivering Unrivalled Power and Flexibility for Industry

A dairy processing manufacturer of cheese, powdered milk and butter needed an end-of-line coding solution for bags of powdered milk.  Our MPERIA® L-Series printing system not only has safe, non-pressurised food grade ink but the system also offers unrivalled flexibility in comparison to other printers reviewed during the tender process. As well as meeting the general requirements of the application other features & benefits key to the customer moving forward with Xact included;

  • The power and flexibility to manage the marking process remotely from the production office enhances ease of use and eliminates the requirement to visit the production area to manage print files, saving valuable time
  • High speed in-line marking of high-resolution product information and codes, with the print quality to match that of a pre-printed bag, despite the dusty operating environment.
  • Our safe, non-pressurised ink delivery system operating food grade ink ensured their on-site and customer quality assurance procedures were met
  • No downtime for start-up or shutdown enhanced running and operational costs
  • The scalable design and ease in which our MPERIA® printing system can be expanded as their business grows was another key factor in the decision-making process, as the customer plans to implement further systems on other packing lines next year. MPERIA® provides them with a future-proof system, ensuring their investment is secure.

About the MPERIA®  VIAjet™ L-Series Printing SystemThermal Inkjet Printer
With a variety of ink types and colours available, the VIAjet™ L-Series thermal inkjet printer is a clean, fast, and cost-effective alternative to thermal transfer and adhesive labels. It is ideal for marking and coding variable data in both primary packaging and industrial applications, imprinting onto paper, chipboard, corrugated, and plastics.

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA® and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA® and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

 

Another ‘Gritty’ Performance from MPERIA®

A world leader in the production of shot and grit needed a robust printing system for the application of general product information and manufacturing codes to bags and pallet hoods. 

Xact proposed the powerful MPERIA® platform operating a mix of VIAjet™ L and V-Series print heads, specially designed to perform in harsh production environments.  The L-Series completes the bag marking process, comprising of a production name date and batch code. The V-Series heads are used to print product name, description and codes to opposite sides of the cardboard pallet hood.

Additional Info

Key to the decision-making process and placing their business with Xact was the unrivalled flexibility our MPERIA® system provided the business. This included;

  • The ability to control all marking processes across multiple production lines, including a mix of our printing technologies, from one user interface
  • Seamless control and management of the marking process over an Ethernet network to PC’s located in the main office, including a VNC set-up, which provides the customer with complete visibility and control of both marking processes on the plant (including their integrated product database) without having to visit the production area. Local control is also available at the line for added security and flexibility
  • Our long-term expertise in the industrial sector gave added confidence in moving forward with Xact as it was essential the proposed solution could withstand the harsh operating environment of the grit and shot plant.

About the MPERIA®  V-Series Printing System

The MPERIA®  V-Series marking system is our robust and reliable large character drop-on-demand (DOD) valve technology specifically designed for challenging industrial environments.  The V-Series marks on porous and non-porous substrates including metal, paper and pulp, wood, concrete and plastic. Powered by MPERIA® , the Matthews VIAjet™ DOD valve print heads are considered the fastest in the industry, marking products at speeds in excess of 400 meters/min, with the longest life expectancy of any comparable technology.

About the MPERIA®  VIAjet™ L-Series Printing SystemThermal Inkjet Printer
With a variety of ink types and colours available, the VIAjet™ L-Series thermal inkjet printer is a clean, fast, and cost-effective alternative to thermal transfer and adhesive labels. It is ideal for marking and coding variable data in both primary packaging and industrial applications, imprinting onto paper, chipboard, corrugated, and plastics

Click here to watch a video on MPERIA® and the benefits it could bring to your business.

For further information about MPERIA® and our range of printing technologies, please call Xact on 0151 479 3020 or email info@xactpack.co.uk

 

Timber Industry Focus

Our range of printers are designed to operate effectively in the harsh production environments associated with the timber industry, and since 1980 we have been the European market leader in this sector. Our bestselling MPERIA™ ViaJet printing systems and range of PLX Labelling Machines represent the latest and most robust product coding and labelling technologies available, ensuring dependable long-term performance and reliability in the most demanding operating environments. The systems provide end-users with exceptional levels of versatility for the application of variable product information and traceability codes, as well as barcodes, logos and graphics direct to product or label media within a wide range of manufacturing processes.

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