Challenge
A manufacturer of polyurethane screening systems and wear liners services the coal and mining industries. Their products must function in some of the harshest environments imaginable and the mold release used when manufacturing their products makes it nearly impossible to find a label that sticks to their parts. The manufacturer had not found a label to adhere to their products which are heavily coated in silicone to easily release the screens from the case injected molds.
The identification system they were using did not facilitate proper tracking of inventory, making it difficult for customers to read the part number and causing poor visibility of the manufacturer’s logo. Due to these problems, they were forced to find a company that would perform multiple tests to find the raw material that would function in the harsh environment and stick to their parts.
Solution
The manufacturer chose to partner with Liberty Marking Systems because of their extensive knowledge of the industry and past experience successfully solving these specific labeling challenges. Due to Liberty’s competitiveness and ability to provide a complete solution, the manufacturer was confident that Liberty would deliver labels durable enough to withstand the harsh conditions.
In the past, Liberty has proved their commitment to success through their ability to perform numerous tests to ultimately find the best materials needed for their application.
“We felt confident that Liberty would go the extra mile to ensure we would receive the most durable labels because of their past successes in the industry, making us confident in our decision to partner with them.”
Approach
Liberty’s first challenge was to find a raw material that would function in the harsh environment and stick to the parts, despite the mold release. Drawing on their strong relationships with raw material suppliers, Liberty tested numerous raw materials. Through the research and testing, they found a material strong enough to withstand the elements and also had an adhesive specifically developed to resist the mold release used in producing the screens and filters.
The new material was very expensive, so Liberty negotiated a minimum order quantity that met the manufacturer’s needs and reduced their inventory and carrying costs. Liberty also provided the manufacturer with a complete in-house label printing system that completed the total solution of their identification problem.
Liberty also provided a complete label generating system: CAB Squix Label Printer, EasyLabel Software, Barcode Scanner, labels and ribbons.
Results
The manufacturer now has durable polyester labels that stay on the products. The manufacturer can individually identify each screen and filter they produce because they contain all the required information including part number, lot number, and company logo, and also have an accompanying barcode for each field. This allows the manufacturer and their customers to easily scan this information into their inventory systems.
Some of the benefits include:
- Reduced physical inventory from 7 days to 1 day
- Quick-scan for each item versus a manual inventory process
- Customer satisfaction increase due to being able to see the part number and manufacturer information
- Better brand recognition
- Overall appearance of finished product
- Fewer errors — easier to read part numbers and manufacturing information
With the new labeling solution, the manufacturer saves time and money and increased customer satisfaction.
“The solution that Liberty provided is truly immeasurable, and we can’t imagine our future without this.”