Labelling and packaging have key roles to play in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and food sectors throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. More consumers are reading medicine labels to check the ingredients and effectiveness of products against viruses and bacteria, whilst grocery shoppers are keeping a closer eye on allergens, especially after the introduction of Natasha’s Law on 1 October.
To supply these markets with high-quality labelling technology Thermal Printer Support (TPS) is partnering with ARCA. A combination that benefits from TPS’s expertise in the complete sales cycle from onsite surveys through to installation and beyond. Offering almost everything from entry level to industrial high-volume printers, ARCA adds even more choice to TPS’s range of brands and models. ARCA’s range of equipment is extremely versatile and ideal for a variety of sectors as it helps communicate a brand’s messages clearly. In addition it offers secure tamper-evident sealing applications when needed at production speeds of up to 300 products a minute.
Brand image is of course critical for high quality goods such as toiletries and cosmetics and high end or artisan groceries. Packaging suppliers need to offer well-designed packaging and correctly positioned labelling that is distinctive, promotes brand awareness and provides a significant source of information, such as traceability.
Labels must be robust and durable to cope with the amount of rough handling that goods endure in the supply chain. ARCA print and apply systems are designed with continuous print quality for labelling bottles, food packaging materials, ampoules, fill seal flat lying and sized cartons, along with single dose strips for pharmaceuticals. Best before dating is a given for the food industry.
With options to serialise medical devices by supplying a specific Unique Device Indicator (UDI) and Product Identifier (PI), indelible coding for critical data onto items like blister packs with CO2 and fibre laser markers gives manufacturers peace of mind that they are complying with regulatory requirements.
Companies are also looking for equipment that is flexible, operator friendly and will boost productivity by helping to ensure goods get to market quickly and efficiently. The ARCA systems available from TPS offer open-frame type steel structures for operation and easy cleaning. Label printers, both lined and linerless, which are more environmentally friendly with no backing paper and so less waste, are proving popular among TPS’s customers seeking thermal printing solutions plus software and consumables, backed up by experienced service engineers.
The pandemic is adding pressure on manufacturers in all sectors to achieve stand-out packaging and labelling through the ability to respond quickly to changing trends and diverse markets. TPS and ARCA offer high-speed quality labelling and easy changeover features guaranteeing high output, including continuous print quality monitoring for corrective actions without the need to pause production. Much improved up-time will make labelling easy for staff and ultimately satisfy customers. If operators need to step away from the production line for a few seconds, an innovative real-time mobile app keeps them updated on any stoppages or pauses in production, wherever they are.
Labour shortages are also an issue across the UK – which can be helped in no small part by ARCA applicators. There are models for all sectors and budgets and, for standard label application, the new S-Series range offers models capable of a throughput of up to 200m per minute, and up to 1800 labels dispensed per minute.
Jason Asser, TPS Managing Director, said, “We can deliver significant time- and labour-saving solutions with bespoke thermal transfer printing and label applicators that are perfect for the pharmaceutical, healthcare and food sectors. These are ideal for printing critical data such as allergens as well as complying with strict regulatory requirements on traceability, serialisation and tamper evident sealing.
“The partnership with ARCA is a win-win for TPS and all its customers, bringing new features and additional versatility to our already extensive range of thermal transfer and direct thermal print systems. We can’t wait to tell our customers, old and new alike, how we can support their businesses by helping them meet legislation across almost any sector – and delight their own customers with on-point, informative packaging at the same time.”
In addition to ARCA, TPS is a registered specialist partner for all Zebra industrial printers and print engines, the official UK distributor of Godex, along with being reseller partner for TSC, Printronix and Sato thermal transfer printers and associated products. The company can also integrate full colour on demand printed labels as part of print and apply solutions.
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Media contact
Roshini Bains,
Editor, International Confectionery
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]
