Industrial solutions for
product marking & coding
Industrial solutions for
product marking & coding
Development & manufacture
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50 years of experience
in business & industry

Product Labelling

What You Need to Know

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Packaging products for end consumers is always a challenge. Attractive packaging has the power to upgrade the contents – just like snappy dressing is the mark of a fashionista. But, alongside the colourful advertising copy, packaging and products needs to provide space for cold, hard facts and figures. This primer outlines:

  • What product labelling is
  • Which laws apply
  • Which marking systems are currently on the market
  • Which industries can’t do without product and article labelling
  • Which labelling technologies exist
  • Which challenges Industry 4.0 brings for companies

Product Labelling– Part of Every Production Process

All outer packaging for units of food or other perishable goods must display the batch number, barcodes or QR codes as well as legally required information like ingredients, INCI or best-by date.

Non-food articles must also be clearly labelled so that they can be monitored and traced. Manufacturers, too, benefit from clear product labelling. After all, this lets them distinguish genuine products from counterfeits. The same applies to B2B packaging, which is often much plainer. Effective product labelling must have several traits to reliably do its job.

One of these essential traits is an easily readable design and labelling that can be intuitively attached to the product. Just as important is that the labels durably adhere to the product packaging or even the product itself. Finally, product labelling should be eco-friendly and be produced at minimal cost. Makers of marking systems are under strong pressure to innovate because of these many expectations. As a result, they regularly surprise the market with highly innovative solutions.

Product labelling is an intrinsic part of every production process. Virtually every outer packaging layer and every product must be marked. Plastic-wrapped palettes, large bundles, cartons for individual products – on all of them, labels and direct marking provide exact information about the content. However, packaging systems vary strongly so that every packaging step calls for a different labelling system. This makes integrating industrial labelling into continuous production a major challenge.

The Laws Governing Mandatory Product Labelling

In Germany and in Europe, product labelling is mandated by law. These laws are primarily designed to protect consumers. However they also significantly impact manufacturers’ product liability and quality control. There is no uniform product-marking legislation. Instead there are several regulations that in sum determine labelling requirements. There are solid reasons for this. After all, the labelling requirements for screws are very different than those for medications or foods. The main laws governing product labelling are the following:

  • EU Regulation on the Provision of Food Information
  • Product Safety Act (“ProdSG”)
  • 9th Directive on the Product Safety Act – CE Machinery Directive
  • EU Cosmetics Regulation
  • Medical Device Act (“MPG”) – CE Medical Product Directive
  • EU Textile Labelling Regulation
  • Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive – CE EMC Directive

The responsibility for correctly labelling goods and products always falls to manufacturers. Retailers are exempted from mandatory labelling. Still, they are not permitted to change labelling at will. They may only add labels detailing pricing or other marketing-related information (for instance “special price” or “reduced price”).

When adding labels, retailers must be careful to not cover or destroy the manufacturers’ product labelling. But there’s another pitfall: In the eyes of the law, importers importing goods from non-EU countries count as manufacturers. In the EU, the distributor is legally equivalent to the manufacturer.

Labelling design is highly variable. Put simply, there are three separate sections:

  1. All necessary information for consumers
  2. Name and contact details of the manufacturer or importer
  3. All relevant seals and symbols that help identify the product

There are also laws governing the physical properties of product labelling. Primarily, laws say that product labelling must adhere strongly to the product or packaging. Labelling must be able to stick to the product during normal handling during transport to the end consumer as well as exposure to the elements without coming off. That is why washable dies or labels with water-soluble adhesives cannot be for labelling products with legally required information.

Labelling Procedures

Product-labelling technology is constantly evolving. There are three crucial factors to consider when developing labelling solutions:

  • Compliance with the law
  • Budget
  • Solution can be integrated into continuous production setups

Legal compliance is actually the easiest aspect of labelling. It only involves determining label content, shape and size. Hardware and software handle the rest. Manufacturers have come a long way in this respect. Operators on site can define label content via simple interfaces, usually touchscreens. The most important factor when choosing a labelling system is how it can be integrated into existing production solutions. A labelling system only makes economic sense if it can keep up with the other production and packaging machinery. If the labelling solution slows down a production process or causes downtimes because of frequent errors, it can endanger production and, as such, the profitability of the entire company. That is why marking devices are highly robust, reliable and lightning fast. The labelling industry distinguishes between two procedures for serial continuous product labelling: direct and indirect product labelling

Direct Product and Packaging Labelling

As the name says, direct labelling means marking directly on the product or packaging. No mediums like adhesive labels required!

Direct product marking is an intricate process. The marking device must be tailored exactly to the product it is intended for. Even the tiniest deviation can make the marking illegible and, to that end, useless. So, this approach may be cost-effective, fast and simple, but it comes at the cost of a need for rigorous quality control. That said, modern barcodes and QR codes have solved that problem. Digital reading systems are an easy way to simply build the control of precise product marking into the production process. This gives manufacturers 100% control that their product labelling meets legal standards.

Direct Product Labelling with Inkjet Printers

For many decades, printing and embossing technologies were the standard for direct product labelling. Even today, inkjet printers, hot oder cold embossers or roller stamps directly mark suitable products. The drawback is that products must be suited to direct marking. Up until recently, direct marking solutions were not capable of marking foods, in particular fruit. Using inkjet printers carried the risk of product contamination, while embossing technologies damaged the product. Manufacturers were literally stuck with adhesive labels for apples, bananas and oranges.

Using Lasers for Direct Product Marking

Laser technologies have revolutionised direct marking. Concentrated light in the form of a laser beam burns all necessary information onto a product’s surface. The lasers are so finely adjustable that they mark only as deeply and widely as is absolutely necessary to ensure clearly readable information. Put into actual figures, the laser penetrates no more than mere micrometres into the products’ surface.

Indirect Product and Packaging Labelling

Indirect labelling first places the information on a medium, which is then attached to the product as a second step. Usually, this involves adhesive labels. Tags, as used in the textile industry, are also an option. Indirect labelling may be more expensive, but offers a slate of advantages: They are:

  • Removable labelling
  • Marking on any surface
  • High level of labelling security thanks to pre-made labels
  • Expandable functionality Labels

For many industries, the ease of label removal is a crucial factor. Particularly when it comes to textiles, customers do not want permanent labels. Then again, adhesive labels are well suited to irregularly shaped or soft, yielding packaging. Is there any other way to label plastic-wrapped palettes than with a large adhesive label? Pre-made labels practically guarantee that the labelling of every product complies with legal standards. As long as label application is not disturbed, every product is reliably labelled. Any errors are usually noticed immediately: Working with adhesive labels slashes unnoticed errors in the production process. That is not the case with direct labelling.

Using RFID Chips in Logistics

Labels can have interesting functions added to them. RFID technology is one of them. In recent years, these radio chips have facilitated advances in theft and counterfeit prevention as well as in tracking products and packaging. Tracking via these radio chips has proven to be a blessing for the entire logistics industry. Logistics processes have become significantly more reliable, faster and easier thanks to being able to document and track products without having them in direct sight.

Industries that Need Product Labelling

Product labelling is advisable or even obligatory whenever physical, packaged products are distributed. Every product must be marked, except for bulk dry, liquid or gas goods. Digital products that consumers access via streaming services or as downloads also need not be packaged or marked. However, a CD-ROM or Blu-Ray is again subject to mandatory product labelling. Consequently, demand for labelling solutions is high. Typical industries with an appetite for marking solutions are:

The need for labelling systems is multiplied by the fact that every outer packaging layer must be labelled or marked – not just the final product. Every layer of external packaging brings a new surface and target group for the product labelling. That is why various labelling solutions are needed throughout the production process, all the way from final assembly to transport packaging.

Product-Marking Technologies

The product-marking industry constantly faces fresh challenges because every physical, markable product subject to mandatory marking must be marked or labelled. However, being able to reliably mark new materials is not the only requirement. Product-labelling companies also need to make sure that their solutions are cost-efficient and can be integrated into existing production processes. The labelling systems must factor in the following technological aspects:

  • Production speed
  • Production environment
  • Properties of the product surface
  • Adaptability to the intended labelling purpose

Labelling Speed

Ideally, a labeller is the fastest machine in a production line, regardless of its technological features. Production delays are unavoidable if production and packaging machines are faster than the automatic labeller. When choosing a labeller, it is essential that it can keep up with the production pace set by the manufacturing machines. Labeller and printer makers have already reacted to this requirement. No matter, whether the labeller handles direct or indirect product labelling, it is always the fastest machine in the production process. But it doesn’t only need to be fast, it also has to adapt individually to production processes. Ideally, labelling or printing speeds, transport speed along the line, and production speed should be in sync. Because that isn’t always possible, the labellers and upstream packaging machines adapt to the manufacturing speed of the production machinery.

Dusty or Wet Production Environments

Environmental conditions pose further challenges for labellers. Dusty, wet conditions make it difficult to use self-adhesive labels. Nevertheless, printing perishable goods directly with ink is not ideal, either. On top of that, there are particularly rigorous requirements for labellers working in environments that are subject to strict hygiene standards. That is why labelling-solution makers and service providers are equipped to meet any challenge. They have the right system for every environment.

Each Packaging and Production Step Needs Its Own Solution

Products emerge from the production machine, made within a given tolerance. They are then packaged and put into shipping packaging. The boxes are stacked on a palette and covered with shrink or pallet wrap to get ready for transport. Every one of these production and packaging steps changes the surface of the product that needs to be marked. Smooth, high-precision components, waxed sales packaging printed with screen-print designs, external packaging made of shipping cardboard and finally soft, elastic or irregularly shaped plastic foils – they all call for different solutions.

Labelling Functions

There is also a wide range of reasons for labelling. Labels are fine to be removed from some products, but other products may not surrender their labelling without causing damage to the products. Inks and labels on applicable products must conform with hygiene or food-law regulations. Beyond that, there are many further requirements dictating how a label may impact a product and how it may not.

More information related to this article:

Meet the Challenge Head-On with Weber Marking Systems

Looking back on more than 50 years of experience, Weber Marking Systems’ expertise stands out. We are a leading one-stop provider of marking solutions. Thanks to our complete, turnkey solutions, we have become known as a trail-blazing innovator for labelling systems. While everything began with labels applied by hand, Weber Marking is now ready for Industry 4.0. Our solutions take networked, digital processes with short reaction times and decentralised control in their stride. Innovative, highly detailed solutions and overall concepts make our labelling systems unique. We strive to stay on top of new materials, increasingly fast production processes and growing expectations of clients and lawmakers. Weber Marking has always been dedicated to making sure that its labelling solutions are easy to operate. Training new workers in the use of Weber Marking labellers is fast. Our modern interfaces and intuitive navigations enable them to achieve fail-proof results.

Ready for Industry 4.0

Weber Marking Systems goes above and beyond simply providing marking solutions. If you want, we can build a quality-control step into the system after every labelling step. You, as a client, not only control labelling quality: you are also able to track every single product. The labellers are closely networked with the production process, reacting automatically to any production change or disturbance.

Trust the Professionals for Your Labelling Solutions

If you are a manufacturing company, labelling your products is always on your mind. Trust the market leader. At Weber Marking Systems, we offer complete turnkey solutions that take your production to the next level. Give us a call or use our contact form. We are happy to provide a free initial consulting session. If we can gain your trust, you will enjoy the benefits of being our customer. A 24-hour on-call service is only one of the many things to look forward to.

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