All products entering the supply chain must be coded, and include the legally required information to ensure they have been properly processed and that they meet all quality guarantees. Marking solutions for the agri‑food industry are diverse, so it is essential to choose the one that best suits the product’s characteristics. With 25 years of experience and the development of its own printing and labeling technology, at UBS we study each case and propose the most efficient solution.
Stricter quality controls to protect consumer health and the development of technologies to streamline operations in the supply chain simplify the journey from the creation of the product to its arrival in the hands of the final customer. But that simplification requires more technologically complex, efficient and precise processes that guarantee the traceability of each unit, which not all suppliers are able to offer.
Being manufacturers of our own equipment and developing the software that maximizes their performance allows us to design tailored applications for each client. Our quality guarantee lies in continuous support. We listen and propose, and every proposal is accompanied by a physical print sample until the precise adjustment is reached.
Within the agri‑food industry, we have developed specific solutions for packaging of processed foods, beverages and dairy products, and fresh foods. Let’s review them.
The types of packaging for processed foods are diverse, and UBS provides an appropriate marking and coding solution for all of them. The stick pack, a flexible laminated container that protects the contents from moisture, oxidation and light, can be marked, in addition to solvent‑based ink, with the UVLED technology of our TJX printers. The message is printed and instantly cured. This is essential when the product must be washed or handled immediately after printing.
The TJX Series Thermal Inkjet are the ideal solution for consumer packaging, which may include batch number, expiration date, barcode and logo. The printing is permanent and high quality, as all our equipment operates at high resolution.
The UVLED system is also the best option for glass bottles and jars. On non‑porous or satin surfaces, and especially on a demanding material like glass, UVLED is the technology that offers the best finish.
To code sacks, UBS recommends the high‑resolution inkjet printers APLINK Series, which print directly on plastic or paper surfaces all the necessary data, including logos and images. An alternative to direct printing is labeling. In that case, the equipment APL Series prints and applies self‑adhesive labels made of various materials to the required area of the sack.
A widespread type of packaging is shrink‑wrapped, as it adapts to the contents and forms packs. The APL 3500 Series equipment labels according to GTIN standards at a rate of up to 180 packs per minute. If they are provided with a bottom tray of corrugated cardboard, it can be coded during the forming process with the APLINK Series. If, instead, printing is carried out after the pack is formed and shrink‑wrapped, the best solution is UVLED ink.
The corrugated cardboard box is the most widely used packaging in the world. For direct printing on this porous material, the APLINK Series represents a huge advance over traditional flexographic printing. If marking is done by labeling, UBS’s APL Series are the ideal tool.
When the cardboard of the box is non‑porous, the APLINK UVLED far exceed the capabilities of traditional systems: they print directly on the surface, with instant curing, provide flexibility in line format changes, reduce operational complexity of labeling, and therefore save costs.
Want to learn more about processed food coding?
We have already talked about marking glass bottles, consumer packaging, shrink‑wrapped packs, and cardboard boxes. Regarding the marking of beverages and dairy products, we refer to PET bottles and aseptic packaging, for which UBS provides specific solutions.
The PET bottles (polyethylene terephthalate) undergo variations in their composition to reduce plastic use, as well as changes in appearance and creation of versatile shapes. In any case, TJX Series printers meet coding needs with high‑quality, permanent, visible, and sharp identification.
The TJX is also the best solution for aseptic packaging, whose use is increasing among dairy products, juices, soups and baby food.
In addition to cardboard boxes, specific packaging for fresh foods includes thermoformed plastic trays and expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes. In trays, where the food product is protected by a plastic film, the most suitable identification is with a self‑adhesive label containing all necessary traceability information. Additionally, cold chain maintenance must be considered, so packaging and subsequent marking must be done in a refrigerated environment. UBS TJX Series equipment responds to the demands of such a delicate process.
As for EPS boxes, the most commonly used packaging for fish transportation, APLINK UVLED equipment offers the best printing quality on the surface, even for logos and images.
Every food‑product coding line ends in palletizing the boxes for distribution. It is a critical moment, as a mistake in pallet labeling would prevent proper traceability and thus cause serious harm to the brand.
The solution developed by UBS is APL 8000 Series, a real‑time label printing and application system designed to comply with GS1‑128 identification standards and GS1 International recommendations for pallet labeling. Additionally, it is compatible with all OEM print engines on the market.
The APL 8000 Series applies labels on up to three sides, and its flexibility allows it to be adapted to high speed demands. Thanks to PLC interface control, it is easily integrated into different production and palletizing lines, using synchronized signals and opto‑isolated alarms.
Whatever the need for coding, marking and labeling of food‑industry products, UBS has the right answer, thanks to the wide variety of efficient, sustainable and innovative solutions. Do you have a need different from those considered here? We invite you to contact us and tell us about it.
CONTACT INFORMATION
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
