Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/122527
PACKAGING personalized variations devised for the end-users, according to Sean Watson, western sales representative for WS. "It depends on the configurations," he said. Prices and options start at set-ups in the $25,000-$30,000 range for the mobile, semi-automatic system shown at trade shows, topping out at about $32,000. Higher speed, in-line, automated systems can exceed $50,000. Kendall-Jackson's 4.5 million-case wine empire, Watson stated in an earlier case study, uses its machine "for all the above applications." 40 W in e s & V i ne s M AY 2 01 3 The investment is significant, and the target market has moved from smaller wineries to larger operations. Mobile bottlers, beloved by small production wineries with limited budgets for their ability to bring in the most current equipment, are another obvious market for this gear, and Watson has been talking with several, he said. Watson described the chief benefit to the WS print-and-apply system: "Without automation, applying labels in orientation to other labels on a bottle is a very slow, manual and expensive proposition for winery operations. "The technology is compelling," he pointed out. "It fits a good niche. People in processing get it immediately." How it works for Trinchero Scott Childers, assistant production manager at 18 million-case Trinchero Family Estates, is already a seasoned user of the WS system. "We purchased our first single-labeling head unit in 2006, and then a two-head unit in 2008. Both units are stand-alone, inline applicators that are manually fed, running slow speed (25-30 bottles per minute), and are fully automatic labeling systems." Trinchero's thriving export market motivated the installations. "We purchased these units for the primary purpose of adding export labels to previously bottled and labeled finished goods," Childers said. Trinchero also applies the equipment to another purpose. "We occasionally use the two-head unit to label 'shiners' (bottled and unlabeled product) in the rare occasion when we intentionally bottle small quantities of unlabeled product. A typical run could be anywhere from 50 to 1,500 cases. We can label approximately 1,000 cases of 12 750ml bottles per machine per shift. "Prior to these machines, we would do this by hand." Childers recommended the equipment. "We have found it relatively easy to use. Like any piece of new equipment, we quickly learn the machines' strengths, weaknesses and sweet spots. We worked with WS to include improvements in the design of the second machine we felt would make the system easier to operate, more consistent in terms of application quality and more versatile in terms of the type of products we can run on it. He cited "a more intuitive HMI panel that was easier for operators to use, an additional indexing sensor that helps to locate a dark-colored label on a darkcolored bottle, an adjustable applicator and wipe-down modules to label reversetapered bottles." Although Trinchero primarily re-labels just in time to meet order requirements, Childers said, "If the customer wants something specific that is not included in our standard packaging, we'll put it on for them through the re-labeling process." Labels of the same dimension can be applied precisely in the footprint of the existing label, Watson noted, but he recommends, if possible, including about a one-eighth inch margin for best coverage.