Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/70680
CO VER S T OR Y Labels printed by asL print fX for adler fels Winery "Successful bottling begins with a vision of the final package design that incorpo- rates design and compatibility with bottling equipment capabilities," agreed Wayne Van Wagner, plant manager of the mobile bot- tling division at G3 Enterprises, Modesto, Calif. "Component suppliers need to pro- duce glass, closures and labels that consis- tently meet design specifications." "The problem is that the wineries just don't check their packages. They give it to the bottler and expect us to make it work. Wineries are changing to less-expensive packages, and they often don't verify that the packages all fit together. We try and do a great job, but it can be very difficult because someone does not check out the packages," added John Davis, A T Mobile Bottling Line (ATMBL), Napa, Calif. Durs Koenig, operations manager at Sonoma Wine Co., sent a list of specifics to consider. Among the problems he en- counters at the massive Gra- ton, Calif., facility: Tricky die-cut labels (not always easy to release from their backing web); heavyweight paper (harder to control); full, wrap-around labels (hard- est to apply). Material issues Bottles continue to be a problem, espe- cially inexpensive imports (for a complete report see July 2010 issue). Avoid this setback, Oughterson recommended, "by buying from a reputable supplier. Ask where the glass is made and who locally has used it. Also, beware of the 'good deal.' Ask to see some samples of that glass. As a mobile bottler, poor glass is a nightmare. Broken glass slows produc- tion to a halt because of clean-ups; it can cause injuries to workers and damage equipment. I have stopped bottling several times because of poor glass, and placed the daily charge on the customer," he said. Cheaper bottles can require changes in other packaging components as well: Supplies that are "supposed to be the same," don't always meet the same specs. "The salesperson said that the same foils would work, and they don't," Davis said, citing a recent bottle run when foil capsules required manual ap- plication. "We have one of the best foil applicators and spinners, and 99% of the time we can make it work." Never- theless, a single-sized foil that purport- edly would cap three sizes of bottles did not serve that purpose. ATMBL did not charge the winery, but Davis said there wouldn't be a second chance. "It took an extra two hours to do the job. At Wines & Vines MAY 2011 31