Raising the bar: Streamlining the labelling process

THE FOURPURE Brewing Company recently installed a flexible and moveable case coding system from Clearmark Solutions to complement its £2.5m expansion investment, which now comprises a fully automated canning line.

In 2021, the business – which is located on London’s famous Bermondsey Beer Mile -  reported double demand for its canned beer. Prompting the popular brand to invest £2.5 million in upgrading its SE16 canning line. Fulfilling this swell in sales, Fourpure needed a reliable and fast print and apply machine for its new purpose-built packaging facility.

Replacing a legacy ink coder on the case packing line, the ICE Vulcan print and apply labelling system now fully satisfies supermarket GS1 barcoding requirements by ensuring every single SKU contains a clearly legible Grade A barcode and is positioned in a uniform way.

Supplied with a modular conveyor, engineered to address several specific automation challenges, Clearmark designed, built and delivered the print and apply labelling system to accommodate multiple pack formats, in less than 10 weeks.

Three times faster than conventional print and apply labellers, Fourpure's ICE Vulcan was customised to streamline the labelling of packaged cans destined for British supermarkets. 

Mind the gap

Located on the outfeed of the case–packer conveyor, Clearmark’s unique Direct Apply non-pneumatic application ensures the ultra-reliable print and apply labelling system never misses a pack, no matter how close together they arrive and pass in front of the Vulcan. Even when cases aren't evenly spaced or when the gap between two packs is as little as 10mm.  

"Before the Vulcan we were hand labelling boxes for a good percentage of our production runs. It was hard," explained Kurt Fletcher, packaging manager at Fourpure Brewing Company. "Either we printed too many labels which meant lots of excess, or too few labels and were running around to source more. The Vulcan on cue printing is great for us and reduces our wastage."

Irrespective of speed, Clearmark’s Intelligent Motion technology automatically adjusts and maintains the label reel tension, eliminating label slippage. Simultaneously, the solid state printhead delivers the exact pressure required for repeatable and high quality print resolutions.

Refreshingly simple

In keeping with Fourpure’s comprehensive but easily understood brand appeal, the brewery intentionally selected a labelling system that could clearly present all the traceability and GS1 information without compromising its modest case designs. 

"For our products to be heading to large retailers the labels need to be clear and legible. The Vulcan prints perfectly every time ensuring a uniform presentation and label integrity," Fletcher continued. "For all team members it’s so easy to use. Simple, yet brilliant. The team really likes the design ease of the CLARiSOFT drag and drop software. It ensures that everyone is able to create top notch labels for our products."

Labelling on average 30 ppm with the highest precision with no compressed air requirements, the ICE Vulcan is capable of four times the current line speed, which gives huge future proofing. Additionally its maintenance free design reduces the printer's total cost of ownership, equating to incredibly small ongoing operation and maintenance costs.

The ability to adjust the configuration of the packing line sealed the deal for Fourpure. Supplying the labelling solution conveyor on high quality castors, the packaging team can easily manoeuvre the ICE Vulcan to print and apply labels on both the smaller pack configurations upstream, in addition to the larger cases sealed for transit at the downstream outfeed. 

Our ability to reconfigure the line not only future proofs the business, they also have two solutions for the price of one.  

Steve Hancock is LPA sales engineer - print and apply labelling at Clearmark Solutions 

For more information: 

www.clearmark.uk

Tel: 01159 640144