Variable Data Coding Benefits N.J. Packaging Operation
October 15, 2010 By Paul Schildhouse, laser product manager, Videojet Technologies Inc.
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As a leading global cosmetic manufacturer, Shiseido Co. is known for high-quality beauty care products. Uncovering the secret to the Tokyo-based company’s success since its founding in the 1870s lies in its name—“Shiseido” suggests a richness of life that can be reached solely through a harmony of mind, body and soul.
The company even takes the harmony approach to its production lines, including the methods it employs to place variable data on both products and packaging at its Davlyn Industries facility in Monroe Township, N.J. There, a harmony between laser coding, small character continuous ink jet printers and, more recently, thermal transfer overprinters—all from Videojet Technologies Inc.—means crisp and consistent codes are always applied no matter the substrate, line speed or number of daily code changes. The seamless interplay between those technologies not only benefits Shiseido for tracking and tracing purposes throughout the supply chain, but it also enables it to meet a U.S. federal requirement for including lot numbers on packaging. Plus, the convenience the technologies afford means the facility’s team of mechanics can attend to more important maintenance matters within the plant besides marking and coding.
“When selecting variable data marking and coding equipment, I primarily look at the quality of the print,” says Bryan Kafka, mechanical engineering manager at the Monroe Township facility, one of three Shiseido facilities in the United States. “From an operations standpoint, the quality is high for each Videojet technology, as is the overall ease of operating the equipment.”
Quality of characters crucial
Shiseido purchased Davlyn Industries, one of its top co-packing partners, in 1989. The Monroe Township facility has a staff of about 300 and manufactures and fills Shiseido products like mascara, lip gloss, pressed powder and foundation to supply to warehouses and distribution centers worldwide. High-quality product has always been a key pillar of Shiseido’s mission, which is one reason Davlyn began investigating laser coding in 2007.
“The laser coders offer high-quality, consistent characters. In addition, we are evaluating adding a vision check system for the codes themselves to the production line, which requires higher-quality codes with a nice contrast,” Kafka says. “As an extra benefit, lasers don’t require consumables, like printing ink and make-up fluids.”
The company even takes the harmony approach to its production lines, including the methods it employs to place variable data on both products and packaging at its Davlyn Industries facility in Monroe Township, N.J. There, a harmony between laser coding, small character continuous ink jet printers and, more recently, thermal transfer overprinters—all from Videojet Technologies Inc.—means crisp and consistent codes are always applied no matter the substrate, line speed or number of daily code changes. The seamless interplay between those technologies not only benefits Shiseido for tracking and tracing purposes throughout the supply chain, but it also enables it to meet a U.S. federal requirement for including lot numbers on packaging. Plus, the convenience the technologies afford means the facility’s team of mechanics can attend to more important maintenance matters within the plant besides marking and coding.
“When selecting variable data marking and coding equipment, I primarily look at the quality of the print,” says Bryan Kafka, mechanical engineering manager at the Monroe Township facility, one of three Shiseido facilities in the United States. “From an operations standpoint, the quality is high for each Videojet technology, as is the overall ease of operating the equipment.”
Quality of characters crucial
Shiseido purchased Davlyn Industries, one of its top co-packing partners, in 1989. The Monroe Township facility has a staff of about 300 and manufactures and fills Shiseido products like mascara, lip gloss, pressed powder and foundation to supply to warehouses and distribution centers worldwide. High-quality product has always been a key pillar of Shiseido’s mission, which is one reason Davlyn began investigating laser coding in 2007.
“The laser coders offer high-quality, consistent characters. In addition, we are evaluating adding a vision check system for the codes themselves to the production line, which requires higher-quality codes with a nice contrast,” Kafka says. “As an extra benefit, lasers don’t require consumables, like printing ink and make-up fluids.”
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