LABELS&LABELING | 83FOUNDER Paul Beamish with Linerless reels outside Ravenwood Packaging's sales and demonstration facilityRavenwood grows linerless marketWITH INTEREST IN LINERLESS LABELING SYSTEMS GROWING, Ravenwood Packaging has reached a milestone with the sale of its 1,000th machine. Andy Thomas reportsCost and environmental pressures are favoring a growing been into bakery clients where the system has been used to interest in linerless technology, particularly in the fresh foods label cakes both in boxes and clamshell packaging.’sector. Ravenwood Packaging has been at the center of these Although the majority of Ravenwood systems have so far developments since its founding by Paul Beamish in 2004 in been sold into the food market, there is no reason why the Norwich, UK, where the linerless applicators are still produced technology cannot be used in non-food as well. In the United today. States, which is one of Ravenwood’s fastest growing markets, The Ravenwood Linerless system has been particularly the system has been used for labeling car accessory products, successful with major UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, for example.Tesco, Sainsbury, ASDA, Morrisons, Waitrose and The Co-op. The ability of the system to pack with paper, card and flm all FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTthrough the same applicator has meant that value, standard In its report ‘The Linerless Label Market 2013’, Alexander and premium products can all be packed down the same Watson Associates (AWA) states that linerless pressure-sensi-production line at different times during the same day, simply tive labels are enjoying a resurgence of interest in a packaging by changing the material. This fexibility and quick changeover marketplace characterized by cost and environmental means that average line speeds are maintained and waste pressures. Explains AWA’s Jackie Marolda: ‘The environmental minimized. benefts of linerless go beyond just a reduction of the amount ‘Most of the meat, fsh and poultry in store is now packed of material used by eliminating the liner. The enhanced benefts using a linerless label,’ confrms Paul Beamish. ‘The packers are the elimination of that material ending up in landfll, the need the higher line speeds and the improvements in factory ability to get more labelstock on a roll and reduce weight and effciencies to remain competitive, and meet the supply targets bulk, lowering transportation costs and storage requirements.’ they are set.’ Ravenwood’s Nobac range of applicators are capable of Recent installations have seen linerless moving into retailers’ applying labels at speeds of up to 150 packs per minute produce areas, with certain varieties of tomatoes, mushrooms dependent on label size and format. The applicator and printer and peppers now being packed this way, and Beamish believes can be linked to scales to do variable weight products as well more products will follow. as fxed weight packs, and the software allows for a product ‘The Ravenwood applicators are sensitive enough to handle verifcation system to be linked in, which prevents the applicator fragile products as well, and recent applicator installations have from applying the wrong label to the wrong product.SEPTEMBER 2013 L&L |