Case Study A - Construction
The Project:
To provide bespoke in-house product labelling for a major UK Building Materials Manufacturer.
The Problem:
The Clients current labelling system was a mix of various dot matrix, thermal and laser printers, printing from two differing legacy systems. The labels were a 4 x 4” design and the print quality, speed and presentation was poor and didn’t fulfil either their current or future requirements.
The company couldn’t change the legacy system or the inherent data but required a single manufacturer thermal printer solution; however the labels produced on the matrix printers were using a common dot matrix emulation not present in any thermal printers until the T5000 range was introduced.
The new labels required a change in size to 6 x 4”, to add additional barcodes, true type fonts and company logo’s. The client also wanted to change the label design to include a removable “butterfly” panel for placement on the edge of the finished product.
The new printers were to be Ethernet ready and remotely controllable across the companies nationwide WAN, so that any changes or problems could be made or diagnosed quickly and from the centrally located IT department.
Solution:
Maxim provided 20 x Printronix T5206 printers with PrintNet Enterprise remote control printer management software.
We used the standard Epson FX emulation available in the T5000 range to print the dot Matrix Labels and made internal code changes to the legacy data within the printers using the PAA (Printronix Application Adapter) tool kit to create internal Logo’s, True Type fonts and barcodes from the original data stream.
The change to 6 x 4” labels meant they were easier to read, printed faster and enabled the inclusion of the product edge “butterfly” label. The Data from the second legacy system was converted internally in the T5000’s, again using the PAA to produce 6 x 4” labels to the new specifications as per the first application.
Conclusion:
The client now has a bespoke labelling solution, producing fast, high quality labels with Logo’s, Fonts and Barcodes using totally unchanged legacy data from two independent systems. The whole printing operation is over seen using PrintNet Enterprise printer management software. The client needs only one printer type, one label type and one ribbon type, simplifying the whole process and saving time and operational expenditure.
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Case Study B - Pharmaceutical
The Project:
To upgrade existing thermal labelling printers at the clients main manufacturing and distribution site as well as all of their major subsidiary UK distribution sites.
The Problem:
The customer already had a bespoke label printing application designed around the capabilities of the existing printers. They printed on 7 different label types with 26 label designs. Changes to this application were not an option because of the cost implications and it was also working satisfactorily.
The replacement printers had to work seamlessly with this application and also have the flexibility for label design changes. From the hardware side the printers also had to connect to the customers existing IBM Coax system.
The Solution:
Using Printronix T5204 thermal printers with Coax and PGL graphics capability, it was possible to store the label configurations and designs in the printers. This gave the customer flexibility to modify designs without impacting on any way on the bespoke application.
The printer also has a data monitoring and modification option which made it possible to correct any code anomalies in some of the application printing.
The printers were supplied pre configured with label designs etc. to the customers sites, effectively making them work “straight out of the box”. Operator training was also provided on each new site.
Conclusion:
The customer was able to change over to the new printers with the minimum disruption to their distribution system. Maxim has continued to work with the customer supplying new printers as needs expand and providing label design assistance and application support. This has included implementation of new designs and modification of existing designs and configurations as labelling requirements have changed.
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Case Study C - Manufacturing
The Project:
To provide bespoke in-house product labelling for a major UK Heating Systems Manufacturer.
The Problem:
The clients current out sourced labelling had to be pre-ordered in vast quantities, was expensive and didn’t allow any production flexibility.
The client produces 100 product types with a possible 700 permutations of brand names, logo’s, product descriptions, and BS Kite Marks, this meant a huge overhead on purchasing and stocking ahead of pre-printed labels.
Solution:
Maxim provided Codesoft 6 print and design software enabling network printing of 100 label designs taking variable data from an access driven sales order database. Key fields were introduced into the database to call up the correct Tif/Gif based logo’s and pictures as required.
The label data was sent via TCP/IP to Printronix T5000 thermal transfer printers utilising PrintNet Ethernet interfaces. Maxim worked with the production staff to design the labels, modify the database and provide simple print routines to the shop floor.
Conclusion:
The client now has a bespoke labelling solution, producing high quality labels at the point of manufacture, in real time, as the order is processed. They have flexibility of design and can make changes easily at no cost within minutes via the Codesoft 6 design suite.
The Printronix T5000 printers are producing superb 300 dpi labels, quickly and at a considerable cost saving over the out sourced stock. The printers have a remote control interface allowing remote operation and diagnostics from anywhere on the network.
Case Study D - Automotive EDI
The Project:
To provide a multinational Automotive Software Integration company with Barcode printing and scanning equipment. The equipment and expertise Maxim provided was to support the clients EDI and Data Management system which they were installing for a top tier, car parts fabricator. The component manufacturer was supplying into a major UK car manufacturer who supplies them with EDI for JIT sequenced build control.
The Problem:
The client needed a system that could print Job Cards using combined job and shipping data output files (EDI) without the need to incorporate unnecessary and problematic middleware. Additionally, they required Barcode scanners to input job requests to build the parts via PLC units and also to input shipping details of completed parts from the barcoded Job Cards. The Job Data barcodes were scanned into the PLC units to control industrial welding robots.
The Printing Solution:
Using Printronix T5306r (300DPI 6” width) thermal printers with Network, PGL graphics, Form Cutting and Barcode Validation options, the label configuration and design are stored permanently within the printers flash memory. This, coupled with the data interpretation and modification features programmed into the printer by Maxim, enabled the Integrator to simplify the EDI data stream and provide a distilled data sequence to the printer for printing the Job Card. This flexibility allows subsequent modification of the label design if necessary without impacting in any way on the core software application. Provision of a Cutter eliminated manual separation of Job Cards and the Barcode Validator prevents any Job Cards with poor or unreadable barcodes from entering the production cycle. As part of the installation, operator training was provided. Maxim also provide the end user with their ongoing ribbon and card stock requirements, maintenance cover and printer application support.
The Scanning Solution
Two separate solutions were required to meet different scanning requirements. The Job Card barcodes needed to be able to contain a large amount of information in a relatively small barcode. Tethered IT4800sr imaging scanners from Hand Held Products were chosen for their robust construction and ability to rapidly image a PDF417 barcode containing up to 230 characters. These units were configured to prevent accidental reading of the shipping barcode on the Job Cards and prevent data loss through over rapid scanning of successive Job Cards. They were cable connected to the PLA units using RS232 communications.
The shipping barcodes needed to be read at a distance of up to 12 feet and also over a wide area of the loading dock. Dragon M101LR scanners from Datalogic were chosen for their scanning range and radio support for unencumbered roaming. A repeater station network was also implemented to extend radio roaming coverage. Additionally, the LCD display and unique unit addressing capabilities of the scanners allowed the software application to provide feedback to the operator to indicate successful scanning. These units were also configured to only allow scanning of the shipping barcode from the Job Cards.
Conclusion:
The Software Integrator was able to implement the printing and scanning systems using the expertise of Maxim. This meant they did not have to integrate these features into their application. Maxim has continued to work with the customer providing ongoing support. This has included modification of existing designs and configurations as printing requirements have changed.
