Posted to News on 10th Oct 2014, 10:38
One-stop coding shop for Hotel Chocolat
Hotel Chocolat, which owns more than 70 stores in the UK and is engaged in an expansion programme in the USA and Middle East, is a leading premium chocolatier and the only UK company to grow cocoa on its own plantation. Working with Markem-Imaje, Hotel Chocolat has recently installed eight new coding machines at its factory in Huntingdon as part of a project to further improve print quality on the production line and overall operational efficiency, as well as improving environmental performance and reducing waste.
Founded in 1988, the business was rebranded as Hotel Chocolat in 2003 and for the last decade it has specialised in the production of exclusive chocolates. Hotel Chocolat's cocoa plantation in Saint Lucia, the Rabot Estate is a corner stone in its Enagaged Ethics programme which has ensured the creation of new jobs and a secure income for local farmers.
Priding itself on being a business that offers a premium product whose appearance must facilitate an exclusive and theatrical retail consumer experience, Hotel Chocolat requires high-quality production equipment and capabilities to match customer expectations.
After identifying an opportunity to further improve packaging presentation as well as operational efficiencies, Hotel Chocolat consulted Markem-Imaje, seeking a more effective coding system.
The ability to use barcode scanning for job selection and a single image database, as well as a single software application to design and download images from, was essential. Changes to the packaging format also meant that coders which could print across a wider area were essential, while a cleaner, more reliable printer that was compatible with the network was also required to code the luxury presentation trays used by Hotel Chocolat.
In the last 4 years, Markem-Imaje has worked closely with Hotel Chocolat to implement a new coding and marking system, installing six SmartDate 5/128 thermal transfer coders on three production lines, coding paper and polypropylene films. In addition, two large character inkjet printers from the 5800 series were installed to print on the individual outer corrugated carton. A Nova 4 desktop printer was installed to print to paper labels and CoLOS software provided the single application on which images could be designed and downloaded.
Markem-Imaje SmartDate coders have provided Hotel Chocolat with an easy-to-use, intuitive coding system that delivers high-quality printing at very fast line speeds. The environmentally friendly 5800 series inkjet printers represent the next generation of Touch Dry Hot Melt technology using solvent free inks, delivering high-quality GS1-compliant codes and images that do not bleed or fade.
Consistently high-quality coding
To improve product presentation and provide as much on-pack information for the consumer as possible while achieving consistently high-quality coding in keeping with Hotel Chocolat's premium product branding, the packaging format was altered. The change in format, however, required coding equipment that could print more information, across a wider area.
Installing the SmartDate 5/128 series, capable of coding on a print area up to 128mm by 150mm, also helped Hotel Chocolat to increase line speeds by 77 per cent with no loss in print quality. An additional advantage is the ability to scan jobs using a bar code - this means that coding equipment does not have to be purged of previous job detail and eliminates operator error, increasing overall efficiency.
The 5800 inkjet printers, which use a wax-based ink, print at a higher resolution and have proved to be cleaner in the production environment than the old solvent-based equipment. Images are clearer, which in turn means that fewer packs are rejected due to poor print quality. The Markem-Imaje 5800 series also require less day-to-day maintenance, cutting unnecessary downtime.
This combination of increased line speeds, more reliable equipment that uses consumables such as ribbon and ink more efficiently and reduced downtime due to maintenance has helped Hotel Chocolat to improve line efficiency by 10 per cent.
One of the principle challenges that resulted from the change in packaging format was how to communicate the new information design to the printers. Finding a supplier who could provide the coding equipment with the necessary capabilities but who could also provide compatible software to design and manage the coding data was critical. The CoLOS software installed by Markem-Imaje has proved very effective in helping Hotel Chocolat to streamline its production process as well as providing reassurance that codes are consistent and compliant with all relevant regulation.
This streamlining of the operation was been a fundamental part of the project and the "one stop shop' provided by Markem-Imaje has been complemented by excellent customer service and quick access to local engineers whose expert knowledge covers all of the equipment and different technologies employed.
Markem-Imaje has continued to provide excellent customer service following the installation of the new equipment. Senior personnel have made regular visits to ensure the coding and labelling equipment and networking software continue to provide Hotel Chocolat with the most effective system.
The expertise of Markem-Imaje has also been valuable while sourcing the correct grade of ribbon for product development, and engineers that have carried out installations and software upgrades have always completed their work to a high standard, providing additional information about unit capabilities and software features whenever required.
For more information about the coding machines, printers and software, please visit www.markem-imaje.co.uk.
