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Imaje Use Their Loaf to Meet the Bakery Challenge

March 11, 2005 -- One major supermarket chain has issued a challenge to its bread suppliers; to code directly onto bread bags to ensure effective traceability throughout the product's life. Currently all the coding information is recorded on the plastic tape or clip used to fasten the bread bag. Once opened, however, and the tape or clip is removed, the traceability is effectively lost.



Imaje have a proven track record in the bakery industry, having supplied many well known bakeries with equipment to code the best-before dates and other product traceability information onto primary and secondary packaging for cakes, biscuits, naan breads, crackers, speciality breads and pies. When recently approached by a well-known bakery to meet the new traceability requirements, Imaje were able to quickly supply a customised solution.



The application presented two main problems; firstly an odour-free, fast-drying ink which would not "taint" the bread, and secondly, the printhead had to be positioned in such a way that irregularities in loaf shapes could be accommodated.



A solution currently being tested in some bakeries involves spraying hot melt wax onto the bread bags; this is a process that requires the printhead to be in close proximity to the product. Due to this closeness, the process carries a high risk of the plastic bread bag melting should the hot printhead come into actual contact with the product. In addition, the code can easily be scratched off during the handling process which limits its suitability for traceability.



The Imaje solution, on the other hand, uses the versatile S8 Master inkjet printer, which already has a well-earned reputation for reliability. The S8 Master printhead can be placed over 30 mm away from the product without losing the quality of the code, thereby offering a degree of flexibility when coding irregular shaped loaves. Imaje have also developed an odour-free ink that still maintains the excellent adhesion properties of its solvent-based counterpart, with no increase in drying time and without the risk of tainting the taste of the bread.



The S8 Master is compatible with the recently developed Imaje CustomDate+ software. This software enables variable information such as best-before dates from an external device (such as a barcode reader) to be inserted automatically into a previously selected message during the production process in "real time". For example, when taking bakery shift patterns into consideration, the software would allow night production, which effectively runs over two days, to be coded with the same date information. Therefore the software avoids manual input and reduces the risk of coding errors.



Other printer features such as the vapour recovery system, automatic ink-pressure adjustment and continuous automatic regulation of ink viscosity ensure the S8 Master delivers consistently high quality marking and excellent reliability at a very competitive price. An IP65 version is also available for use in harsh production environments.



"Imaje work closely with their customers to ensure they have the best possible solution to their coding and traceability requirements," comments Steve Ellison, Sales Manager, Imaje UK. "We keep ahead of new legislation affecting coding and traceability issues, in all industries, to ensure we offer the best possible solution to our customers. We regularly invest in time and resources to develop bespoke applications for individual customers - ensuring that their installation accurately meets all the given criteria. This not only relates to equipment and software, but also inks and ancillary equipment."



Mr Ellison goes on to explain, "The Imaje ink developed for use by the bakery industry poses no threat of tainting the food.We recognised there was a demand for an odour-free, quick drying ink with excellent adhesion properties and set about developing one ..... as far as Imaje are concerned, it's as simple as that!" concluded Mr Ellison.

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