When shopping for consumables the choice of a product is made in a matter of seconds. With such an incredibly brief decision-making process, it is even more important for a brand to stand out on the supermarket shelf. During this crucial so called ‘moment of truth’ a label can significantly help in attracting consumers’ attention and encouraging them to select one beverage over another. In today’s changing market a manufacturer needs to be able to adapt quickly to succeed. Sidel offers a wide range of labelling solutions to enable beverage producers to bring new products to market quickly, using flexible and reliable solutions to meet fast-paced consumer trends.
Challenges to meet new consumer trends
The consumers of today are more concerned with beverages that reflect their personality and individuality. It is no longer enough to deliver a quality product in a package with any label. A key contributor to success is personalisation and products that match the consumer’s lifestyle. A successful example of adapting to consumer trends is Coca-Cola’s personalised label redesigns in their impactful “Share A Coke” campaign. It was a simple idea with a great outcome – a 2% increase in sales in the US.
Trends impact the way we perceive products – especially their packaging and specifically the labelling. In the trend landscape of today, it is no longer just a case of creating a concept and getting it to the consumer safely and successfully. It requires the manufacturer to be fast, flexible and willing to challenge convention. It is about thinking consumer first and thoroughly understanding how to build end-user engagement. Labellers that are flexible and offer the capacity for simple and fast changeovers can, in this new trend landscape, help to bring new products to market quickly and efficiently.
For beverage producers, the challenge lies in following new consumer trends while incorporating these successfully into production and across the supply chain. It is not as simple as having the product “speak” to the consumer. There is the long production process to consider and consumer trends are also driving changes in this area. Many consumers expect sustainable production and a fully recyclable product. Great labelling can, in turn, improve the beverage producer's green profile with thinner, glueless and therefore more eco-friendly labelling, deliver a reduction in costs across several areas - from materials to maintenance – as well as a boost in productivity.
Innovative solutions for all labelling needs
As the leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging, Sidel has the experience to meet beverage producers’ needs for both attractive packaging and sustainable production. Sidel understands the importance of equipment quality and reliability, as well as the need for equipment and services that are responsive and flexible, adapting easily to changing production requirements. Sidel offers innovative labelling technologies that can help beverage producers, whatever those production requirements.
Over more than 40 years of labelling experience, Sidel has installed almost 4,000 labelling machines worldwide. The range of many different technologies developed by the company over that time is extensive and the solutions offered currently includes rollfed, pressure-sensitive, pre-cut and shrink-sleeve labelling machines. These are suitable for many different types and shapes of containers and items, from liquids to food, oils, cosmetics and household goods. Sidel labelling solutions are easy to use and flexible, enabling producers to adopt different label types and materials on the same machine. All Sidel labelling solutions are designed to maximise both the impact the products make on the shelf and the profit earned on each item sold.
Michele Morrone, a member of the Labelling Product Management team at Sidel, comments: "The way goods are labelled has a significant impact on their success in the marketplace, with the design and branding a major influencer on consumer purchasing decisions. Producing attractively labelled products cost effectively is therefore crucial."
Rollfed remains a popular option
The hot-glue application of rollfed labels remains the main method through which PETcontainers for soft drinks and water are labelled. Although paper labels are still applied, the continued success of rollfed labelling is today mostly down to plastic labels, which remain popular with both producers and consumers thanks to their physical and practical qualities. Having a high-gloss finish, they are waterproof and consequently less likely to be affected by adverse storage and transportation conditions.
The latest generation of Sidel Matrix™ SL70 is a highly modular rollfed labeller with an output of up to 60,000 bottles per hour (bph), which can be installed in various different layouts and easily reconfigured. Changeover times for containers of different shapes and dimensions are 30% faster than previous generations and can be achieved in just 25 minutes by a single operator. With an open structure for easy cleaning, it requires 40% less downtime for maintenance. It has direct drive motorisation which eliminates the need for lubrication points, has no requirement for below-the-table maintenance and has easily replaceable main modules.
Sleeve and rollfed labels: both applied by one unique machine
Statistics reveal that the market for shrink sleeve labelling (SSL)is growing faster than any other labelling process. There are several reasons for this success. The larger area available for graphics on high-shrinkage, full-body sleeves naturally presents designers with greater opportunity for creativity. The extra space also facilitates the positioning of data such as volume, contents, barcode and other legally required information, as well as enabling producers to add messages and communications of their own. By covering the whole bottle including the cap, the label sleeve can also serve effectively as a seal. In the case of sensitive beverages, it can be used as a light barrier to protect the contents. As the sleeve is heat-shrunk into position, it adapts to any surface and eliminates restrictions due to container shape. It also removes the need for glue and solvents, therefore making recycling of the basic PET raw material much easier.
Designed to meet growing demand for shrink sleeve labels, Sidel Rollsleeve is a flexible rotary labeller that offers production flexibility in terms of labelling. It allows easy switching between sleeves and rollfed label application in a single machine, requiring only ten more minutes than a normal changeover. It also offers the ability to use multiple types of label material to achieve sustainability and cost savings. Sidel Rollsleeve is unique in terms of the sleeve creation, which takes place within the machine. This requires far less operation on the converter side and label costs are therefore substantially reduced. The machine is equipped with an ergonomically designed, robust and precise linear labelling station. The infeed roller, driven by servomotors, and a single rotating knife, create a clean, precise and waste-free cut every time. It is one of the fastest sleevers on the market, running at speeds of up to 54,000 bph.
Premium self-adhesive and reliable cold-glue labelling
Ideal for long print runs, the cold-glue application of labels is a proven and established method still dominating the food and beverage industry because of its exceptional reliability. Also having a high market-share, self-adhesive, pressure-sensitive labels (PSL) are particularly suited to the premium labelling of both beverages and non-beverages. This is because of the number of shape, size and imaging opportunities that they present to producers.
The Sidel SL 90 is a high-speed rotary labeller designed for both self-adhesive and cold-glued labels. It can easily switch between both kinds of labels through the simple replacement of the modular labelling stations. A smart modular labeller that delivers high-quality output and gives producers maximum flexibility in applying labels to all kinds of packaging, the Sidel SL 90 carries out the high-quality placement of pressure sensitive labels. Optimised label stretching reduces the risk of wrinkles and bubbles and high label adhesion results in an attractive ‘no-label’ look. This labeller is exceptionally reliable for cold glue label application, even under extreme production conditions such as 24-hour operation and high temperatures. It is also suitable for high speeds and offers excellent flexibility.
Sidel is continually innovating in the field of labelling to meet growing market demands in terms of efficiency, sustainability, safety and low maintenance. Output rates are increasing to meet the demands of high production. Many developments are designed to reduce usage of raw material (label thickness, glue, etc) and consumption of energy. The design of the labellers is being simplified, with a greater attention paid to ergonomics for more user-friendly operation and reduced maintenance.
Labels can help significantly in making a beverage product stand out on the supermarket shelf
The modular Sidel Matrix™ SL70 primarily uses wraparound roll-fed technology
The Sidel SL90 high-speed rotary labeller is able to switch quickly between self-adhesive and cold-glue labels
Quick format changeovers: on the Sidel Matrix™ SL70, just 25 minutes by a single operator
