Platform for the food and beverage industry
The label is the preferred way for food companies to inform their customers. An aspect to which more and more attention is being paid. After all, consumers want to be better and better informed. To help automate this process, there is label software today that can work with variable data. Presa's labeling software specialist Jeremy Janssens explains what benefits customers can reap from this and how Presa provides comprehensive support.
Labeling is an important part of the packaging process for food companies. After all, they are required by law to provide consumers with the necessary information, for example on the presence of allergens, nutritional value, production date and shelf life. An evolution that will be reinforced in the future, when Nutri- and Ecoscores will also get a (mandatory) prominent place on the label. Jeremy Janssens, Presa software engineer: "To give form to all this information, more and more food companies are turning to labeling software. This ensures that all the information is present and also clearly legible for the consumer."
An important new development is the use of labeling software with label templates. "This makes it child's play for companies to keep track of exactly what information is needed with each product. In other words, the data can vary depending on the product. The software then extracts the necessary data each time from superordinate systems such as ERP or WMS, without the risk of human error. In this way, food companies not only comply with labeling obligations but also enable far-reaching traceability of their products." This way of working has actually been around for some time. Yet food companies are only now beginning to resort to it. "This is mainly due to ignorance. Food companies mainly devote themselves to optimizing their products. It's up to us as a technology supplier to keep them abreast of new techniques that make their production more efficient and safer."
With BarTender and NiceLabel net, Presa has two of the leading representatives of label software that thus enable comprehensive label management. "We resolutely choose two A-brands, so that customers can be sure that when there are changes to the legal framework, they will automatically find them in the next software update." Presa, of course, also adds its usual support. "We engage with our customers about exactly what is needed on the label. The less data needed, the less time will creep into the programming of these templates and thus the cost. That's why it's crucial to have enough knowledge in-house to distinguish the must-haves from the nice-to-haves." Presa is able to guide clients through the entire process. "From the design of the label, to the discussions with the manufacturer of the ERP or WMS solution to establish the links to always have the right data. In addition, we guide them on how to make adjustments themselves afterwards. With half a day of training, they can further follow this up perfectly themselves."
What makes Presa the partner of choice for labeling solutions is that it offers a total package. "There is a clear demand from the food industry for this type of solution. We are able to completely relieve customers in this area. On the one hand by having both the hardware, being the printers, and the software for label management in-house. But also by matching products with our customers' application expertise. That expertise is crucial to convert all the data needed into a printable label," Janssens concludes.
