Salsicciamo has significantly enhanced its production process by transitioning to linerless labelling.
The renowned artisan sausage maker, an award recipient, noted that this transition has streamlined operations. As a result, the company is enjoying increased flexibility, cost savings, faster labelling application speeds, and improved sustainability in its food and beverage packaging.
Giuseppe Roberti, founder of Salsicciamo, stated: “We have seen numerous improvements, the most significant being our transition from manual label application to fully automated labelling lines. Since moving to linerless, we are now experiencing faster labelling speeds, enabling us to pack and label a wider range of products more time efficiently.”
Application speeds have surged by 133%, allowing retailers to benefit from quicker order turnarounds. Previously, sausage packs were labelled manually at a rate of about 15 packs per minute. With the full automation enabled by linerless technology, production now reaches 35 packs per minute.
Roberti added: “Linerless labels are extremely cost-effective, and we are seeing a 50% saving on material costs when compared to the self-adhesive labels we were using previously.”
Linerless materials go directly from the mill to the printer, thereby eliminating the costly conversion processes associated with self-adhesive labels. Siliconised liner paper is both energy-intensive and expensive. By removing the liner and silicone, no waste is sent to landfill. Consequently, linerless labelling results in reduced transportation, fewer journeys, and lower CO2 emissions.
When comparing self-adhesive to linerless labelling, the label dimensions of the self-adhesive labels were entered into Ravenwood’s CO2 calculator. The results indicate that each reel of 3,000 labels prevents 13kg of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. Additionally, this approach saves 83 square meters of liner from going to landfill. After evaluating the wide-ranging benefits, Salsicciamo opted to purchase a Nobac 5000 linerless applicator equipped with a 53mm coder.
Roberti noted: “The Nobac 5000 can reach speeds of 100 packs per minute and has future-proofed our production line.”
Salsicciamo requested Ravenwood to develop a single flexible labelling format capable of accommodating multiple tray sizes. Their sausage products were packaged in four distinct trays, all sharing the same width and length but differing in height. Additionally, Giuseppe Roberti wanted the labels applied along the narrow edge to optimize shelf space in retail environments. In response, Ravenwood’s Keyline Designer created a c-wrap linerless label design that perfectly meets these requirements.
He said: “Using the same label size for all of our sausage products has made things so much easier. We no longer have to adjust the label applicator’s settings, which has really streamlined the labelling application process and enabled us to work much faster.”
Salsicciamo’s labels are printed by UK linerless printer Coveris, which is a leading European packaging and labelling company.
Before adopting linerless labels, Salsicciamo utilized a self-adhesive desktop printer to produce the self-adhesive labels, which were manually applied. However, with the installation of the new Nobac 5000 linerless applicator, labelling processes have been completely transformed, resulting in increased employee satisfaction. Previously, factory staff found the manual application process slow and repetitive, forcing them to spend extended periods in a cold environment. With more time freed up, employees can now assist in other areas of the production line.
