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Continuous Ink JetBell LaboratoriesCase studyClear codes help BellLaboratories control rodentpopulation worldwideBell Laboratories, Inc.,in Madison, WI (US),manufactures a variety ofrodent control products forconsumers, as well as theprofessional pest control andagricultural industries, on sixcontinents.Humans have always been looking for ways to “build a better mousetrap”to keep the rodent population in check, and nearly everyone has seena cartoon mouse lured to a trap with a cleverly placed piece of cheese.In reality, rodent control products are designed and manufacturedby experts who continuously research products that will attract theseanimals and effectively control the population.Bell Labs produces a variety of products to help combat rodentinfestation. In fact, they can manufacture 12 tons of bait blocks — apopular type of rodent control product — in a typical eight-hour shift.
“It’s just very simple. Since theprinthead stays clean, we don’t needto spend any time cleaning it.”Josh Biederwolf, Extruder OperatorBell LaboratoriesBefore Bell Labs’ productsleave the manufacturingfacility, each package of bait,bait stations or traps must belabeled with a lot code or othertracking information to meetvarious requirements, includingU.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) regulations,internal quality controlmandates and customerspecial requests.To meet a demanding schedule and helpensure every package is properly coded, BellLabs relies on a Videojet 1510 ContinuousInk Jet (CIJ) printer.Bell’s rodent control products are available bothcommercially and in retail outlets worldwide.The company employs more than 300 people,and approximately 25 of its staff members workon packaging products for distribution duringthree shifts daily. Bell needs a reliable printer onthe line that is easy-to-use and can be switchedquickly to different lines within the facility.“Depending on the day, we can run 10 to 15production lines of different products, such asbait blocks, bait stations or mousetraps,” saysCathy Germain, first shift production supervisorfor Bell Laboratories. “All of the lines are set upfor different types of product and packaging, soit’s important that our people and equipmentare flexible.”During a typical week, Bell Labs employees maywork on different production lines each day,depending on production needs. In addition,the staff rotates through jobs on a particularproduction line on an hourly basis, so no one isdoing a single job for an entire shift.For example, on a bait block production line,employees each take turns filling plastic bucketswith bait, weighing and sealing buckets, andputting buckets into boxes and onto a skid forshipping.On the bait block production line, theingredients for the bait are added to a giantblender within the facility for mixing. Baitingredients include human-food products, suchas flour, sugar, oats and even butter pecanflavoring to make the bait enticing to rodents.The mixture is then sent through an extruder,cooled and moved to the filling area. Next,empty buckets are filled with bait as it comes offthe manufacturing line, and the filled bucketsare placed on a short conveyor for coding witha Videojet 1510 printer. After the buckets arecoded, they are weighed to ensure they containthe correct amount of product and then sealed.Finally, the buckets are placed into cartons thatare coded with the same information as thebuckets for product traceability. These cartonsare placed onto skids and sent to Bell Labs’distribution center for shipping to professionaland retail outlets.
“Codes on packagingchange several timesthroughout the daydepending on customerneeds or changesin orders,” says DanHineline, manufacturingmanager for Bell Labs.“We need a printerthat is easy to useso our operators canchange codes quicklyand personnel at allexperience levels canwork with the printer.”To meet the three-shift demand, the Videojet1510 printer is often running around the clock,but also may be idle for several hours whileother tasks are completed. Frequent startingand stopping can be difficult on a printer, butthe Videojet 1510 features a “sleep” mode sothe printer does not have to completely restartafter every idle period.Bell Labs has found that the printer performswell whether it is running continuously or isrestarted after a couple of hours of nonactivity.The EPA requires coding to track productscontaining poison in case of product recallor to track the product back to the point ofmanufacture to identify how much poisonthe product contains. Clear, crisp codes areimportant to meet both customer and EPArequirements. However, Bell Labs finds it mostoften uses the lot code information for its owninternal quality control process.
“We want to be able to turn ourprinter on and get good coding rightaway without worrying about it. TheVideojet printer is easy for our teamto use, and it just does its job.”Dan Hineline, Manufacturing ManagerBell Laboratories“Our stringent quality control team checksbatches of product before they are shippedout,” Hineline says. “If they find any issues witha batch, we can use the lot number to checkthe rest of the batch and track back to who wasworking on the production line that day. Thiscapability helps us resolve any issues beforeproducts leave the facility.”If customers request additional codeinformation on the packaging or if productsare shipped internationally, Bell Labs also canuse the Videojet 1510 to print additional linesof code on the buckets, such as use-by date.For international shipping, a use-by date or acompany name may be required for additionallevels of tracking.The Videojet 1510 printhead is designed tostay clean, with no recessed areas that cantrap fluid. The printhead also automaticallyadjusts to changes in the environment to helpensure high-quality print, regardless of ambienttemperature and humidity. The Bell Labs facilityexperiences changes in temperature duringthe day and throughout different seasons,with cooler temperatures in the morning andevening, and warmer temperatures duringthe day.Due to the powdery ingredients used in baitproducts, such as grains, the facility also canget dusty, which can clog printheads. However,the Bell Labs staff has found that the Videojet1510 maintains a consistent code quality evenin its tough environment.The simple interface of the Videojet 1510 hasresulted in reduced downtime as well. Becauseproduction line workers change roles and theprinter moves to different lines in the facility,multiple people interact with the printer. Thestaff has found that everyone can easily usethe printer to put codes on products andtroubleshoot minor problems to keep theprinter running. As a result, Bell Labs has notexperienced any unplanned downtime relatedto product marking and coding.“It’s just very simple,” says Josh Biederwolf,extruder operator for Bell Laboratories. “Sincethe printhead stays clean, we don’t need tospend any time cleaning it. With past ink jetcoders, we had to clean the printhead at leastonce in every shift, which could add up to about30 minutes each day.”
“It takes less than aminute to change thecode information becauseyou see your coderight on the printer’sscreen. The printernotifies us when it needstroubleshooting, and theprompts on the screentell us exactly what theissue is and how to fixit.” Josh Biederwolf,extruder operator for BellLaboratoriesThe Videojet 1510 is designed to run for9,000 hours — up to 18 months of operationin typical applications — before requiredpreventive maintenance.Operators receive an alert when it’s time for anew core (which consolidates filters, valves andthe pump into a single unit), and it typicallytakes just 30 minutes to replace. The modularcore can be replaced quickly with in-housestaff, rather than requiring a service call from atrained technician.Bell Labs also has found that the Videojet1510 Smart Cartridge fluid containers havereduced downtime due to ink installationerrors. The Videojet Smart Cartridge containsan embedded microchip that identifieswhether compatible fluid has been installed.This technology eliminates mistakes related toincompatible ink or make-up fluid, which canrequire a service call to fix.“The printer won’t let an operator install thewrong ink or make-up fluid,” Germain says.“The printer flashes an alert if an operatorinstalls an incompatible ink or if an inkcartridge was installed where the make-upfluids should go. It’s much easier and lessmessy than using the bottles of fluid we usedto pour into the printer — it’s even easier thanchanging the ink in an office computer printer.”
To serve its customers worldwide, Bell Labs makes it a toppriority to stay on schedule. The company uses a “just-in-time”(JIT) production strategy, so it manufactures and packagesproducts to meet immediate customer orders, reducinginventory. If the production line experiences downtime,customer deadlines may be compromised.“We want to be able to turn our printer on and get good codingright away without worrying about it,” Hineline says. “TheVideojet printer is easy for our team to use, and it just does itsjob.”With easy-to-use marking and coding technology thatmaximizes line uptime, Bell Laboratories foresees a brightfuture built on a 35-year history as a leader in rodent controltechnology.Call 65 6444 4218Email marketing.singapore@videojet.comor visit www.videojet.sgVideojet Technologies (S) Pte LtdNo. 11 Lorong 3 Toa PayohBlock B #03-20/21 Jackson SquareSingapore 319579 2014 Videojet Technologies Inc. — All rights reserved.Videojet Technologies Inc.’s policy is one of continued product improvement.We reserve the right to alter design and/or specifications without notice.
Videojet printer is easy for our team to use, and it just does its job.” Dan Hineline, Manufacturing Manager Bell Laboratories “It takes less than a minute to change the code information because you see your code right on the printer’s screen. The printer notifies us when it needs troubleshooting, and the prompts on the screen tell us exactly what the issue is and how to fix it.” Josh .
