Label applicators capable of packing soft drinks without causing damage to their containers are likely to become increasingly significant as new and different types of packaging are introduced.

According to a new report from Euromonitor International, there is growth potential for soft drink manufacturers in “using packaging to create a product with unique benefits”.

That could mean advanced containers that can chill or heat a drink through a chemical process, or simply new types of pouch or cup containers.

Any one of those types of wrapping poses its own challenges, whether due to being delicate, or presenting a curved surface to which labels must be affixed.

With modern label applicators, however, these challenges can be overcome, and the necessary branding, ingredients lists and health notifications fastened securely and neatly to the packaging.

By combining fast, efficient and effective labelling machines with your wrapping machinery, you can create an end-to-end process for packing and labelling your product.

In many cases, our customers find their new labelling machines pay for themselves in terms of raised efficiency and increased aesthetic appeal of the finished product.

Tyre manufacturers will face a need for labelling machines by the end of the year, as new labelling requirements are due to come into effect in November 2012.

For manufacturers, that means it’s time to invest in wrapping machinery with built-in labellers, so the necessary information can be affixed to each tyre as it is produced.

Information that should be clearly displayed includes the noise levels produced by the tyre during normal operation, its braking characteristics in wet weather, and its impact on fuel efficiency.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of tyre safety campaign TyreSafe, says: “This new legislation is one of the biggest changes to affect the way drivers buy tyres in recent years, but many motorists don’t even know it’s going to happen.”

TyreSafe are now working to educate drivers about the new legislation, so they are more aware of the labels when they see them for the first time.

For tyre manufacturers, investing in labelling machines that can add the information to existing tyre labelling is an important step towards preparing for the transition.

Modern wrapping machinery can handle such tasks quickly and easily – and may even raise your overall productivity in the process.

Manufacturers of potentially hazardous substances for domestic use will have to take new UN-wide guidelines into account in their bottle labelling between now and 2017.

Over the coming five years, several UN-wide pictograms are being introduced, so that travellers anywhere within the United Nations will understand the risks of a particular product, even if they cannot read the language in which it is labelled.

Some of the symbols are familiar – a skull for toxic substances, for example – while others are different or relatively new, such as the dead fish and bare-branched tree that together represent potential harm to the environment.

The new icons are covered by a guide from the Chemical Hazards Communication Society, whose chairman Stuart Longworth welcomes the new guidelines.

He says: “They will make life easier for consumers when they travel, and businesses when they import and export products, because there will eventually only be one set of symbols to deal with throughout most of the world.”

The news may be positive for manufacturers who ship internationally, as hazardous bottle labelling is likely to involve fewer different pictograms for different countries.

However, domestic suppliers may want to ensure they know which of their warnings will be affected – and that their labelling machines can cope with the switch to the new symbols.

Labellers that are able to add augmented reality elements to product packaging could represent the future of bringing online-like shopping into bricks-and-mortar stores.

In its third quarterly Conversation Index, social analysis specialist Bazaarvoice suggests a number of ways to allow high-street outlets to compete with eCommerce sites.

One such way is to use intelligent packaging to add interactivity to products – for example by allowing user-generated reviews from the internet to be read in real-world shops.

Labellers offer plenty of possible ways to achieve this for forward-thinking firms, whether they are retailers or suppliers.

Most products already carry a barcode which could be scanned by smartphone users for more information, while many now also feature a QR code – a square pattern of black and white blocks – that has the same potential.

Alternatively, augmented reality is an option – this could allow the smartphone’s display to show the product packaging with extra information superimposed over certain parts of its design.

“Every day, consumers share their opinions and experiences with other consumers – and brands,” says Bazaarvoice CMO Erin Mulligan Nelson.

“Smart brands take the data these conversations reveal and use it to learn more: more about what consumers think, feel, need, and want.”

Orchard Valley Foods’ new labelling machine, a Pack Leader ELF-50 bottle labelling machine available in the UK solely from Advanced Dynamics, is helping the baking-mix and ingredients supplier to raise its throughput and the professionalism of its labels.

The ELF-50 is a versatile bottle labelling solution, able to be relocated with relative ease and adjustable for different sizes of round bottle – perfect for Orchard Valley Foods’ range of different products.

Stuart Blumberg, site engineer at Orchard Valley Foods, says the labelling machine has initially been installed on a production line handling 165g own-branded tubs of confections and decorations under the Secret Ingredients range.

“The ELF-50 is handling 15-20 tubs per minute and has speeded up our production line,” he says. “The labels are also more professional in appearance.”

He adds that Orchard Valley Foods will now consider buying labelling machines from Advanced Dynamics in order to meet their future needs.

Whatever industry you are in, our range is likely to contain labellers that can perform to a high standard and with a professional finish – just ask if you need specific guidance.

Denesters are an important way to keep throughput levels high when producing large volumes of goods.

Working alongside labelling machines, denesters separate out each tray, box or bucket from a stack of containers, quickly and reliably, and without putting human workers at risk of repetitive strain injury.

It seems producing more individual products, rather than bundling numerous items together, can have a positive knock-on effect for revenues, too.

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that shoppers often take all of the items in a package into account when deciding what it is worth.

So, for example, they may be willing to pay less for a television that comes with a video cable than they would be if they had to buy the cable separately.

It’s not just a case of the individual items being priced higher – bundling them really does lower the perceived value of the product.

If you’re keen to make larger numbers of individual products – or you’re simply expanding your output due to growing demand – denesters are a great way to automate your packaging processes.

They can also save space, as you may be able to switch to more nested containers, cutting down on the storage space your packaging takes up before it is used.

Pack Leader PRO bottle labelling equipment can comfortably meet the needs of industries with high throughput and quality standards.

The range incorporates a number of different labelling machines – including the PL521 horizontal wrap system, the PRO-515 wraparound labelling machine and the PRO-516 twin label-reel system.

With the Pack Leader PRO-625 bottle labelling machine, meanwhile, cosmetics companies can quickly and accurately label products ranging from deodorant and fragrances, to insect repellent.

Malcolm Little, joint managing director of Advanced Dynamics, says: “The PRO equipment from Pack Leader is an eye-catching range of cutting-edge label applicators, ideally suited for industries such as cosmetics, which have very demanding standards.”

The range is among Advanced Dynamics’ newer lines of machinery and allows companies to prepare for the rise in activity as the UK economy recovers from its recent turbulence.

By investing in labelling machines with greater throughput, you can raise your output levels, ensuring you are able to cope with demand as orders begin to arrive in higher numbers, and for higher volume shipments, over the coming months.

Labellers that affix the proper information to products – particularly those for human consumption – are a must to avoid costly and embarrassing product recalls.

This week, the Food Standards Agency revealed that supermarket chain Morrisons has had to recall 250g packs of its Carvery Cooked Ham with the use-by date March 13th 2012, due to mislabelling the product.

Although it contains mustard, the labels used do not include the ingredient among their allergy warnings – causing a product recall and triggering an FSA allergy alert.

Morrisons is refunding all customers who return a pack of the appropriate ham, while allergy organisations have been asked to contact any members who might be affected.

The case highlights how using labellers incorrectly can lead to a financial and public relations disaster – even, as in this case, if the product itself is fit for consumption by the right customers.

By investing in modern labelling machines, you may find it easier to update designs to carry the correct information, as well as to reapply labels if an error is spotted before the batch is dispatched.