With the increasing number of short production runs packaged on demand, industrial sites have to find efficient labelling systems to avoid having to maintain enormous stocks of packaging. In Genlis, SigmaKalon has opted for a simple solution developed specifically for runs of this kind: Ninette labelling machines made by CDA.
The SigmaKalon factory in Genlis is a combined production site and logistics centre for the group’s products, especially the ranges for professional users. It makes 39,000 tons of paint and anticorrosion products and handles the logistics for 43,000 tons. The main brands represented at Genlis are Gauthier, Seigneurie, Guittet and Freitag (an anticorrosion product). SigmaKalon generates worldwide revenue of 1.8 billion euros. It is the second largest paint manufacturer in Europe, with products for both professional users and the general public. In France, SigmaKalon is the market leader for paints, with a staff of about 2,500 and revenue of 400 million euros.
Paint tins are usually silkscreen printed, but the minimum order is 8,000 tins. SigmaKalon today handles many production runs ranging from a few dozen units to several thousand. The factory thus has stocks of all-purpose tins that are personalised as required using labels. Several labelling so-lutions were studied at group level: the first consisted of installing automatic machines on the sites in Amiens and Bethune. “This solution is a very advanced one that is still in use, but it is rather complex; in particular, we have difficulties managing multiple formats as well as with the series switch-over times. It is also expensive because it is probably oversized for our requirements,” says Clovis Capitani, the new work manager at the SigmaKalon factory in Genlis. Labelling by hand was never a realistic option. It is less pleasing aesthetically and above all not very rational from an economic standpoint, being extremely labour-intensive.
The Genlis site has opted for semi-automatic Ninette machines made by CDA. “They cost only one tenth as much as automatic machines but they meet the same requirements,” Clovis Capitani points out. Their simple mechanism makes them easy to use and the labelling rates they provide are ten times faster than labelling by hand. As a result, labelling for the whole site only necessitates the equivalent of one and a half full-time jobs. In the light of this success, the solution is now being studied by the SigmaKalon group with a view to possible generalisation. The labels are subcontracted and then overprinted on the site using thermal printers. Strips of labels are thus prepared in accordance with the various production programmes.
Semi-automatic machines
The Ninette is based on the following operating principle: the tins are placed by hand and the machine then affixes the label by turning the tin. The machine can be adapted to handle various tin diameters and label shapes. Three Ninette labellers are sufficient for all SigmaKalon’s tin sizes (from 1 to 20 l) and labels. CDA’s Ninette range is very flexible because it can also be used to label bottles, tinned foods, containers and cartons. The machines were nonetheless personalised for SigmaKalon. An extra metal part was fitted to lift the handles of the tins as they turn, to enable the labels to be glued on.
CDA bases its machine design policy on a search for essentials: functional analyses are used to define the mechanism or automatic system necessary in each case. The company’s development philosophy puts the accent on simplicity, efficiency and ergonomics. As another major development principle, CDA gives preference wherever possible to tried and tested components in line with the market standard.
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