Product identification is crucial to business production. It’s one of the most fundamental objectives, especially for companies engaged in manufacturing. There are many ways a brand or product marketing is made possible, one of which is through labeling. A label is usually a material printed with some information. It’s attached to a product to help potential and existing customers easily recognize your brand.
Because of technological advancement, labeling has widened its scope in promoting goods. Years ago, attaching the names of products was done by hand. It only usually involved the product’s name, and the print would fade out quickly. However, advertisers and manufacturers today have devised more durable labels. Many manufacturers prefer temperature resistant labels and those tags that retain their sheen even if exposed to all kinds of conditions. There’s also more information printed on them, including product specifications, production details, and warnings. They may also bear the name and contact details of the manufacturer.
Your Guide To Using Heavy-Duty Labels
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Why Use Heavy-Duty Labels?
A label gives information that’s specific to the product. It also provides an assurance of safety for public consumption. After buying a product for the first time, customers will look up its label details and easily make a re-order or recommend them to family and friends.
Improved efficiencies in the supply chain are made possible by proper product identification. It ensures that the appropriate product is promptly delivered to the right consumer. It also makes products more distinguishable because of each one’s unique presentation. A remarkable label will also increase product visibility and value across the market.
Product labels and packaging are usually discarded during and after product use. Using heavy-duty tags will help you remain active in the industry and in the memory of your consumers for a long time. A durable label can retain a product’s details even long after the item has been consumed.
Heavy-duty labels are also beneficial in heavy industries like automobile manufacturing, fuel and oil, and mining. Labels in these settings must withstand severe conditions, including exposure to chemicals and high temperatures. In such industries, there’s more to labeling than just reliable stickers that won’t peel off.
You need heavy-duty labels to ensure that the information about your product is preserved even if it’s subjected to not-so-ideal conditions. As a manufacturer, it’s your objective to place essential details on products built for significant wear and tear.
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What Are The Labeling Regulations?
Manufacturers are responsible for developing a marking and labeling system for their respective firms and products. It must not only satisfy their individual demands but also live up to the standards set by regulatory agencies and their customers’ expectations.
Non-compliance would lead to legal issues that are better avoided while you do business. Some jurisdictions will sanction regulation violators with production stoppage. At the same time, the majority of the states will impose heavy penalty charges for violating labeling requirements.
Equipment producers, in particular, must manage regulatory requirements from various sources, including how these products are to be labeled. Every sector of the economy has its own set of regulations that must be followed. It’s to provide a risk-free working environment for employees and a satisfactory degree of product functionality for customers.
Regulations that govern labeling can be quite a tedious process to comply with. You should conduct a review of these standards and provisions as they’re updated constantly. In cases where you may have off-site branches, you need to check the requirements set by the controlling agencies in those locations, as these vary from state to state.
It’s common for each labeling material to have different performance and durability requirements. These will affect the choice of your product design, substance, and attachment method. In manufacturing or factory areas, such tags are often used in labeling assets, like pieces of machinery, vehicles, and equipment, for inventory and monitoring.
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What Are The Different Labeling Materials?
The materials you’ll use must also comply with the labeling standards.
Your labels’ symbols, colors, or pictograms must be easily recognizable by anyone who may get access to them. It’s crucial that their features must not fade, discolor, or peel off for a long time. This is because these colors and symbols are the components that alert consumers to possible risks or hazards they may face when they use your products.
The materials to be used for your labels must comply with the safety standards in the industry. Some may be combustible and aren’t safe for you or your workers, especially if you’re manufacturing chemicals and other flammable substances. When dealing with chemicals, many substances may react negatively when exposed to each other.
Metals or high-performance polymers are typically used to produce labels classified as heavy-duty. The printing or etching of detailed designs is made much easier by using these materials, which have high-quality and smooth surfaces.
Non-paper synthetic materials, most commonly polypropylene, polyester, or polyethylene, are three widely used materials for heavy-duty labels. Sometimes, a blend of polypropylene and polyesters is also used to create labels designed to last for an extended period. These materials can withstand being torn, scratched, and exposed to the elements. They’re also resistant to the effects of oils and chemicals.
In the information technology or the power supply industry, you need to ensure that your labels for equipment, gadgets, and devices are non-combustible and non-conductors of electricity. They must also be resistant to moisture, high temperatures, and UV rays.
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What Are The Heavy-Duty Label Adhesives
Label sealants are vital for every manufacturer there is, but finding the most effective adhesive that fits your needs can be challenging. Some adhesives perform better on plastic than glass, and specialty goods require even greater care. You can start by learning the fundamental label adhesive types if you require personalized labels.
Adhesives for labels designed for high-pressure and extreme conditions are usually dense, soft, and sticky. As expected, when applied to label materials like vinyl, polypropylene, or specialized paper, they do stick for an extended period of time. So, even if weather, temperature, and other factors abruptly change, they stay where they should be.
Here are some types of heavy-duty adhesives:
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Acrylic-Based Adhesives
One popular type of adhesives used for heavy-duty labels is acrylic adhesives. They give the most satisfactory results with their long-term bonding capabilities. They’re the best choice for tags used and attached to metals and hazardous materials. They’re also used in labels with better durability or those that can survive UV radiation and the majority of chemical solvents.
It’s tough to stick on label materials with low surface energy. Low surface energy, or LSE, materials include vinyl, polyethylene, and polystyrene. They’re usually identified by their distinct surface features, which make it more difficult for pressure-sensitive adhesives to stick on.
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Rubber-Based Adhesives
Such types of adhesives have the ability to stick to surfaces with lesser energy. They’re perfect for use as a general-purpose glue for hard-to-stick-on surfaces. Additionally, they’re typically the more cost-effective option than their acrylic counterparts.
Rubber-based adhesives are popularly used on industrial machinery and equipment. Even if exposed to harsh and weather-beaten environments, they’re able to maintain their quality and serve their purpose.
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Do You Need To Have Your Own Label Printers?
Heavy-duty labels need high-end printers capable of printing on specialized, synthetic, and adhesive-type materials, which ordinary printers can’t accommodate. These printers are known to be quite expensive. It’s why some manufacturers hire printing services for their labeling needs. However, doing so may significantly impact your finances due to the costs involved.
With such an option, you’ll need to send batches of materials for printing as your need arises. Also, you may need to hire more workers to take charge of the logistics and monitor your label printing activities, especially if you are dealing with UN Class 9 dangerous goods, which require specific handling and labeling. If you hire printing services, you need your firm’s contact person to oversee, follow up, and communicate with the service provider.
Depending on your financial capacity, having your own printing press for your heavy-duty labeling needs may be more cost-efficient in the long run. But, of course, you’ll need people to operate your equipment. You’ll have to have someone monitor the printing schedules and other related activities to ensure that production won’t be hampered in any way. There’s also a need for printer maintenance services to ensure optimum printer performance to avoid delays and hassles in label printing.
In A Nutshell
Labels are the simplest way to communicate the proper handling, storing, and usage of products to consumers.
Different product types require labels that are also made of different types of materials. Your choice is critical, knowing the nature and the uniqueness of each of the labeling materials in the market. As a manufacturer, there’s a lot to consider, like ascertaining the surface material where you want to apply the labels, the conditions where the products will be stored or used, and many other requirements.
You can choose from many options, such as platform labels, container labels, and asset inventory markings, to name a few. Investing in these long-lasting labels can help preserve your assets and products. It also ensures that any and all known threats can be controlled at the manufacturing level.
