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Krispy Kreme Case Study... |
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Home-->
Applicators--> Print and Apply-->
Case Study |
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  No
holes in labeling program at Krispy Kreme
The doughnut maker's box labels go round and round -- but they
always end up in exactly the right place, thanks to a custom
labeling solution
How fast do production lines have to go?
When those production lines are carrying Krispy Kreme doughnuts
ready for shipment to grocery stores, the answer is as fast as
humanly possible.
Many people are familiar with Krispy Kreme, which makes those
absurdly tasty confections that are quickly becoming known
worldwide. They may have stopped by the company's doughnut
shops, or picked up a box or two at area grocery or convenience
stores.
Wholesale bakeries supply the stores with boxes of doughnuts.
And it is in these bakeries that a special labeling solution
speeds the baked goodies to their destinations. A unique
printer/applicator, customized for Krispy Kreme and with a
durable print engine from SATO America, keys the stand-alone
system.
Labeler company rises to challenge
Like the ingredients used to start the baking process, the start
of this solution was humble enough. Ellington, Connecticut-based
Action Packaging Systems sent out one of its regular mailings,
looking for business. The family-owned business supplies labels
and labelers, including its dependable Gold Seal tamp/blow
printer/applicator unit, to a growing list of customers
throughout the U.S.
The mailing went to a distributor who dealt with Krispy Kreme
and knew the company was looking for a labeling solution. He
mentioned the need to Action Packaging President Doug Rice. Rice
made his way down to Krispy Kreme's headquarters in
Winston-Salem, NC, and learned the company was searching for a
printing solution that would quickly and accurately place round,
variable-information labels on different-sized doughnut boxes as
they came to the end of the bakeries' conveyor lines.
Though Krispy Kreme was testing other solutions, Rice was
confident he had the right one -- a customized Gold Seal. He was
so confident, in fact, that he went ahead and built a prototype,
even painting it the distinctive Krispy Kreme green. He did it
because "I just felt really good about this one. They seemed
like good, honest people."
His judgment, like the doughnuts, was perfect, and his effort
paid off. In surprisingly short order -- from first contact to
first unit shipped, about six weeks -- the special
printer/applicators began precisely applying the labels in the
wholesale bakeries. Currently, approximately 30 units are
streamlining production for Krispy Kreme suppliers.
Rice
says one thing Krispy Kreme executives liked about the unit was
its simplicity. The Gold Seal printer/applicator has just two
buttons -- no knobs to adjust, no gauges, no switches. "It's
what we call 'second-shift-proof,' " says Rice.
The semiautomatic system is completely self-contained on a cart,
neatly packaged with the works -- air compressor, vacuum pump,
electrical -- in a cabinet underneath the unit. Wires run from
cabinet to junction box to the unit. Finally, a drawer
containing a keypad slides out of the way when not in use.
"It's very portable, and that's important," says Tim Honeycutt,
Certified Purchasing Manager and vice president of purchasing
for Krispy Kreme. "We use our production areas for a variety of
products, and not all of them need the printer there. So we can
roll it in or out as needed."
Durability was an important consideration, since bakeries can be
a bit dusty and production areas are regularly washed down.
Again, Rice had no doubts about the Gold Seal. It's built to
wear well, to "just run" every day. For example, says Rice, "our
take-up waste motor has no chains, no belts. It's direct drive
and electric. We've never replaced one," he says. And its
direct-thermal, SATO M-8459Se Series Print Engine "has great
print head life. It prints 203 dots-per-inch resolution with a
maximum print width of 4.4 inches and a print speed of 5 inches
per second. It's simple, easy to diagnose and service, and easy
to get parts. It also accepts jobs on the go faster than
others."
Simplicity in a cart -- with a little computer mixed in
The round, 1 1/2-inch label Krispy Kreme needed applied is
simple enough. It contains a price, sell-by date and store
number in addition to the preprinted graphics. Though simple, it
is essential that it be there, and in the same place box after
box.
"Previously, we had hand application of labels in our stores. It
was very labor-intensive, and there was a lack of standardized
presentation of the product," says Honeycutt. "These
[printer/applicators] sped up the production, gave us consistent
placement and proper placement on the box, and overall, that
improved the look of the brand."
In the wholesale bakeries, one printer/applicator is assigned to
each line. The number of lines varies, but most bakeries working
with Krispy Kreme have between one and three units.
As the freshly boxed doughnuts come down the various conveyor
lines, at an average rate of 20 dozen per minute, workers pick
up and place each box under the applicator. Here, another bit of
customization gives a helping hand. A PRINTPAD™ bar code
printing terminal from TEKLYNX International has been connected
to the Gold Seal to allow workers to key enter the price and
sell-by date when prompted by the system. The PRINTPAD,
preprogrammed with all non-variable label data downloaded from a
PC running LABELVIEW™ bar code labeling and integration software
from TEKLYNX, and installed by Action Packaging Systems, feeds
that data plus the store number to the printer, which creates
the label. The tamp/blow application completes the cycle,
adjusting instantly for different-sized boxes (its stroke ranges
from 1/2 inch to 4 inches). The worker then takes the perfectly
labeled box and stores it on a rack for later shipping to the
appropriate store.
Getting the computer data into the unit was another essential
part of the application, and something Rice had not encountered
before. "They wanted it connected to a computer, and I said,
'Well, I'm not sure how to do that, but I'll figure it out.' "
He credits Bob Lanzendorf, OEM Sales and Marketing Manager for
SATO, for turning him on to the TEKLYNX PRINTPAD. Action
Packaging programs the keypad/terminal using a PC, storing all
essential label data within it, and ships it ready to go with
the Gold Seal.
That's just part of the service Action Packaging provides Krispy
Kreme. Other parts include system integrator duties and any
repairs and maintenance. The company also supplies the round
labels -- around 100 million of them per year.
The 'perfect account'
Rice is obviously pleased with the business from Krispy Kreme,
but there is something more to this relationship, as evidenced
by the comments made by both him and Honeycutt. "This is the
perfect account," says Rice. "They are great people."
"The Action Packaging folks were very customer-oriented and
extremely responsive. They took our ideas and requests and came
back with a product that met those ideas and requests. It was
user-friendly, to use an old term, but customized for things
unique to our business," says Honeycutt. "They were an integral
part of our cross-functional departmental team."
The great relationship will continue. As Krispy Kreme expands
operations, more distinctive green Gold Seals will roll out to
streamline production.
"These units are doing a great job for us," says Honeycutt.
"They are very durable, very consistent in their operation, and
are simple for our people to use. Our people want to come in,
plug it up and watch it run. We've received only positive
comments from the users. We've invested a lot here, but are
getting a good return on our investment."
"We are achieving what we wanted to achieve," he states.
Ah, how sweet it is.
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