Simpl-Cut™ by P.E. Labellers represents a change in traditional roll-fed machines.
It changes its operating principles and overcomes the limitations that these labellers typically have. It is a rotary roll-fed machine for the application of pre-glued wrap-around labels, with differentiated advantages that bring major benefits to customers.
Simpl-Cut™ won PMMI’s coveted Technology Excellence Award 2021 at Pack Expo in Las Vegas, the world’s major packaging trade show.
Last November 2021 the first prize for the most innovative solution in the General Packaging category was awarded to Simpl-Cut™, the revolutionary labelling solution that won over the international panel with its uniqueness and ingenuity.
P.E. Labellers is one of the world’s leading providers of innovative labelling solutions.
Despite being widely used in industries such as soft drink and water, traditional Roll-fed labellers have several areas that can notoriously cause downtime and frustration for users.
One of the biggest complaints about traditional roll-fed labellers is downtime associated with the frequent cleaning of the vacuum drum that transfers labels after they are cut. In traditional Roll-fed labellers, glue can accumulate on the drum and in the vacuum holes. Eventually, the machine must be taken out of operation and cleaned.
Additionally, the label cutting area of traditional Roll-fed labellers presents inherent challenges for maintenance personnel. Typically, the setup time for the cutting blades is long and significant expertise is required to optimally set them up. Simpl-Cut uses a “cutting edge” process to solve each of these problems.
The patented Simpl-Cut technology optimizes the labelling process, virtually eliminating maintenance-related downtime and reducing cost by addressing three major areas:
One of the most obvious benefits of the Simpl-Cut system, as the name implies, is the simplicity of the cutting system. Unlike traditional roll-fed labellers that use contrasting blades to cut the label, Simpl-Cut uses fixed blades on a rotating drum to cut the label very simply. The fixed blades are contained in a cartridge which can be changed out and ready to run in less than ten seconds. The process of changing and setting up blades can take hours in traditional Roll-fed labellers.
Second, in the Simpl-Cut process, hot-melt glue is applied prior to the cutting of the label, virtually eliminating glue build-up on the drum. In traditional Roll-fed labellers, glue is applied after the label is cut, leading to significant glue build-up on the drum which must be cleaned often by maintenance staff.
Lastly, Simpl-Cut optimizes the labelling process by using only one drum to transfer and cut the label, whereas traditional Roll-fed labellers require two separate drums for each function. This revolutionary feature significantly reduces maintenance, improves uptime, and allows for much faster format changes.
“The response from our clients has been outstanding,” says Scott Smith, Senior Vice President of Business Development of ProMach, the global group leader in Packaging the P.E. Labellers in part of. “The problems that the Simpl-Cut technology is solving are universal, so these systems are being purchased by a wide variety of clients, from multinational soft drink manufacturers to regional bottled water companies.”
As a product brand of global packaging industry leader ProMach, P.E. Labellers has an extensive sales and service network around the world. The company believes that its global footprint is key to ensuring the success of Simpl-Cut. “This is truly a global product,” Smith says. “Adoption has been especially strong in Western Europe, South America, Mexico and the United States.
“We clearly understand the importance of local service and support and have made significant investments in our aftermarket infrastructure to be able to support our clients around the world.”
One of the earliest adopters of Simpl-Cut technology in the United States has been Silver Springs Water. According to President Kane Richmond, the Simpl-Cut technology is the future of Roll-fed labelling. “Silver Springs has been a customer of P.E. Labellers and their Roll-fed systems for years.
“We saw the Simpl-Cut technology soon after it was released and liked the simplicity of the single drum, the reduced setup time, and the quick-change knife system. We liked it so much that we ordered two Simpl-Cut machines. I expect this to be the standard for Roll-fed labelling moving forward.”
