Two Labeling Solutions for Returnable Totes

When you are moving products in large plastic bins or totes, you need to label those bins clearly. This way, everyone knows where they are going and what’s in them.

It is notoriously difficult to affix labels to totes, however, so the label adhesive needs to be extremely aggressive. What happens when those totes need to be repurposed? That aggressive adhesive now becomes your Achilles Heel.

This has been a challenge faced by many of our distributors’ customers. Manufacturers and distributors of large goods (such as cars, boats, and medical supplies) use returnable containers to ship their products to suppliers, dealers, and end users. With each leg of the journey, a new label is applied. When the manufacturer tries to remove and replace the old labels with new ones, however, the old labels tear and shred, leaving behind a real mess. Even if the labels can be removed, they leave a sticky residue that attracts dirt and grime. After a while, this renders the surface difficult or impossible to re-label.

A Solution That Is No Solution at All

Many clients “solve” this problem by not trying to remove the labels at all. Instead, they simply apply new labels on top, one over the other. This might seem to work at first, but over time, those labels pile up. The end result isn’t pretty:

• The surface becomes uneven, making over-labeling more difficult.
• The bins start to look shabby.
• The labels become hard to read.
• The bins project an image of poor quality.
• The company’s brand image suffers.

Is there a solution? Yes! Wise has two of them.

1. Specially formulated dry-edge film labels with removable adhesives.

The first option is to use a specially formulated substrate that allows the label to remain firmly affixed to the container while in transit but able to be lifted off cleanly and in one piece when needed. A unique feature of this type of label is a non-gummed (dry) edge that creates a tab along one side of the label. This allows employees to remove the over-label quickly and easily.

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Click here to see a video demonstrating a dry-edge label.

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2. “Placard labels.”

The second option is what we call placard labels, so named because they have both an aggressive adhesive that permanently affixes the label to the tote and a silicone-coated film (release layer) that renders the label’s surface reusable. This enables the manufacturer to place any low-cost label on top of the “placard,” then remove it easily and cleanly at a later time.

There are three benefits to this approach:

• New labels can be applied as many times as desired without degrading quality.
• Manufacturers can anchor the label on the container to maintain consistency (instead of the labels being placed in different locations on the container each time).
• Individual purchasing departments still have the flexibility to purchase their own low-cost labels to apply on top as needed.

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Click here to see a video demonstrating a placard label.

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The Value Turbocharger: Centralized Purchasing

With the availability of dry-edge and placard labels, how do manufacturers get themselves into a sticky label mess? Because many large manufacturing operations are decentralized. Label procurement is often left to each individual purchasing department, where buyers are typically looking to procure the lowest-cost option without being aware of the ramifications across the supply chain.

This is where centralizing purchasing can greatly increase your value. Working through you, the distributor, Wise can serve as one central funnel point for all of the disparate ordering locations. This allows your customer to control the content, design, and substrate of its labels, no matter who orders them or where. Wise then manufactures those labels at the plant closest to the customer, thereby getting them into your customer’s hands even faster.

This has two outcomes:

• It ensures consistency, reliability, and predictability of label purchases.
• It results in a profitable, repeatable stream of income for you.

Easy Solutions to a Sticky Problem

Dry-edge and placard labels allow you to offer easy solutions to a problem thousands of companies face when shipping products in reusable containers. In addition to automotive and other types of manufacturing, other markets using these solutions (placard labels, in particular) include warehousing, distribution, and logistics operations.

Whether it’s a placard or a dry-edge label, pairing one of these products with centralized purchasing further extends their value. It also enables distributors to position themselves as true value-added partners, not just “sellers of labels.” This deepens your relationship with each account and opens the doors to taking on additional business from that account.

This is yet another example of Wise helping you gain business—and keep business—while also being easy to do business with.

Have clients who can use tire labels solutions? Contact us today!

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Want a downloadable PDF version of this post for easy reference? Download it here. 

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