R Ceravolo & Co

An Australian supplier of fruit and vegetables is benefitting from increased efficiency and lower costs, thanks to a new Linx TT5 Thermal Transfer Overprinter.

The Ceravolo family began growing fruit and vegetables in South Australia 50 years ago, and over the years the family has adapted to changes in the industry by updating technology.

Their business expanded to include packing and wholesaling cherries, apples, pears and nectarines, and they also pack and label fruit sent in by other growers. Previously, all the produce was coded using labels, which were hand printed and applied. This caused delays in production whilst the labelling was completed, and when labels needed to be removed and re-applied due to printing errors.

When the business became the principal supplier of pears to Coles in South Australia, streamlining the coding process became a high priority. Information such as barcodes, best-before dates and product variety all need to meet stringent retail requirements.

The new coding equipment also needed to be compatible with Ceravolo’s existing equipment, particularly the horizontal flow wrapper; and be quick and easy to integrate into the packaging process. Speed and accuracy of coding, and ease of operation were additional factors in Ceravolo’s choice of coding equipment.

The Linx TT5 Thermal Transfer Overprinter, supplied by Linx’s Australian distributor Matthews, was installed onto Ceravolo’s line and immediately operational, thanks to the Linx TT5’s ease of use.

The company uses the Linx TT5 to clearly and consistently print product variety, pack dates, best-before dates and GTIN-13 barcodes to high retail standards. Greater efficiency in coding has cut downtime, reduced costs, and significantly increased throughput from 300 to between 500 – 1000 punnets a day. By integrating the Linx TT5 with the flow wrapper, the information is printed directly on the film – saving both time and money.

Co-owner and packaging controller Sandra Ceravolo says, “It’s so easy to use that even someone without any prior experience with the thermal transfer overprinter can operate it. There are simple-to-follow instructions and the colour touch screen results in fewer errors”.