Manual Vs. Automatic Bottle Labeling Machines For Craft Beer

Does your budget determine the equipment you use in the packaging line of the brewery?
Your budget may force you to decide which brewery processes need to be completed by employees and which need machines. When comparing the cost of automatic labeling machine with the hourly wage of manual labeling for craft beer bottles, the cheaper option seems obvious. In the formation period of the new brewery, in most cases, manual application will win. Beer must be delivered to customers. If you wait until you have every piece of equipment you want, you will never get the first batch of six bottles of beer.
When you analyze the cost of manual labeling versus automatic or semi-automatic labeling using machines, you may realize that the cost of paying employees to label each bottle adds up. Is it worth postponing the price of the labeling machine for your craft beer label, or should you buy the labeling machine first? Let's see.

Consider the speed of the labeling process
If you want your business to serve more customers, you will need to label many beer bottles and cans. Compared with the machine, how fast do you think the employees can label the bottles?
If you switched from manual labeling to machine labeling, how much would your efficiency improve and what percentage would you say? 50%？ 100%？ From manual labeling to automatic bottle labeling machine, the speed can be increased by up to 300%! This may mean that 600 bottles or cans pass through your packaging line per hour, depending on the machine.
Now let's solve the problems your employees may encounter. They may feel threatened when they learn that your operations are turning to automated machines. You can assure them that their work is not threatened. The highest productivity of any automatic or semi-automatic labeling machine requires trained staff. The equipment needs to be optimized to work with other machines in the production line, maintenance and repair by internal personnel is the cheapest, and new labels need to be fed into the machine.

How accurate are your current label settings?
It only takes 7 seconds for customers to determine whether they need your product, so the first impression must be first-class. Each label should be straight, uniform, and free of bubbles that could cause the label to peel or tear. There are labels with different angles and heights on the shelves full of beer, which may not seem a big deal, but it gives the direct impression of carelessness. Your employees may have stable hands of tattoo artists, but they cannot be compared with special label equipment.
Every aspect of your production needs to be of the highest quality, especially when your brewery is just starting or expanding. People will take pictures of your bottles or jars and share them on social media. Nothing is worse than negative word of mouth. The labeler ensures that every container you produce is always on camera.

Labels should always be applied consistently
The machines can be labeled accurately every time, and they will never feel tired or need to rest. The speed of hand g tags varies greatly, depending on which employee is assigned this task, their feelings on that day, whether the weekend is coming or just over, and any interference that causes them to make mistakes. Your labeling machine does not require a rest or vacation. You can expect to have a specific number of label applications and meet that number on a given day.
Now, the machine really needs to be calibrated and repaired. Even the best and most reliable modular labelers made of durable materials need to be repaired from time to time. This problem can be avoided by selecting one or more labelers with readily available and easily replaceable components. You can also purchase or rent multiple labeling machines to achieve redundancy. Downtime is devastating for your brewery, so please minimize downtime.

Prevent bottleneck of packaging line
When you rely on employees to perform specific functions over and over again within a specified time, you are failing them. The bottleneck occurs because different tasks require more or less time. If a job takes much longer than other jobs, this is where the job will be backed up. When you switch from manual labeling to machine labeling, you can match the speed of all other equipment in the packaging line.
Even if you prefer semi-automatic labeling machine to automatic labeling machine, you can still eliminate the labeling bottleneck. Employees who used to painstakingly label each bottle now only need to transfer bottles from one machine to another. If you purchase an automatic labeling machine, your beer bottles and cans can pass through the production line without human intervention. In this way, your production line can move smoothly and reverse freely.

Select Label Partner
Your budget may determine most decisions, and the prices of semi-automatic and automatic labeling machines for craft beer bottles and cans may vary. We have provided a labeling system for your packaging line and budget, and we will show you how the labeling machine can increase your output and profit! Contact the customer service of Chaoyue Machinery to obtain high-quality labeling equipment, and turn your brewery into a productivity power.