The following offers an explanation of the critical printing elements required in baked goods production facilities and demonstrates solutions for employing Printronix and TallyGenicom line matrix printers.

Challenges

A bakery facility is made up of hundreds of moving parts and people. Areas of production often require working in very hot or very cold temperatures full of ingredient dust and debris. Dust can arise from a variety of sources including raw material storage, handling and drying activities. Air emissions, extreme temperatures and contaminants can take a toll not only on workers’ health but the health of the facilities equipment if it is not protected from the elements.

Production facilities are not the only areas in the Bakery industry where reliable equipment is needed. Companies have to print thousands of documents daily to keep up with their production, shipping and labeling needs. Many reports are required to be printed on non-standard paper sizes and green bar forms. Labels and barcodes need to be produced in a variety of sizes and with quality and safety measures taken into account. Shipping documents and bills of lading are all part of the mix of printed data. When a location needs to print thousands of different form types a day, downtime can prove to be a costly issue.

Many bakery companies also use multiple offices and production centers will little to no IT personnel to assist in printer support or issues. No personnel to manage printer upkeep and consumable reserves runs the risk of lengthy downtime when issues arise. These issues can lead to a halt in production, shipping and quality reports.

Implementing a Solution

In a facility full of harsh environmental aspects, a line matrix printer is the safest option. Line matrix printers have sealed electronics and heavy-duty operator interfaces. They can also withstand temperatures ranging from 50F degrees to 104F degrees. With their stored energy shuttle matrix technology and metal cabinetry they are made to operate in the harshest manufacturing and warehouse environments. High levels of airborne dust like flours and enzymes that can cause huge fire, safety and combustion concerns in regular laser and serial printers are no match for the reliability of a line matrix printer.

Since bakeries produce thousands of documents a day with a variety of print requirements needed, line matrix printers are the best choice for their warehouse and loading dock facilities as well. Line printers are designed to accommodate single form and multiple form printing for bill of lading documents. Standard and custom paper stock widths from 3 to 17” can be used to meet most report size requirements and delivery sheets can be printed quickly due to the high speed performance of line matrix printers (up to 2000 lines per minute), which helps make any business more efficient.

Schools and other organizations require all food labels to be printed with non-toxic ink. Laser toner does not meet those criteria but line matrix long lasting ink ribbons do. Line matrix technology also has the ability to print labels used for both cold and frozen food. Complex sticker and label cutouts can print reliably without paper jams because of Printronix’s straight paper path and heat free fusion system that melts the sticker or label adhesive to the paper.

A crucial benefit of Printronix and TallyGenicom line matrix printers for bakery companies with multiple locations is the inclusion of PrintNet Enterprise. PrintNet Enterprise is a remote management utility that provides superior control over networked printers, allowing for full remote printer fleet control via the use of a virtual operations panel and real-time dashboard. An IT operator can easily access configuration settings, updates and printer resources and download them to multiple printers simultaneously or receive email and SMS alerts if a printer goes down, or is disconnected, and address the problem from anywhere in the world.

Conclusion

Using line matrix printers in the bakery production industry is the safest choice for a business. Hazards, safety concerns, and production halts are diminished, loss of downtime is minimized and the versatile capabilities of a line matrix printer for the needs of the industry are unmatched. The durability, reliability and speed provided with a line matrix printer enable users feel confident they are using the best and safest technology for their business.