Labeling Success Stories

Preprinted/Customized Labels Printed on demand
- The software engineers at a leading manufacturer of high-quality professional electrical test and measurement instruments for the industrial, commercial and utility marketplace knew they must use innovative technology to deliver products that perform at the highest degree of precision and accuracy. Software upgrades and enhancements are part of the evolving development cycle and need to be carefully tracked to ensure the most current revision is delivered to the customer. Making changes to print the new revision levels proved to be challenging in the production environment. Using a laser printer with 9-up sheet fed labels required a new label set up each time it changed. This time consuming process could halt production and was not efficient.

Winco tailored a solution with a preprinted custom label on a paper stock and wound them on a 3" core. The new design provided a highly polished, multi-colored label which could be customized and printed one at a time or in batch mode. Using a DataMax Prodigy thermal transfer printer and a windows-based label design software, our customer is designing and printing durable labels – on demand- virtually eliminating both waste and set up reconfiguration.
They noticed increased performance in production right away. The bottom line is a cost savings and a quicker turn around time for testing and product delivery.

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York Telephone – Biddeford, Maine
- needed to track the warranty status of the phone and phone systems it installs.  To do so they had to have a date code and installation date on a label that was not removable or transferable.  Winco recommended a high-quality 3M tamper-proof vinyl label.  The tamper-proof material will not lift up once applied to the bottom side of the phone; it will only chip off if tampered with, thus voiding the warranty.

Winco preprinted the graphics York Telephone needed and made it ink receptive so field repair and installers could write on it with ball point pens, providing information relating to the job.
This material, combined with a Winco's in-house print capability, allowed York Telephone to implement this system within 72 hours of ordering the labels.

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Medical Labeling Application
Drug testing facility had a problem: The bar code labels were falling off the test tubes during testing and of those labels that did not fall off; their bar codes were smudging when chemicals were accidentally spilled on the label during handling. This caused the bar code to be unscannable, which forced the bar code information to be manually input. This resulted in serious data entry errors.

Winco's solution to prevent lifting of the label from the test tube during testing: the label adhesive was changed to a more suitable one, which was able to withstand handling, testing and adherence to a glass surface.  The label material was changed from a preprinted paper label, to thin, low-cost polyethylene film label TTL705). The ribbon, a resin style, was chosen in conjunction with the new material to produce a highly durable, smudging resistant label to withstand the chemicals used in testing.

Winco worked closely with quality control to design the customer's label -- using a new material, which works in conjunction with new ribbon, to eliminate problems that previously occurred.  This established a partnership that resulted in continued business with this busy laboratory environment.

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Asset Tracking Solution
A local manufacturer of books, referenced text, software manuals and technical documentation had a problem keeping track of their many assets and corporate property. 

After visiting all the clients’ locations, Winco was able to suggest an asset tracking system that included bar coded tamper evident labels to affix to all property.  Labels were printed with various colored borders to designate which department the asset belonged in.  The labels could not be removed once placed on to assets. The label would crack and leave a visible proof that items had been tampered with. The client was then able to move throughout their facilities with a portable data collection terminal/scanner and collect location information, quantity and status information on all assets.  This data was then down loaded to the customer’s computer system at the end of the daily shifts.

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Printed Circuit Board Labeling

An electronics manufacturer that produced nonstandard printed circuit boards required small quantities of bar coded labels that would withstand high temperatures (700 degrees F) and resist solvent cleaning and vapor degreasing.  The customer did not want to pay the high price of preprinted labels, and to wait for the lead times his random numbering sequence required.

Our thermal transfer 401 material, with Winco’s 8900 high temperature thermal transfer ribbon, withstood the environment and was printable on demand at their manufacturing facility, saving the customer money when compared to service bureau labels.

Winco’s new 401 material is a superior product to any other Kapton/Polyimide labels currently used in the electronics industry!  A major advantage is that you can handle your boards immediately after wave solder process and the labels will not smudge like other older tan Kapton labels.
401 material, combined with Winco’s Genisys label print systems, can save you money and enhance PC labeling quality.

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Software Manufacturers
Revision changes are a normal occurrence in the fast-paced environment of software developing and manufacturing.  Labeling can be a problem because the product (disks) needs to be labeled, relabeled and occasionally labeled again.

Winco recently supplied a new label product that will wrap over the edge of a diskette to allow visibility from front and back.  This Winco product #80 is a flexible paper stock with an ultra removable adhesive and bonds to plastic and corrugated.  The label will not lift in use, yet is removable to allow revision changes in the manufacturing process. Our part number for this amazing new material is 801.

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Rack and Shelf Labels
While touring the plant of a potential customer, our salesperson noticed that in the warehouse, the workers were climbing ladders to scan product on the upper shelves.  Not only is this dangerous, but it is time consuming as well.

Winco’s salesperson recommended replacing the existing label with a retro-reflective labeled stock so workers could maximize the scanning range of long range scanners.  By scanning from the floor instead of climbing up ladders to get a good scan the increase in productivity quickly offset the cost of the new scanners and labels.

Retro reflective label stock is a label film that uses the same type of retro-reflective material that makes highway signs visible at great distances in limited visibility conditions.  When a beam from a scanner is directed at these retro-reflective materials, it is reflected back to the source with a superior romance that significantly increases the maximum scanning distances.

Retro-reflective label stocks can help improve warehousing efficiency him by allowing for higher stacking, better space utilization and better inventory management.

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Labels for Textured Surfaces and Powder Coat Printed Castings

The label stock you have been waiting for.  Labels adhere exceptionally well to difficult-to-bond to surfaces.  Labels that are perfect for a wide range of application needs, rating plate labeling on unique surfaces, including automotive labeling and textured parts.  If you found it challenging to find the right label for your most difficult surface -- look no further, our labels are up to the challenge.

Our TT723 and TT724 labels have one of the strongest holding acrylic adhesives for label stocks.  It's thick and tough, but it will not ooze during thermal transfer printing. Add to that an ultra smooth face stock and you have a label stock that prints exceptionally well with our 9900 series ribbon.  The resulting image is crisp and clean with no image dropouts.  Even when printing bar codes.

TT723 is a gloss white stock and TT724 a Matte platinum stock -- the very best label stocks to meet your demanding application surface and performance needs.

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High Intensity Lighting Application

A manufacturer recently won an on going argument with Ford Motor Company over whether or not to put a warning label on newly manufactured high intensity discharge head lamps.  Ford's vendor wanted to warn both potential mechanics and do-it-yourselfers of the potential harm that could be inflicted if one used a screwdriver or other steel tool when repairing head lamps.
Finding the right label proved to be a challenge.  The label material and adhesive had to withstand the extreme environments ranging from sub zero to tropical climates as well as withstanding the intense heat generated by the headlight bulbs.

Working closely with the headlight project engineer, we recommended a high performance metalized mylar material with an acrylic adhesive. To warn those doing repairs, we used the international symbol for hazard along with a short caption explaining the danger.
The headlight manufacturer felt that the additional cost of a label that warned people of potential danger far outweighed the potential loss of life or serious injury.

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Medical Cold Room Label Application
A medical research company that provides protein separation for pharmaceutical companies and universities needed to identify various specimens.  The bar-coded specimens were in plastic vials and tubes that were stored in cold rooms and occasionally subjected to freezing.  Previous labels would curl up and fall off, thus causing the test to be voided due to loss of identity and traceability.
Winco and the research engineers experimented with various thermal transfer ribbons, material and adhesive combinations to assure that legible long lasting bar code print would be achieved.

The solution to their problem was our TT727 material combined with our 6300 Series Resin Based Thermal Transfer Ribbon.  727 is a flexible vinyl material with an adhesive that securely bonded to the vials and wrapped tightly through out the products use.  This combination provided long lasting identification that met all of their labeling needs while increasing the lab’s productivity and quality assurance process.

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Lighting Ballast Manufacturer

A manufacturer of fluorescent lights approached Winco to provide them with a label to identify ballasts.  The blue prints called for the direct thermal (DT) paper label to state MODEL, VOLTAGE and DATE OF MFG.  The light manufacturer wanted to use paper because the material was inexpensive and they further wanted to use direct thermal paper so they would not have to use a ribbon when printing.

Our WINCO application specialist realized immediately there were potential problems using DT paper labels.  First: DT labels are not UL or CSA approved and ballasts require this recognition.  Second: Direct thermal labels would not meet their product life cycle needs because they are heat responsive and being placed on a ballast, the heat would cause them to turn black over time.

Our application specialist recommended a metalized polyester material, printed with ribbon.  Although the engineers were reluctant at first to purchase a more expensive label, they realized using this quality material, which met their needs, would save them money in the long run by avoiding problems from UL and CSA for not meeting their strictly enforced identification regulations.  Our 723 matte metalized material has a smooth surface that allowed for excellent print quality and the adhesive was permanent so falling off the fixture was eliminated.  The metalized polyester label also offered a more professional look to the product.

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Chemical Resistant Label

A manufacturer of parts and assemblies for hospital beds wanted to label units during a manufacturing process but could not because the unit was later cleaned with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK).  Because the MEK destroyed the image on the label, the customer was forced to apply the label after manufacturing and just prior to shipping.  This added a step for the shipping department and proved to be time-consuming and costly.

This hospital equipment manufacturer approached Winco to assist them in finding a solution.  We tested customer’s existing preprinted metalized polyester label with matching ribbons.  MEK took off the image on each test.  We also tried using paper -- again no ribbon could hold up to MEK.
Winco’s solution was to add an overlaminate to the existing label after thermal transfer printing.  The overlaminate protects the ink from the MEK therefore allowing the label to be added during the manufacturing process.  The precut laminate labels fit over the printed label and gave long lasting protection at very low cost.

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Jewelry Distribution

A prominent manufacturer of fine jewelry was experiencing problems with their labels falling off merchandise. These thermal transfer labels, printed with Zebra 91xi printers, continually fell off the jewelry.  This not only left the items unidentified and unpriced, but also presented an unprofessional image for the retailer.

Winco reviewed the application and recommended a high-performance "Dumb Bell" label.  This label offers an aggressive adhesive that is carefully "zoned" for maximum durability, while avoiding direct contact with the jewelry.  The material is a polyester material that withstands chemical cleaning.  The "zoned" adhesive leaves a non-adhesive area in the center so when wrapped around a ring it won’t leave adhesive residue.  The adhesive area are folded together to from a strong tag that will not fall off.  Therefore, the label is able to withstand handling without falling off, and does not leave any residue once the customer removes the label. 

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Cutting and Welding Tools

A manufacturer of plasma cutting and welding equipment, challenged Winco.
They needed a labeling method to trace component parts of a plasma-cutting torch through the assembly cleaning and shipping process.  The labels had to be resistant to harsh compartments of this welding tool manufacturer.

Winco reviewed this problem with the welding company’s engineers, and recommended an imprintable label kit.  A kit label is one label with a grouping of other labels die cut within it, and this case using a premium polyester material.  Serial numbers that are used to trace the parts were printed on demand.

The "kit" label consisted of nine labels and three different formats.  Each label was printed with the same serial number.  The labels were then applied at various stages of assembly.  Labels 1&2 were applied to the torch head, and had tamper proof slits to prevent removal.  Labels 3&4 were attached to QC tags during inspection.  Label No. 5 went into serial number logbook.  Label No. 6 was applied to the outside of the torch and product package.  Labels 7,8,&9 were applied to three copies of invoices for record keeping.

This label kit has eliminated all handwriting that was previously done, and eliminating transposing errors.  Also accomplished was a significant cost saving in labor due to elimination of handwriting data.  They stated "the labels look professional and enhance our company image.

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Poly Bag Labeling

A leader in the manufacture of micro-processing components contacted Winco looking for a more efficient method to produce bar code and text related paper labels.  They were using an older dot matrix printing system.  Winco was asked to evaluate their needs and to recommend a more effective label printing system.  Before we could do this we needed to solve the label issue itself.
The company had been using Day-Glo red paper labels, and bar codes were difficult to read because of the dark red background and the poor quality of the dot matrix printing.  Moreover, graphics with anti-static symbols that were being printed were of a poor quality due to the dot matrix printing system.  The process was wasting a significant number of labels.

Winco recommended that the color layout of the label be changed to accommodate a white background for the bar code, thus improving bar code legibility, and yellow for the caution data area with the anti-static symbols in black to comply with Electronic Industry Association Standards.  Changing the label stock from one format or size to another eliminated wasted labels and produced a high-quality label printed on demand.  The bar codes stood out and the yellow background area where symbols are printed increase contrast.  The adhesive locked onto the bags and would not fall off in handling.

As a result of this change, this company would save on all fronts.  Material waste would be virtually eliminated; overall printing time was reduced by 75% with a significant increase in overall print quality of the labels.

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PC Board Tape

A recognized leader in the medical industry, manufacturers specialized electrocardiogram equipment, used daily by doctors and nurses throughout the world, decided to convert its printed circuit board manufacturing facilities from triclorethelene 111 to an aqueous cleaning system to eliminate hazardous chemicals from there manufacturing areas.  Previously, they had used standard board masking tape in conjunction with the old triclorethelene system.  They wanted a new tape that would work with their new inline closed loop aqueous system without clogging the filters in the system.
Methods Engineering group needed a product that was easy to use and would increase productivity in the masking of gold fingers during the wave soldering process of their PC board operations. 

They tested and approved a material recommended by Winco.  The product was Winco 361x.  Engineering concluded that an important benefit of using this product was its ability to dissolve in aqueous cleaning or water cycles of over 140 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving behind no residue on the printed circuit boards.  This product requires no drying or set up time, and is resistant to 600 degrees Fahrenheit for wave soldering, and resistant to most organic solvents, such as oil and grease.
Winco solved the need for masking the PC boards, and reduced their overall labor cost, by reducing the applied time of removing the product at the end of the production line.


The customer was able to reduce material and label cost as well as instituting a cleaning process that was kinder to the environment.  They were also able to comply with federal guidelines for CFC's reduction.

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Record and Document Labeling

A large storage facility of magnetic tapes and other corporate records for many large companies on the West Coast.  Through the referral of another satisfied customer contacted Winco.
They needed a label that would permanently adhere to many different surfaces.  The label had to be scratch resistant and withstand spray cleaning.  The customer had tried many other label sources with no success.
Winco recommended a high gloss polyester label, with an aggressive adhesive and a Winco 6300 series resin ribbon, designed for use on the existing Sato thermal transfer high-speed printer.
Samples provided by Winco allowed the customer and their clients to evaluate and approve these labels.
Winco further reduced costs and lead times by using a standard die size.
Winco can match label, ribbon and adhesive strengths to help you solve your labeling needs.

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 Medical Research Labeling

A medical research company that does protein separation for pharmaceutical companies and universities had a labeling problem.  They needed to identify the various specimens being worked on, and needed a label that would adhere to plastic vials and tubes.  These tubes would be stored in cold rooms and occasionally subjected to freezing.  Previous labels would curl up and fall off, thus causing the test to be voided due to loss of identity.

Winco took some of the plastic tubes and had our research group test various label stocks and adhesives on them.  Through evaluation we found material and matched one of our specialty thermal transfer ribbons to the material to assure that legible long-lasting print could be achieved.
Winco then sent the printed samples to the customer for their testing evaluation.  After initial acceptance was given, Winco provided in plant demonstration of our Genisys label printing system, this way the customer could evaluate the entire process themselves, and show the labels to other department supervisors.

Winco suggested the use of 3M No. 7861 clear polyester label material combined with Winco 6300 Series Resin Based Thermal Transfer Ribbon.  This combination provided the identification that could withstand the customer’s needs.
This customer was now comfortable with the integrity of their testing because it would not be adversely affected by a labeling failure.

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