Cold Link Africa November / December 2019 | Page 30

FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
How to overcome
cold-storage labelling challenges
By ID Label
Online grocery shopping feeds the demand for cold storage.
A
s more consumers turn to food shopping will add to this growth and spur falling or cracking when knocked to the It is also important to consider the
delivery services like Amazon changes in inventory management and ground,” Schiltz says. surface on which the labels will be
Fresh and Peapod by Giant for distribution patterns.
Facilities in humid environments
applied. Many adhesives will bond well
without any air conditioning outside with painted metal, powder coatings,
warehouses in the United States is on the labels to support their cold storage of the freezer area are particularly plastics and other surfaces. For upright
rise. Almost 2% of groceries are bought environments. But these facilities face vulnerable to failed label performance warehouse racks with “teardrop”
online today, but that is expected to labelling challenges not typically found in a due to moisture and frost build-up. To holes, magnetic labels are often the
explode to 13% over the next 5 years. traditional warehouse. address this cold storage challenge, it is best choice. When labels are applied,
important to understand the operating surfaces should be clean and dry, free
their groceries, demand for cold storage
The United States will need 100 million
These facilities require reliable barcode
“Using poorly constructed labels –
square feet of new cold storage and perhaps in hopes of minimising costs – can temperatures and facility environment of moisture and frost for the strongest
freezer warehouse space to keep pace end up being the most expensive option to ensure the right labels are selected to bond possible.
with the additional USD100-billion in annual if your freezer storage labels quickly curl, keep operations running smoothly. grocery sales that will be conducted online crack or encounter frost build up,” says by 2022. Private equity firms are betting on Gregg Schiltz, ID Label’s chief operating this boom, as two dozen companies have officer. The temperature of the surface at the time Choosing whether you should use a
alone have acquired 60% of the sector in storage space, first answer these three of application can have an impact on magnet or adhesive-backed label is
the United States and Canada. questions to help overcome label which labels should be used. another challenging factor that is based
invested in the space. In fact, two firms
For professionals starting in the cold
2. AT WHAT TEMPERATURE WILL
LABELS BE APPLIED? 3. MAGNET OR ADHESIVE-BACKED
LABELS – WHICH IS BETTER FOR MY
OPERATION?
challenges in a cold storage facility.
“If the facility is new and the freezer
on a variety of different cold storage
LABELLING COLD STORAGE
FACILITIES HAS UNIQUE
CHALLENGES 1. HOW WILL THE LABELS PERFORM IN
FREEZERS? there are multiple labelling and adhesive sensitive film and freezer-grade adhesives
The number of cold storage facilities is In today’s cold- and freezer-storage options available,” Schiltz says. “But if – with a protective laminate coating
expanding in gateway markets such as environments, moisture and frost build- you’re labelling or relabelling a facility – deliver strong performance in cold
Los Angeles and New York and in leading up can affect label performance and that is currently operating in sub-zero conditions. “They are resistant to moisture,
food-production states like California, lead to failed scans. “Frost can build up temperatures, you will want to make chemicals and abrasions,” Schiltz says.
Washington, Florida, Texas and Wisconsin. between magnet rack labels and beams, sure the label’s adhesive is suitable for “And they can perform in temperatures as
The shift to e-commerce grocery increasing the chances of the label application in that environment.” low as -65 0 C degrees.
area temperature has not yet been
drawn down to its service temperature,
warehouse conditions.
Labels constructed with pressure-
Labels perform differently in traditional warehouses versus cold chain logistics and cold
storage facilities that aim to meet the needs of a growing trend.
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COLD LINK AFRICA • November/December 2019