People say that the wrong spices in a dish can be as jarring as a wrong note in music. No wonder then that users all over Europe appreciate the trend towards increasingly exotic spice mixes. The Swedish spice specialist Kryddhuset has chosen HERMA labelling technology in order to create strong-selling products for their business partners. Cooperating with Swedish/Danish HERMA sales partner PPS, the company has extended its packaging line, adding a new 362E labelling machine that can be used for both double-sided and wrap-around labelling. “One of our core skills is the development of new product ideas regarding spices”, says Paolo Labardi, managing director and owner of Kryddhuset, which is based near Göteborg. Kryddhuset has a very creative approach to this task, offering e.g. a Wasabi mix, a Cajun mix, and a special Thai mix with a coconut, lemon, and sour cream flavour. “With such creations, a visually unusual product design and shape play a big role”, says the Kryddhuset managing director. The product range has heights between 50 and 300 mm and widths between 30 and 120 mm. “The new HERMA machine gives us a lot of freedom in labelling since it is very versatile and allows for quick changeovers.” Appetizing looks are a key factor, as the decision to buy is made directly at the point of sale, especially when there are special promotions for spices. “The label design is important, but it is also essential that the labels are perfectly applied”, stresses Labardi. Any misalignment ruins the high-quality appearance the company aims to create. “However, the HERMA machine applies labels with very high precision even at high speeds”, confirms the Kryddhuset managing director. It processes up to 200 spice containers per minute during double-sided labelling, and 100 products during wrap-around labelling.
Easily reproducible optimal settings
Minimizing the time for changeovers between double-sided and wrap-around labelling – and vice versa – was another urgent concern. “Thanks to the HERMA machine, set-up times are only ten to 15 minutes”, says Labardi. Virtually every adjusting screw of the HERMA 362E that must be moved during the process is equipped with a scale. This makes it easy to reproduce optimal settings at any time – e.g. for the mounting pedestal of the upper belt which secures the spice containers during double-sided labelling. It only requires users to note down the scale value of the adjusting screw. “This combination of high precision, compactness, easy changeovers, and an excellent price/performance ratio was a crucial factor in our decision for HERMA. The machine has lived up to its promise”, summarizes Labardi. And that is for a reason: “We have designed the E machine range to natively provide features and performance parameters that are usually reserved for custom-built machines or considerably more expensive units – at the same time, we ensure very short delivery times”, says Martin Kühl, head of HERMA's Labelling Machines division.
