This article originally appeared in the August print issue of IMPO Magazine. To view the digital version, click here.
​Laubscher Cheese Company is a family-owned cutting, shredding and packaging company that has been in business for more than 50 years. Laubscher packages up to twenty different cheese items and pack sizes each day. To keep up with that production level and meet short lead times Laubscher sought to innovate its cutting and packaging process and improve record keeping and production information.
In the past, all their product lists and production reports were handwritten. The old and outdated system simply could not keep up with their need to run numerous different products every day, and reports were often misplaced between the production floor and the front office.
The company offers different options to meet customer demand, so they needed to be able to easily make new labels. The firm also does private labels for firms that request their own company label. With their old system they had to buy labels from a label company and affix it onto a previously labeled item, leaving them with two labels.
“We could not print different bar code formats that our customers requested, and we were worried about lost production time due to equipment failure,” says Laubscher’s vice president Kevin Watts. “Additionally, we needed a system that is flexible enough to change with our customer’s changing demands.”
Laubscher approached Fairbanks Scales’ Pittsburgh service shop for help in selecting a new system that would meet their needs and fit their budget. Fairbanks Scales introduced Laubscher to the LabelBank system, designed as a complete comprehensive system that combines the scale, labeling software, and data collection and reporting in one easy to use package. The driving force behind the system design is improving processes and solving business issues by saving on costs, reducing labor, and positioning Laubscher for better value.
The system is designed to give Laubscher the ability to select different item numbers and have that item information print on labels that comply with government trackability/ traceability and other labeling standards. LabelBank adds flexibility, because it allows users to add information to the label easily, and provides data for customers.