TAKEAWAYS
1. Linerless labels made with hotmelt adhesive do not always perform well in liner-free printers. The glue can easily melt and collect in the printer, causing it to malfunction.
2. By using UPM Raflatac OptiCut™ linerless labels in the Toshiba liner-free printers, Columbia Business Forms was able to resolve the glue residue issue for its customer. OptiCut labels use a heat-tolerant acrylic adhesive that performs better in the printers.
Columbia Business Forms owner Mike Pulaski became aware of complaints regarding linerless labels used by a local branch of a nationwide shipping company. He discovered the branch’s labels were causing problems with their Toshiba liner-free printers.
The problem created significant inefficiencies and frustrations. “The glue partially melted in the Toshiba printer due to heat generated by the printer. This resulted in glue residue build-up and frequent jams,” stated Pulaski.
Columbia approached the owner of the local branch having these issues, who decided to sign on with Columbia as a customer and take advantage of Columbia’s desire to solve this problem.
OptiCut passes performance tests
While researching linerless labels, Pulaski discovered that UPM Raflatac offers the largest global distribution network for direct thermal linerless products. In addition, Pulaski learned UPM Raflatac offers a heat tolerant acrylic adhesive, called OptiCut, on the correct size linerless label roll.
Together, the companies conducted extensive testing by running the OptiCut linerless through Toshiba printers over the term of several months.
The results were outstanding, with no jamming incidents reported during the trial period. This validated the effectiveness of the OptiCut solution, both for Pulaski and Columbia’s new customer.
Extending OptiCut Linerless benefits
Impressed with the performance of OptiCut, Columbia decided to introduce this linerless label solution to other branches of the nationwide shipping company. They estimate that approximately 2,500 locations may be experiencing the same problem. So, there are many frustrated people who could benefit from the UPM Raflatac’s OptiCut linerless.
“Our customer became a vocal advocate for us. They shared their positive experience on a purchasing blog, which resonated with managers at other branches facing similar challenges,” said Pulaski. With suppliers like Columbia and UPM Raflatac, other branches will soon benefit from OptiCut linerless and run their businesses more efficiently.
Strong Linerless production capacity
Thanks to having a production facility dedicated to linerless, UPM Raflatac can easily meet Columbia’s initial orders. In addition, the company can effectively support Columbia’s growth.
“Our high production capacity, global distribution network, global expertise, and close relationships with major OEM’s and other value chain partners enables us to face the fast transition to direct thermal linerless in the market,” said Brinder Gill, Director, Paper Laminates, UPM Raflatac Americas.
By focusing on solving its customer’s problem and testing UPM Raflatac’s OptiCut solution first, Columbia demonstrated the value it delivers to customers. The testing also validated OptiCut linerless as the solution that outperforms other linerless products available on the market.