Craft Beers

Britain’s drinkers are warming to craft beer at an increasing rate and this growing taste for artisan ales has seen an upsurge in microbreweries, which has swelled the total number of UK breweries by eight percent to around 1,700 in 2016 (source: UHY Hacker Young).

With so many breweries in the UK, all vying to get their bottled beers noticed by consumers in pubs, retail outlets, off licences and supermarkets across the country, speed to market coupled with distinctive, highly accurate labelling is vital for products to stand out from the crowd.

Great tasting craft beers can go under the public radar – or should that be the public bar – if labels are not applied accurately and consistently at speed to help meet drinkers’ demands. This is where labelling systems providers like Advanced Dynamics Ltd step up to the bar to give microbreweries a helping hand by automating their labelling processes.

Adhesive labels must be applied correctly so as not to compromise the presentation quality and critical message to consumers, and at speed to help products get to market quickly. To meet these objectives microbreweries should be turning to cost-effective automated systems.

Advanced Dynamics is the sole UK distributor for Pack Leader’s range of wrap around fully automatic labelling systems for bottles. Take its PL-501-NL model. Designed for the food and beverage sectors, this flexible equipment applies pressure-sensitive labels to round containers. It can label both the body and the neck in one sweep, with an optional two body front and back label, while the speed adjusts according to a container’s surface.

The PL-501-NL’s modular design allows for easy machine conversion and customisation. The standard one-touch screen and label sensors make it simple to adjust for beer bottles and other various applications – and with the manual position setting, labels are placed accurately on the product, each and every time.

Microbreweries pride themselves on using traditional brewing methods, but manual production can often not keep pace with growing demand according to Advanced Dynamics’ managing director, Malcolm Little, who points out that by adopting automatic labelling systems microbreweries will further boost production of the amber nectar.

“Don’t forget that labels not only have to be truly representative of the brew inside the bottle, but must carry all the legal small print too. Choosing label applicators like the PL-501 allows breweries to free up staff to keep the beer flowing, while the alternative is a labour-intensive and time consuming routine that carries the risk of human error. A faulty, missing or wrinkled label might not affect the contents of a beer bottle but could put off the retailer and ultimately the consumer from trying it.

 

The growing popularity of craft ales is great for beer connoisseurs who are becoming spoilt for choice. As well as the quality of the beer, how a product is labelled could make a big difference to small brewers in the battle for market space. As part of our 2017 marketing strategy we’re focused on helping niche brewers achieve their full potential, make an impact on the marketplace and boost their bottom line.”

Pack Leader’s labelling systems, exclusively available from Advanced Dynamics, are suitable for many sectors including food and drink, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, toiletries and housewares. They can all be fitted with the electronic servo-driven auto-changeover system, which will include memory storage of product parameters.