Milchwerk Bad Wörishofen produces Emmental hard cheese for the European market. Once the milk has been processed into cheese blocks at the end of the production line, these are packed in maturing bags, vacuum-sealed, weighed, labeled, stacked in maturing crates, and stored. After a maturing period of around seven weeks, Dominik Haarmann's team, who is the warehouse/shipping team leader, removes the cheese blocks from the maturing crates and prepares them for shipping. Due to the maturing process and the stacking of the blocks in the crate, it can happen that a label on one of the cheese blocks is damaged and/or difficult to read and needs to be replaced. To do this, a scale must be put into operation, the batch number, item name, and block number entered, and then the cheese block weighed again to generate a replacement label. “To keep the extra work to a minimum, we collected the cheese blocks with the damaged labels and relabeled them at the end of the shift,” reports Dominik Haarmann. “That was a little more efficient. Nevertheless, it was still cumbersome, partly because the entire cheese block had to be carried to the scale.” The Bad Wörishofen dairy therefore set out to find a solution to optimize this work step.
The solution was found at Meto in Hirschhorn, Hesse, a leading global provider of training and labeling solutions for various industries. As a pioneer in efficient product labeling, the company offers numerous options for legally compliant food labeling in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
A direct thermal printer from the Meto Print series with custom templates was selected as the appropriate solution. The stand-alone solution includes a barcode reader that scans the barcode on the damaged label. The printer then creates a duplicate label, which is attached to the cheese block after the old label has been removed. “The solution is simple, the reprint is 100% reliable, and everyone on my team can use it,” explains Dominik Haarmann. “Even new products or changed nutritional information are no challenge. Meto simply adapts the stored templates for us in a timely manner.” The label contains all the legally required information, such as company name, operating number, nutritional information, barcode, production date, batch number, item number, and storage temperature.
The team led by Dominik Haarmann at the Bad Wörishofen dairy was impressed by the simplicity and flexibility of Meto's solution. Instead of having to set up a separate scale, enter all the information, carry the cheese block to the scale, and weigh it there, which is time-consuming, the Meto printer uses the barcode to create a duplicate label in a matter of seconds. “The time saved is ‘only’ a few minutes, but we save ourselves all the extra work with a separate printer as long as the barcode is readable. That's very convenient for everyone in the team,” summarizes Dominik Haarmann. “It's also great that no lengthy training is required. The application is simple, so anyone can use it right away.”
“The solution is reliable and practical, and contact with Meto is always pleasant. If I need a template adjustment—for example, due to a new product or changed nutritional tables—it's always done quickly. We've been working with the label printer for over five years now and are very satisfied with it!”
- Dominik Haarmann, Team Leader Warehouse/Shipping Milchwerk Bad Wörishofen
Milchwerk Bad Wörishofen produces Emmental hard cheese for the European market, primarily for customers in France, Belgium, and Italy. Around 200 million kilograms of milk per year are used to produce high-quality cheese, cream, and whey. The milk comes from 380 direct suppliers and through contracts with supply cooperatives, producer associations, and milk traders. Each year, the Bad Wörishofen dairy markets around 18,000 tons of Emmental cheese, 15 percent of which is organic. Annual sales, including the by-products cream and whey, amount to approximately 90 million euros.
The dairy in the Bavarian Kneipp spa town of Bad Wörishofen has been in operation since 1958 and has been continuously modernized and expanded. Since 2004, the production facility has specialized in the manufacture of various hard cheeses, primarily Emmental. The company employs around 60 people, 50 of whom work in production and ten in administration.
Milchwerk Bad Wörishofen GmbH is now a subsidiary of the Belgian Vache Bleue Groupe SA. The group includes sister companies Sengele SAS in France and Vache Bleue SA in Belgium. Both process, package, and market cheese products for their respective markets.
Meto International GmbH is a leading global provider of display and labeling solutions for retailers, chain restaurants, and their supply chains. As a pioneer in efficient product labeling, Meto offers price and promotional labels, labels for legally compliant food labeling in accordance with HACCP and LMIV, barcode labels, and cost-effective solutions for fresh produce labeling. The portfolio also includes mounting solutions for electronic shelf labels (ESL) and solutions for sales promotion, advertising technology, and customer flow management.
Meto developed the first hand-held labeler in 1959 and invented the wave-edge label with security cut in 1968. Both innovations are now standard in product labeling. The company has been part of CCL Industries Inc. since 2016 and is managed there as an independent company in the CCL Avery division. The European Meto headquarters, production facility, and warehouse are located in Hirschhorn am Neckar.
