Macsa Id helps world renowned winery automate its coding, marking and labelling process

High performance HPD laser, idTIJ thermal inkjet, idBlocks labellers and integra warehouse software ensures 100% traceability of famous Rioja.

After the digitalisation of its winery in Spain, world-renowned Bodegas Franco-Españolas chose Macsa id to automate its coding, marking and labelling processes. The company’s high performance HPD laser, idTIJ thermal inkjet, idBlocks labellers and integra warehouse management software have helped guarantee 100% traceability of the wine producer’s bottles of famous red, white and rose Rioja.

Established in 1890, Bodegas Franco-Españolas represents the Rioja brand around the world. Located on the banks of the Ebro River, the winery was acquired by the Eguizábal family in 1984 and has become a benchmark among the leisure and cultural offerings of La Rioja with its varied wine tourism proposals.

As part of the food sector, it is essential that Bodegas Franco Españolas offers full traceability of its product across the supply chain. Prior to the project with Macsa id, the business operated a manual coding and labelling process which made it difficult to track products that left the winery.

Once Bodegas Franco Españolas digitalised areas of the plant, there was a more urgent need to install a new traceability system, which could be integrated with the winery’s entire ERP function.

Macsa id developed a solution that encompasses both bottle traceability and labelling of crates and pallets whilst also strengthening operational efficiencies.

The company’s specialist integra warehouse software manages the coding and marking process and imports data into Bodegas Franco Españolas’warehouse management system and ERP. As a result, it is now quick and easy to trace and subsequently track cases of wine when they are dispatched from the winery.

Bodegas Franco Españolas’ ERP controls the packaging lines where a variety of advanced Macsa id technologies are installed to code bottles and label crates and pallets.

Macsa id’s HPD CO2 laser system delivers clear, legible and high definition marking on the bottles. The laser is placed in a overhead position where it codes six bottles contained in a box with a single shot helping guarantee 100% traceability.

A datamatrix code is applied to each box by Macsa id’s high resolution idTIJ thermal ink jet machine to ensure traceability at secondary packaging level. By reading this 2D code, the contents of each crate can be traced. The idTIJ is easy to use, clean, offers quick consumable change and is capable of marking a wide variety of substrates and materials.

In addition, Macsa id’s idBlocks 4042 belt labeller applies printed labels to the boxes of wine. The labels are printed with an EAN code and relevant alphanumeric information so that the winery can continue to control the bottling process. It is specially designed for labelling on uneven surfaces or corner labels and the strap system allows labels to be applied on the upper corner, lower corner, side or back of the case.

Finally, the idBlocks MLP 6015 labelling system, which has a swinging robotic arm controlled by high speed servometers, places labels in any position on pallets containing boxes of wine, at the same height. It can label more than 200 pallets per hour and place two labels per pallet on different sides. This identification on tertiary packaging is essential to for full traceability.

Raul Palacio, Director of Production at Bodegas Franco Españolas comments: Macsa id provided us with a very valid solution as we now have access to more information without losing performance in our bottling lines. It has made traceability much easier and enables us to track our products in any part of the sales channel.