Dawnfresh eliminates label and date code errors at plant

Based at Uddingston in Lanarkshire, Dawnfresh is a large producer of fish and seafood, making products for foodservice and retail, both in the UK and around the world.

The company invested in a date code verification system from OAL Connected, to control its packaging lines and integrate with existing packaging devices. It replaced an autocoding system installed in 2010 that wasn’t meeting the firm’s needs.

Packaging devices​

“Dawnfresh chose OAL as our supplier because their system achieved our specification and more. They really understood the challenges we faced improving visibility on the packaging line and delivered a fantastic solution,”​ said technical director Phil Cassidy.

“Working with the retailers, we’re seeing tougher requirements for packaging line control as the cost of failure increases,”​ said Wayne Johnson, head of OAL Connected. “This is driving the replacement of existing autocoding systems as they fail to meet the requirements typically because of a lack of support and training and or incorrect use of technologies.”​

The new system installed at Dawnfresh works by scanning a 2D barcode printed on every product to check and verify the date code and packaging are correct. If a mismatch error occurs, the line stops, and the problem is investigated.

Zero product recalls​

Since the installation, there have been zero product recalls relating to label and date code errors.

In addition, an integrated factory performance reporting module from OAL records accurate real-time production data for the site to identify areas for improvement as part of a continuous improvement strategy.