On the production line at American Beef, a meat processing company in Mexico, an enormous number of bags are coded over roughly 15 hours a day. For a company that handles food, printing the expiration date and the lot number is a process that underpins quality and trust. American Beef entrusted this critical process to a KEYENCE continuous inkjet printer and achieved better print quality and a significant reduction in downtime (line stoppages). We spoke with Joaquín, who is responsible for the production area, about how it all came about.
Key points of this case (summary)
- Print quality improved, making character legibility noticeably better. The confusion over numbers was eliminated and the reliability of the production process went up.
- Stoppages and "dead time" were considerably reduced. The printing process stays stable even on long days of close to 15 hours.
- An automatic cleaning function runs the shutdown at the press of a single button at the end of the working day, so maintenance takes very little effort.
- The simple interface makes changing the date and lot number easy, so operators have no trouble handling it.
- The close technical support and the attentiveness of the sales engineer exceeded expectations, with fast responses and a real willingness to help.
A review that began with "we can do better"
The team at American Beef did not start looking for a new coder because of a serious problem. "We are always looking to grow and improve, both in product quality and in consumables" — these words from Joaquín were the starting point for everything.
For the evaluation, the company focused on three points: better print quality, more accessible consumables and solid technical support. Comparing different brands against these three criteria, the KEYENCE continuous inkjet printer emerged as a candidate.
The quiet change that reached the plant after installation
Once operation began, the first thing that convinced Joaquín was the print quality.
"The print quality in particular is excellent: character legibility improved considerably, the confusion over numbers is gone, and that has contributed a great deal to production."
On a food line, mixing up dates or lot numbers is a mistake that must never happen. Being able to read the characters clearly translated directly into the reliability of the entire production process.
Another thing that supported the plant was how simple day-to-day operation is. Routine adjustments such as changing the date and the lot number became easy, and neither the technicians nor the operators had any trouble handling it.
"Thanks to this ease of use, neither our technicians nor our operators have any trouble handling it, which helps us enormously."
The "never stops" stability that sustains long working days
In a plant with long days of close to 15 hours, what created the greatest value was stability.
"Stoppages and what we call 'dead time' were considerably reduced. Ever since we first installed it on this line, the printing process has been very stable."
Behind that stability is the automatic cleaning function. At the end of the working day, a single button press is enough for the printer to run the shutdown automatically, so no labour or time is spent on maintenance.
"We don't struggle with maintenance. As a result, both quality and operating time improved noticeably."
In the plant, operating conditions are not always constant. Even so, print quality is unaffected and the equipment keeps running steadily — and that robustness is exactly the point Joaquín comes back to again and again.
Two pleasant surprises that exceeded expectations
Before the installation, what Joaquín expected was better print quality and a lower consumables cost. In use, however, a value beyond those initial assumptions came to light.
One was the interface that is so easy to use, already mentioned. The other was the technical support that stays so close.
"Of course we expected support, but the quality and speed of the response went far beyond what we had imagined."
A good example of this was the attentiveness of the sales engineer.
"Every time we asked for something he responded immediately; he was always available and very willing to help. Including after-sales support, we felt the response exceeded our expectations."
This is not a service that ends with the sale, but support that keeps going. Behind what Joaquín describes as "a very high quality service" is that accumulation of effort.
On to the next line: the future of the rollout
American Beef is currently running various tests to verify whether the KEYENCE printer can keep up with the high processing speed of other production lines.
"If we confirm that it can keep pace with the other machines (packages per minute), we will seriously consider acquiring more KEYENCE printers."
Taking the success achieved on one line to the whole plant — American Beef's challenge continues. Finally, asked what he would say to other companies if he had to recommend it, Joaquín concluded:
"At first glance it may look like a simple coder, but it is of extremely high quality and it runs stably under our operating conditions."
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Q What led American Beef to replace its previous coder with the KEYENCE MK-G Series?
A
It was not because of a serious problem. They began the evaluation out of a desire to keep improving in both quality and consumables. The three points they prioritised were "better print quality", "more accessible consumables" and "solid technical support".
Q What results did installing the MK-G Series continuous inkjet printer bring?
A
Print quality improved, character legibility increased and the confusion over numbers was eliminated. In addition, line stoppages (dead time) were considerably reduced, making the operation more stable.
Q Does the MK-G Series require a lot of maintenance?
A
It has an automatic cleaning function that runs the shutdown at the press of a single button at the end of the working day, so the daily maintenance workload is very low.
Q Is the MK-G printer difficult for operators to use?
A
The interface is simple and changing the date or the lot number is very easy, so neither technicians nor operators have any trouble handling it.
Q What was KEYENCE support like during the installation?
A
The attentiveness of the sales engineer is highly valued. Every request was answered immediately and he was always available; including after-sales support, the quality and speed of the response exceeded expectations.
