From primary pack to pallet: matching the code to the job
Best-before and use-by date coding on primary packs
A use-by date carries a legal and food-safety function, so it has to print cleanly on every pack at full line speed without contact. Domino Ax-Series continuous inkjet coders jet the date and time onto bottles, lids, films and cartons non-contact as they pass, at the hundreds of packs per minute a beverage or dairy line runs, and they self-clean on shutdown so the first pack after a break codes as cleanly as the last one before it. The result is a date that is always there, always right, and never the reason a batch is held.
Batch and lot coding for traceability
Batch codes are what make a targeted recall possible instead of a total one, so they are worth getting right even though no customer ever reads them in normal trading. Sirap configures your Domino coders to print batch and lot numbers driven from your own date and shift logic, and ties them into industrial coding and traceability so the code on the pack matches the record in your system. When a supplier ingredient is questioned, you withdraw one lot, not a week of production.
Coding directly onto flexible film
Bags, pouches and flow-wraps are formed and filled in one motion, so the date and batch have to be printed onto the film at the point of pack. The Domino Vx-Series thermal transfer overprinter prints sharp date codes, batch numbers and GS1 barcodes onto film on vertical and horizontal form-fill-seal machinery, with a ribbon-saving drive that keeps the running cost down on high-volume snack and confectionery lines.
Coding cans, bottles and glass
On a chilled or wet bottle, ink struggles to key in and can be wiped off in handling, which is exactly where a permanent mark earns its place. The Domino F-Series fibre laser marks the code into the surface of cans and glass with no ink at all, handles high-speed canning lines, and produces a tamper-evident code that survives wet, cold and abrasive handling. No ink means no solvent, no ribbon and one fewer consumable to buy.
Coding outer cases and pallets
Printing the shipping code straight onto the corrugate removes the label and the ribbon from the outer pack entirely. The Domino Cx-Series jets GS1-128 shipping codes, SSCC pallet identifiers and best-before information directly onto the box, so there is nothing to peel, lift or fall off in a cold store. On a high-volume line the consumable saving alone usually justifies the move, as we work through in our guide to direct case and pallet printing.
Applying GS1 logistics labels where a label is mandated
Some retailers and exporters require a specific peel-and-stick GS1 logistics label placed on a defined corner of the pallet, and when they do, you give them exactly that. The Domino Mx-Series print-and-apply labeller prints the SSCC label and applies it accurately and automatically, pulling the variable data from your warehouse system rather than relying on a hand-keyed label.
Allergen, ingredient and nutrition compliance labels
EU food information rules (Regulation 1169/2011) mean allergen, ingredient and nutrition data must be present, accurate and legible on the pack, and a faint or smudged label is a compliance failure as much as a presentation one. The Zebra ZT411 industrial printer produces high-resolution product and compliance labels with food-grade ribbons, at the durability a chilled or frozen pack needs. We set the label templates up to your real artwork and data so the right information prints every time.
2D barcodes and GS1 Sunrise 2027 readiness
Retail is moving toward 2D barcodes under GS1's Sunrise 2027 initiative, and food and beverage feels it first because so much of what you make goes through a checkout. It is not a switch-off date for your current barcode, but it is a reason to make sure your next coder can print a compliant 2D code that carries batch and expiry data, which also makes your packs easier for large retailers and delivery platforms to onboard. We explain what is actually required, and what is not, in our guide to GS1 Sunrise 2027 for Maltese producers.
Coding in cold, wet and washdown environments
A dairy, a brewery and a chilled-ready-meal line all share a problem that a dry warehouse does not: condensation, washdown and cold surfaces that defeat the wrong coder. The fix is matching the technology to the environment rather than forcing one machine to do everything: a fibre laser where ink will not key to a cold bottle, a condensation-tolerant ink where inkjet is right, and wash-down-rated housings where the line is hosed down between shifts. This is the kind of detail we settle during the line survey, before anything is quoted.
Reading the codes across goods-in, line and dispatch
Printing a batch or 2D code is only half the job; you also need to read it reliably in goods-in, on the line and at dispatch. Zebra TC5-Series mobile computers and DS2278 scanners decode 1D barcodes, QR and GS1 Digital Link codes as standard, so a single device handles your old linear barcodes and the new 2D ones. We tie the scanning points into your warehouse workflow so captured data lands in your system rather than on a clipboard.
Genuine consumables and line uptime
The wrong ink or an off-brand ribbon is the fastest way to ruin a printhead or fail a scan, and a coder that stops is a line that stops. We hold genuine Domino inks and fluids and genuine Zebra labels and ribbons locally, matched to your equipment and substrates, so a consumables run-out never becomes a production outage and code quality stays consistent batch to batch.
Coding and Labelling for Food & Beverage Producers in Malta
Every item that leaves your facility carries essential data that protects the consumer, guarantees freshness, and safeguards your brand’s reputation. For Maltese food and beverage producers, the coding and labelling stage is often the final critical checkpoint before a product enters the supply chain. You need absolute confidence that every mark applied to your packaging is crisp, compliant, and permanent, ensuring your products can be tracked flawlessly from the moment they are manufactured right through to the point of sale.
Coding and labelling, specified for your line, not picked off a shelf
What Sirap covers on a food and beverage line
The hardware is the visible part; the service around it is what keeps the line coding. Across a typical food and beverage engagement we handle:
- Date, batch and lot coding across primary packs, cases and pallets
- Product, allergen and GS1 compliance labelling to EU food-information rules
- Direct case and pallet coding to remove label and ribbon consumables where it pays
- Fibre laser marking for cans, glass and permanent, tamper-evident codes
- 2D barcode and GS1 Digital Link specification for Sunrise 2027 readiness
- Scanning and data capture across goods-in, line and dispatch
- On-site line survey, specification and commissioning
- Code verification and scan-grade testing on your real substrate
- Operator training, including in Maltese
- Genuine Domino and Zebra consumables held locally
- Malta-based engineer support and service cover
When a label, or a different tool, is the right call
Direct coding is not the universal answer, and pretending otherwise would cost you trust. A printed label is still the better choice when a customer mandates a specific peel-and-stick format, or when the surface is non-porous, shrink-wrapped or reflective and ink will not key in reliably. Equally, an industrial printer is too much for a small artisan producer printing a few hundred labels a day, where a desktop Zebra and pre-printed stock will do the job for far less. The honest position is that most food sites run a mix: direct print where it pays, labels where they are required, and the smallest tool that genuinely does the job. We will tell you when the cheaper option is the right one rather than sell you a coder you do not need.
Can this line upgrade be grant-funded?
Often, yes. Moving from labels to direct coding, or from analogue coders to digital laser marking, removes consumables and waste, which is exactly the kind of efficiency and sustainability improvement Malta Enterprise schemes are designed to support. A food line upgrade frequently qualifies for co-funding, provided you apply before you commit to the purchase, which is the one rule that disqualifies most applicants. Our guide to Malta Enterprise grants for coding and labelling walks through which scheme fits and how to keep the application valid. We can provide the itemised quotation and the technical benefit statement an application needs, and point you to the scheme that matches your project.
What happens when you call us?
- We survey the line. We look at the packs, substrates, speeds and conditions on your actual line, and the codes your customers and the regulations require, before we recommend anything.
- We specify and quote. You get a specified, itemised proposal matched to your line, written so it also supports a grant application if you intend to apply for one.
- We commission and verify. We install, set up your real date, batch and GS1 formats, verify the codes scan to grade on your substrate, and train your operators so the line runs without us.