Work smarter, not harder. It’s a motto many of us live by and it’s a growing trend in the manufacturing world.

For the food and beverage industry, finding a system that can keep up with the increasing complexity of packaging types can be quite a challenge. With the right system, errors in the coding and packaging of products can be reduced for complex packaging systems, if not eliminated entirely.

With an off-the-shelf software and sensor solution from SICK, Inc. and AutoCoding Systems, manufacturers no longer have to worry. With this partnership, we can provide a unique solution that provides error proofing of primary and secondary packaging lines in order to prevent product recalls, rework, and waste. In addition, it provides improvements to line availability, efficiency, and quality.

And, with the advent of Industry 4.0, there is a growing requirement to communicate with and collect data from a wide range of devices, as well as interface to various business information systems to enable factories to work smarter.

As a global provider of automation solutions to factory production and packaging areas, AutoCoding Systems has developed a suite of modular software products to facilitate processes such as device integration, data collection and integrity, code deployment and packaging verification.

By implementing a combined package of SICK’s extensive sensor product portfolio and AutoCoding Systems software solution, manufacturers can ensure the integrity of their products. Error proofing your coding and packaging process is possible with a sensor and software package.

Using AutoCoding Systems’ software, users can automatically generate the correct codes based on the product. SICK sensors can then verify the correct code was used and that it actually printed, helping you validate codes and prevent recalls for food safety. With this solution, you can be one step closer to error proofing your packaging process.

The entry-level, web-based solution can be used to set-up and control packaging line devices, such as coders, barcode scanners, and inspection equipment. The centralized application automatically deploys secure set-up and message data to one or more packaging line devices, thereby reducing downtime and eliminating the risk of coding and packaging errors.

The resulting business benefits include: