Dole banana farm chooses TSC TTP-247 to improve weight-measurement efficiency

Dole banana farm chooses TSC TTP-247 to improve weight-measurement efficiency
Food & beverage

Background:

Dole Corporation in Costa Rica was experiencing quality-control issues at its banana-packing facility. Because bananas vary in weight from bundle to bundle, keeping the weight of shipping crates uniform was a constant challenge. Dole needed to ensure that each packaged crate contained enough bananas by weight.

Solution:

To address the problem, a Costa Rican systems integrator, Roma Representative, developed an integrated solution that combined a weigh scale and TSC TTP-247 thermal transfer desktop printer connected via Ethernet. A worker places an empty container onto the scale and begins packing it with banana bundles. After the case reaches the correct weight, the printer automatically prints a case identification label, and it is sent down the line for final packaging and shipment. If there are any weight discrepancies, the box is transferred to an inspection station.

The Ethernet-equipped TSC TTP-247 proved to be a durable, cost-effective label-printing solution for Dole. The small-footprint printer fit easily into cramped spaces on the production line and offered a rugged design that performed reliably and durably, despite tough packing-line conditions. Its large-capacity 300 meter ribbon supply and large 5” OD supply of labels minimized the downtime required to change media.

Benefits:

  • Increased production line efficiency
  • Improved quality control on the pick/pack line
  • Minimized downtime when changing ribbons and labels
  • Easy drop-in media loading due to user-friendly clamshell design

TTP-247 Features:

The TTP-247 thermal transfer desktop barcode printer delivers a price performance combination that suits your printing needs. The TTP-247 runs at an impressive 7 inches per second, printing images up to 4 inches wide at 203 dpi resolution, and offering 8 MB of SDRAM and 4 MB of onboard Flash memory. Gigabytes of Flash memory can be added via an onboard SD card reader.

TTP-247 offers USB 2.0, parallel and serial connectivity, plus an optional Ethernet port for networking. It also incorporates the TSPL EZ™ printer-control language, which is fully compatible with other TSC printer languages, while supporting TPLE (Translation Printer Language Eltron®) and TPLZ (Translation Printer Language Zebra®). The languages automatically decipher and translate the format of each label as it is sent to the printer. TSPL-EZ™ also features internal scalable True Type fonts (based on the Monotype® font engine), which are typically found only in more expensive printers.

TTP-247 features a user-friendly clamshell design for easy drop-in media loading, along with a rugged double-wall design that is stronger and more durable than other thermal transfer mechanisms on the market. Its innovative two-motor gear-driven engine is powerful enough to handle a 300 meter ribbon and label rolls up to 8.4 inches in diameter.

About Dole Corporation:

Founded in Hawaii in 1851, Dole Food Company, Inc. is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, with 2010 revenues of $6.9 billion. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods, and is a produce-industry leader in nutrition education and research. The company does business in more than 90 countries and employs worldwide, on average, 36,000 full-time, regular employees and 23,000 full-time seasonal or temporary employees.

Representative ROMA, San Jose – Costa Rica

Founded in 1978, Representative ROMA is a San Jose, Costa Rica-based distributor, integrator and designer of industrial equipment used in the fields of weighing, packaging, and material-handling processing.

MARKET: 

Food industry

APPLICATION: 

Pick and pack processing

MODEL: 

TTP-247