R & RW Bartlett looks to Episys to solve labelling headache

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: R & RW Bartlett looks to Episys to solve labelling headache.

R & RW Bartlett, a family owned farming, packing and marketing business, encompassing a wide variety of top quality produce, has implemented the Ultimate labelling system from Episys, the global information technology solutions and services company, so that the company can label all its products exactly as its customers require, using different sizes and materials.

 
Timothy Abraham, Commercial Manager, R & RW Bartlett, said: "Our labelling requirements were very varied, and we found it difficult to get one system that had the capability to label everything. The Episys team were very helpful, as we presented them with a problem and they were very good at supporting us with suitable recommendations.  They really understood what our issues were, and came back with ideas and options."
 
Abraham continued: "Our customer base is varied, from multiple retailers to crisp manufacturers and some of our product is exported to the continent. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors by price and quality, and making sure we provide our customers with exactly what they're looking for, and this was a challenge for us in terms of their labelling requirements. Ultimate allows us to print all our labels from tray end cards, sticky labels and bespoke labels for our own numbering and traceability system. We've found it very easy to use the system, and it's actually instilled some discipline into the way we print labels."
 
The system has also delivered R & RW Bartlett with additional business benefits. Abraham said: "We've also been able to remove some of the human error as well.  By setting date rules on the system we can only print certain labels on certain days. Before we implemented Ultimate we found that at the month end, people were forgetting to change the month, and now this is done automatically.  It is also straightforward to design labels. This has allowed us to add a lot more information onto to some labels that we just couldn't do before, which our customers are very happy about. We needed a robust solution that could cope with the high volume of labels, and since Ultimate has been implemented, we haven't had a problem with a single label, which has led to cost savings, as previously, if we put an incorrect label on a product, it would need to be recalled from the distribution centre for re-labelling, which could be very expensive."

 
Peter Lewis, Episys Marketing Director, said: "One of the things that R & RW Bartlett and Episys have in common is a passion for customer service. We're delighted that we've been able to help the organisation exceed their customers' expectations in terms of great looking labelling which meets all their requirements."
 
About R & RW Bartlett
Located near Lichfield, Staffordshire, R&RW Bartlett is a fifth-generation family owned farming, packing and marketing business, encompassing a wide variety of top quality produce, specialising in root vegetables. The business was established in the 1950s as a partnership between Roy Bartlett and his mother, on a site of just 50 acres. Today the father and son partnership of Roy and Rod Bartlett own 600 acres of prime Staffordshire light land and rent several hundred more as required/ Freshly harvested produce is marketed and distributed under the well known 'Skipper' brand locally throughout the midlands, nationally and exported to Europe. Customers range from small independent foodservice outlets and wholesalers, through to some well known multiple supermarkets.

About Episys Limited
Episys is a global information technology solutions and services company to the retail, manufacturing, logistics, chemical, healthcare and public service sector industries. We provide expertise, products, services and support for signage, labelling and mobile systems. Episys works with strategic business partners worldwide and with a range of leading technology manufacturers, enabling us to provide solutions to meet each unique business need - from integrated signage systems for major worldwide retailers to specialist labels for food manufacturing. Clients include Akzo Nobel, Barcrest, Colart, Icelandic Group, Huntsman, Indesit, PPG Aerospace, PQ Corporation, Procter & Gamble, International Paint, Key Country Foods, Magnaflux, Mulberry, Vesuvius, Wisdom Toothbrushes and Yara Phosyn.