DuraLabel Label Printer & DuraLabel Supplies

Sometimes it can seem as though everything is falling apart all around you. Your competitors are cutting prices. Your suppliers are raising prices. Your customers are looking for higher quality and on top of that have decreased their orders... and it's always hard to find good employees. It would be nice if there was a simple technique you could use to help address all these problems.

There is. It is called 5S.

5S is a simple concept that involves Five Steps... that's why it is called "Five S." The basis of 5S is getting cleaned up and organized, but doing it in such a way that the result is decreased costs (through the reduction of waste) and increased quality. It can even help turn marginal employees into good performers. How is this accomplished?

One of the foundations of 5S is strong visual communication... the use of signs and labels to communicate information directly at the point of need. For example, this means having all tools marked so their proper storage location is immediately and clearly understood. This makes it easy for tools to be returned to where they belong, making it easy to find them when they are needed. It seems simple and to be nothing more than common sense... and it is. The problem is, without a program such as 5S in place many of these simple things are missed.

5S provides a systematic way to get cleaned up and organized. It is not unusual to hear about facilities that were planning to build more warehouse space, for example. Then they implemented 5S with the result being that their existing warehouse space became half empty. They saved the capital cost of a new building and had excess space!

If you are looking at taking advantage of the power of lean manufacturing techniques, 5S is a good place to start. It is easy to understand, does not cost much to implement, and it can have tremendous benefits.

Labels: 5S, lean manufacturing, visual communication

There are two things in this picture that go together. What are they?

Valve tags and a valve lock out.

Lock Out / Tag Out (LOTO) is a critical part of safety and valve tags are a critical component of LOTO.

The lock on the valve in this picture prevents the valve from being opened, protecting the workers who are doing downstream repairs.

The valve tag identifies the valve, helping to ensure the correct valve is locked out. It is important that needed information be available at the point of need. There must be 100% certainty that the correct valve is being locked out, and having valves marked with identifying valve tags provides this needed information.

Take another look at the hand wheel in the above picture. You can see the lock. The tags all appear to be on valves that are in the background. Why don't you see a tag hanging from the hand wheel to identify the valve?

The picture to the right shows another valve. Notice that the tag is on the valve body, not on the hand wheel. Valve tags should never be placed on the actuator, whether it is a hand wheel or a power actuator. Valve tags always are placed on the valve body.

Think of it this way... valve tags always go on the valve, not on the device that moves the valve.

For more information about valve tags and labeling valves, I recommend the Graphic Products Valve Tag Best Practices Guide. It is available as a free download.

If you need valve tags, or pipe markers, check out the DuraLabel PRO 300 thermal transfer label printer. It's the printer that can get the job done, and get it done right.

Labels: Pipe Marking, visual communication

The DuraLabel 7000 is the new industrial sign printer that's turning the industry on its head. With it's common sense design and huge selection of supplies, the DuraLabel 7000 is the sign printer that can handle most facility sign making jobs.

Here are the top five reasons to own a DuraLabel 7000 sign printer:

1. It Makes Large Visible Signs
The DuraLabel 7000 makes signs that can be seen from a distance. With its seven inch tape width it easily makes both standard and customized signs.

2. Ease Of Use
Everyone claims their machine is easy to use, but the DuraLabel's common sense design delivers on this promise. But it takes more than a good machine. The software must also be easy to use. The DuraLabel 7000 shines in this area also. You can use software you are already familiar with such as Microsoft Word and almost totally eliminate the learning curve. Another option is to use the Industial Labeling Software (ILS) included with the DuraLabel 7000 printer. It features specialized modules for making RTK labels, arc flash signs and for making general purpose signs.

3. Heavy duty rugged design.
It seems everything is made from plastic today. That may be fine for smaller machines, but as a printer gets larger you want the ruggedness and stability of metal. This ensures the printing stays in alignment, that vibration doesn't cause components to loosen, and that it will stand up in an industrial environment. The DuraLabel 7000 is a rugged, solid, metal machine that combines quality 203 dpi thermal transfer printing with high quality workmanship to deliver a hard working sign printer that gets the job done.

4. Saves You Time
We are all having to do more with fewer people. The DuraLabel 7000 can help. It's ease-of-use means you can et set up and be printing signs quicker. The templates library and easy-to-use software means you spend less time designing your signs. The fast print speed of the DuraLabel 7000 gets signs done quicker. This saves your employees time freeing them to be working on other projects.

5. Saves You Money
We're not in business to produce the lowest cost sign printer. Our goal is quality in our printers; in our supplies; and in our service. But if we can also save you money, that's something to take advantage of. With the DuraLabel 7000 you will save money. Not because we've cut corners, but because you'll be buying direct from the manufacturer and we pass those savings on to you.

You also save because we do not charge extra for the software, symbols library, templates library, or other software. When we sell a printer we sell a complete package that has everything you need. That's our idea being a quality supplier.

6. Outstanding Customer Service
We've been in the visual communication business (labelers and sign printers) since 1970. We're one of the leading experts and we're happy to use our expertise to help you in any way we can. Our goal is to provide unbeatable customer service, because we want you to be a returning customer year after year after year.

7. Because You Always Get More
Even with our Top Five list you get six reasons. We always strive to deliver more... to do a better job... and to increase the value of our machines by developing new supplies, software and capabilities. We're doing everything we can be be sure you are a satisfied customer for a very long time.

Use this link to get free sample signs made with the DuraLabel 7000, and more information about this outstanding new sign printer.

Labels: DuraLabel 7000, Sign Printer, visual communication

While we are on the subject of 5S, there is an important aspect of 5S that needs to be standardized.

A key part of 5S is visual communication. One of the most effective methods of quick, effective visual communication is color coding. We can recognize color coding much quicker and more accurately than we do printed messages.

Although there is no standards organization that has developed 5S color coding standards, a standard has developed through common usage. A chart providing the standard 5S color code is available free from graphic Products. Use the following link:

5S System Color Coding

Labels: 5S, lean manufacturing, visual communication

Why would you want a guide to 5S? What is 5S?

5S is a system developed by Toyota as a part of their lean manufacturing system. What's great about 5S is that it is fairly simple in application, and it is easy and not very costly to implement. On the other hand the benefits can be significant.

5S is a system of cleaning up, getting organized and maintaining what has been accomplished. Sounds simple. Isn't this what we all do every day? The floors are swept at the end of every shift and we're cleaned up. What's special about 5S?

5S isn't just about cleaning up, it's a little more than that. It is a systematic approach to cleaning, sorting, organizing and maintaining everything in an organized condition. It is called 5S because there are five steps and "sweeping" (cleaning) is just the first step. But that first step is more than just sweeping. For example, in the 5S system machines should be kept clean. That means completely clean. The objective is to make it easy to spot maintenance issues, such as an oil leak, very early.

The best way to learn about 5S is to get our Introduction to 5S guide. It provides an overview of the 5S system, how it is implemented, and what the benefits are. The guide is free, and there is no obligation to purchase anything. You can order your free copy online here: Introduction to 5S

Labels: Labeling - Special Offers, visual communication

Getting the backing off a label is easy, if you take the right approach.

There have been times when I've wrinkled two or three corners trying to peel the backing off a label. The secret is to not peel the back from the label, but to peel the label from the backing.

No, that isn't saying the same thing two different ways.

When you attempt to peel the backing off a label, you are trying to bend and peel off a heavier, thicker material (the backing) from a thinner material (the label). Instead of the backing peeling off, the label tends to conform to whatever shape the backing takes and remains stuck on the backing material.

However, if you peel the thinner label material off the stiffer backing material, the label is much easier to get off of the backing. Try it. It works great.

Labels: Labeling - Tech. Support, visual communication

The DuraLabel printer and lean manufacturing form an outstanding partnership. The versatility and flexibility of the DuraLabel means it can handle just about any visual communication task related to lean manufacturing.

What is lean manufacturing? Why are labels and signs an important part of lean manufacturing? Visit the Visual Workplace (Visual Communication) web site to learn about both. This web site is dedicated to providing information about lean manufacturing techniques such as 5S, kaizen and kanban. These are techniques that can help your business reduce waste, improve productivity, get organized, improve quality and increase customer satisfaction. It provides introductory information about each of these lean manufacturing techniques, allowing you to determine whether they may be effective in your facility. They also offer a printed guide for each of these lean techniques. Free copies of each guide are available.

Visual communication means to have needed information available at the time and location where it is needed. This is usually accomplished using labels and signs. That's were the term "visual workplace" comes from. A Visual workplace is one in which even a new hire knows where they are in the facility, what the safety hazards are, and what they need to do in case of an emergency. All they information they need to know is immediately available, without being presented in a confusing manner.

An example of visual communication would be a system that combines color coding, text and graphics to aid workers in returning tools to their proper location. Signs with text identify tool storage locations. Color coding makes it quick and easy to identify the correct general location a tool belongs in. A color coded shadow (graphic) of the tool identifies the specific location. This system of visual communication helps ensure tools are returned to their proper location. It makes returning a tool fast and easy, and it eliminates errors. That is what you get as the result of effective visual communication.

Labels: visual communication