Compliance with regulations on food safety and hygiene is of paramount importance for any food service company. Where consumer safety is involved, the European Union takes a stringent line, and companies that store, serve and prepare food are bound by strict legislation on the labelling and coding of fresh products.
Choosing the correct barcode and labelling solution is crucial. Correctly tracking thaw and use by dates is imperative, and factors such as waste prevention also need to be taken into account. That's why NS Poort Retail division Servex (Dutch Railway), an authorised franchisee for Burger King® in the Netherlands, turned to the global barcode, labelling and AIDC specialist SATO, when seeking to update its food labelling and barcoding processes. SATO proposed the new TH2 label printer, which offers portable, standalone, intelligent printing and introduces the concept of Application Enabled Printing (AEP).
Since implementing the TH2 into its Burger King® franchise, encompassing 22 stores throughout the Netherlands, NS Poort Retail division Servex has witnessed a noticeable reduction in labelling times. The TH2 integrated seamlessly with Burger King®'s software, and its internal real-time clock has enabled NS Poort Retail division Servex to easily adhere to food preparation and labelling legislation within its franchise stores. With its interactive interface and enhanced functionality the TH2 allows users to simply calculate and print onto labels the pull, thaw and use by dates for food products; thus eliminating the potential for operator error. These features have not only assisted NS Poort Retail division Servex in meeting the stringent food standards required within the food service industry, but also helped to reduce unnecessary wastage.
On integrating the SATO TH2 into its Burger King® franchise, NS Poort Retail division Servex Business Manager Burger King®, Richard Ebbink, said: "The TH2 has made a marked improvement within our Burger King® restaurants, ensuring a dramatic reduction in labelling times and associated wastage. As a result of choosing SATO technology we are confident that we are complying with all the required food labelling legislation, offering our customers the freshest food and improving the efficiency of processes".
The TH2 is extremely simple to use, lightweight yet robust and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows between 4000 and 5000 labels to be printed from a single charge. The TH2 features an in-built keypad, so there's no need for a PC in close proximity. It also has a wide, adjustable LCD screen which offers mobile phone type, intuitive operation.
Using the user-defined database, which can easily be downloaded to the unit's SD card or accessed via the LAN, price calculation responsibilities are removed from the staff on the shop floor while they are still able to implement a sale at short notice to clear end of line or perishable products or to improve inventory flow. Integrating with any handheld scanner the TH2 can print WAS and NOW prices with percentage discount information set automatically onto a tag or label.
The TH2 comes complete with a carrying handle as standard and a range of accessories is available such as a keypad cover, SD card, a hanging wall mount and a label cutter.