It all started with Smurfs. Today, the company is a leading international supplier of authentic and hand-painted animal figures: the detailed and high-quality Schleich figures are known to children and adults all over the world. The design of the Schleich figures and play worlds, the manufacture of the production tools and the quality and safety tests have always been carried out in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Devices from the labeling provider Bluhm Systeme ensure that they are reliably delivered from there to children's rooms all over the world. "We prepare 2.5 million parcels for dispatch in our logistics center every year," explains Benjamin Khan, shift manager at Schleich GmbH. In the past, the shipping labels were stamped onto the parcels. Small screws and springs were attached to the stamping plate of the labeller to minimize the contact pressure. "This technique did not prove to be advantageous for us: The springs broke after just 1,000 labels," recalls Khan. Every hour of labeler downtime cost the toy manufacturer several thousand euros. This is why Schleich now uses the Legi-Air 4050E label pressure dispenser from the Bluhm Systeme GmbH portfolio in Rheinbreitbach near Bonn. They apply the labels to the packages without contact and work trouble-free.

Order start label with transport number
A team of 70 employees picks and dispatches the Schleich products. Each picked carton is manually given an order start label with a transport number encoded in a Code 128. Subsequently, each individual order can be precisely tracked using the transport number via the warehouse management software. The carton travels through the warehouse and is weighed at the last station. On the one hand, the weight is compared with the transport number to verify that the order has been picked correctly. On the other hand, the weight information is later printed on the shipping label. If the weight deviates by more than five percent from the value stored in the ERP system, the carton is ejected and checked again. If the weight is correct, the carton moves on to labeling.

The cartons arrive at the labeling systems in chaotic order. Scanners once again determine the codes with the transport numbers so that the software can forward the corresponding print data to the labelers. Depending on the order and contents, the cartons are either provided with just one shipping label or with a second label. It contains information about the exact contents of the carton, such as article numbers, quantity and EAN 13 barcode.

More than 50 different product heights
Schleich's shipping cartons have more than 50 different heights. As they are all labeled from above, the Legi-Air 4050E label printing dispensers must be able to accommodate different product heights. The devices therefore have 400 millimeter long dispensing strokes, at the ends of which the stamping plates are located. In the rest position, the strokes move all the way up. As soon as a carton approaches, the stroke lowers until the sensor on the underside of the stamping plate detects the product surface. The label, which is fixed to the plate by suction air, is then "blown off" without contact.

The Legi-Air 4050E devices are extremely versatile in terms of their configurations and equipment. Depending on the production environment and labeling task, they can be equipped with different print modules, dispensing strokes and applicators. At Schleich, Zebra print modules have been integrated into the labelers. They receive their print information directly from the warehouse management software. Alternatively, the label print dispensers can also be networked with other administration or merchandise management programs such as SAP, Baan and Navision. Separate labeling software is not required.

Thermal labels save time and money
Schleich uses thermal labels made of a material that changes color when heated. Heating elements on the printing strip heat up selectively and thus create a printed image on the label. As thermal labels do not require any additional thermal tape, not only can material costs be saved, but the time required to change the material is also reduced. They are used, for example, as shipping labels for short-term applications, as they can fade in the long term when exposed to light. With the help of fully automatic labeling, Schleich products reliably reach stores and households in more than 50 countries worldwide. Only the small flags with the Schleich logo are still attached manually to each individual figure.