About Rockline Europe

Rockline Europe is a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of personal healthcare products and coffee filters, operating in 50 countries, with over 2,000 staff worldwide.

The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, with additional manufacturing facilities in Montville, New Jersey, Arkansas and South China. Its European headquarters are in Redditch.

Rockline pursues a low-cost, high-volume business model that provides customers with quality products at a price they can afford. Among these products are over the counter antibacterial wipes, disinfectant medical device wipes, household cleaning and disinfectant wipe products, adult incontinence wipes, and a variety of personal wipe products for people of all ages.

The Need

Rockline wanted to wipe out coding problems and replace its existing CIJ coders, which were messy and unreliable, with cleaner and more efficient models. It was important that each coder had the capability to keep up with line throughputs. In particular, with any downtime being extremely costly, the new coders had to be reliable and able to operate consistently at high speeds.

The Solution

The company has installed 13 ICE Zodiacs and nine ICE Vipers across six rooms at its factory in Redditch, used for baby wipes, deep cleansing wipes, and other products. It uses the Zodiacs for primary packaging and the Vipers for secondary packaging.

The patented bi-directional ribbon drive of the ICE Zodiac allows unused ribbon to be recaptured following each print, maintaining a 0.5 mm gap between prints to create more prints per roll and ensuring the highest efficiency.

The ICE Viper can print up to four lines of text at 600dpi resolution as well as barcodes, 2D data matrix codes and logos. It offers easy set up and maintenance-free operation thanks to its simple-to-replace ink jet cartridge system.

The Benefit

The machines are delivering improved efficiencies through their excellent performance and reliability which has led in particular to reduced waste, mess, and downtime in comparison with the company’s previous coding machines.

“Rockline is a highly automated high-volume low-cost manufacturer, and the ICE machines are reliable and can keep up with the demands of a high volume operation,” explains Simon Neale, UK General Manager at Rockline.

Another key benefit is their ease of use. “Our operators find it easy to get to grips with the ICE printers through their simple-to-use touchscreen interface. Consumable changeovers are also fast and simple with the Zodiac’s quick ribbon change and the Viper’s easy-change cartridge.”

The Future

With further plans for new line development, Rockline anticipates a continuation of its fruitful relationship with ICE, including, in the short term, additional printing solutions.

“Further down the line, we intend to forge ahead with new line development, so there is room for even more work with ICE,” says Simon. “This includes expanding our range of ICE products.”

The Conclusion

“Clearmark (ICE) has a reputation in the industry for reliable products and responsive service, always being at the end of the phone when you need them, along with comprehensive aftercare including good consumable and maintenance support,” says Simon. “All these factors, together with the more efficient and cleaner operation of the machines, were instrumental in our purchasing decision.”