Tap Magic Streamlines Bottle Decoration with Sleeve Seal Shrink Sleeving
Background
Tap Magic, a manufacturer of metalworking fluids in Little Rock, Arkansas, packages several products in small HDPE bottles and tubes. Their previous labeling methods, including screen printing on a 4-oz rectangular bottles and coated pressure-sensitive labels on a 16-oz cylindrical container, carried drawbacks. Screen printing was expensive because of the multi-pass process required on the rectangular bottle, and the pressure-sensitive labels struggled to hold up in the harsh environments where customers used the products.
Moving to an In-House Shrink Sleeve System
Tap Magic began investigating shrink sleeves as an alternative. Outsourcing the application was considered, but bringing the capability in-house would provide them with better control over production and inventory. Ultimately, the company chose the latter and installed a sleeve labeler and shrink tunnel from Sleeve Seal, and added an ink-jet coder for lot and date marking.
The immediate result was the elimination of the costly screen-printing process for the 4-oz bottle. Even more valuable was the new ability to decorate bottles as needed rather than purchasing and storing pre-decorated containers.
Expanding Sleeving to Other Containers
Once the new system was operating, Tap Magic expanded its use beyond the original 4-oz bottle. The equipment proved capable of handling other formats with minimal adjustments, including:
- 16-oz HDPE bottles – The shrink sleeve provided much better resistance to wear and oil exposure compared to the coated paper labels previously used, while also lowering label cost.
- 12-oz grease tubes – Although not part of the initial project, this format transitioned easily to the sleeve system, allowing Tap Magic to move away from preprinted tube packaging entirely.
Operational Improvements
The move to the Sleeve Seal line made a noticeable difference in Tap Magic’s day-to-day production:
- Lower overall labeling costs across all three package types
- Better control of inventory, since undecorated bottles and tubes take up less space and can be labeled on demand
- Improved field durability, which is especially important for industrial customers
- Fast changeovers, typically around 30 minutes including guides and conveyor adjustments
The system gives Tap Magic the ability to switch between formats several times a week based on demand to support a more responsive schedule. Sleeve Seal also provided technical support during installation, which was especially helpful in integrating conveyor controls and sourcing the boiler needed for the steam tunnel.
A Strong Long-Term Return with Sleeve Seal
Retiring screen printing and moving away from predecorated tubes and coated paper labels fundamentally reshaped Tap Magic’s packaging operation. Lower material costs and reduced inventory commitments have positioned the company to recover its investment in the Sleeve Seal system in roughly two years. What was just a fix for one bottle is now a long-term and scalable solution that supports multiple product lines.
Talk to Sleeve Seal about transforming your packaging.