A warehouse labeling system is two different things, and the search results for the phrase are mostly the other one.
Search for a warehouse labeling system and you will mostly find warehouse management software. This page is about the equipment: the print and apply machines and pallet labelers that put a label on a case or a pallet in a warehouse, a distribution center or a third party logistics (3PL) operation. We do not sell software.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, and we specify, supply, install and service print and apply and pallet labeling equipment for operations anywhere in the US. Want the end of line walked before anything is quoted? Book an equipment audit.
Is a warehouse labeling system software or equipment?
Both exist, and they work together. Software, a warehouse management system (WMS) or ERP, decides what a label says and generates the numbers. Equipment, a print and apply machine or pallet labeler, prints that label and puts it on the load. We sell and service the equipment, and we commission it against the data your system sends.
The split matters when you buy. A WMS tells the labeler which SSCC to print and what the load contains. The labeler does the physical work of printing at the speed of the dock and applying the label in the right place. We do not sell WMS software, label design software or desktop label printers, and we are not a software partner of any WMS or label design vendor. The machine takes its label content over Ethernet, serial, USB or wireless LAN, and we commission it against the data your system sends, which is covered below.
What does a 3PL or warehouse need labeled?
A 3PL or distribution center typically labels pallets with an SSCC and a content label, cases or cartons with a variable shipping or product label, and relabels inbound product to the customer's format. A warehouse labeler for any of these must print a different label for each load, on demand, and apply it consistently.
- Outbound pallets. Each pallet needs its own identity, printed when the load is complete and applied to the face or faces the receiver specifies.
- Outbound cases and cartons. A case label with variable content, printed as the case reaches the labeling point.
- Relabeling. Inbound cases that need a customer-specific label before they ship on.
- Mixed and built-to-order loads. The label has to reflect what is on this load, which is a data question first.
A 3PL also changes label formats constantly because each customer has its own. The machine has to print whatever format the system sends, rather than relying on a stored preprinted roll.
Which Marapack and Altech equipment fits which warehouse job?
Pallet labeling uses a dedicated pallet labeler or a print and apply head with a large format applicator. Case and carton labeling uses a print and apply head on a conveyor. Where the label is a preprinted one, a plain labeling head is simpler. Which you need depends on the load, the faces and the rate.
- Pallet labeling on one or two faces: the Altech ALcode P is Altech's dedicated pallet labeling system, published at up to 180 pallets an hour on one face and 120 on two, with A5 labels (148 x 210 mm) as standard, depending on label size and applicator configuration. See ALcode P pallet labeling.
- Several faces on a stationary load: the ALrobot, a four axis articulated pallet labeling arm working within a 1100 mm radius, covered on our ALrobot robotic pallet labeling page.
- Case and carton labels with variable data: the ALcode industrial print and apply head, published at up to 100 labels a minute for 24 hour line critical duty, or the economical ALcode LT for low to medium volume at up to 40 a minute. See ALcode print and apply and ALcode LT.
- Large format applicators: large format tamp applicators at 500, 750 and 1000 mm.
- An over-print camera: an Altech inspection camera reads the printed code after printing, as an equipment option.
The full system view is on our pallet labeling systems hub and the head range is on our print and apply labeling systems page.
How does a warehouse labeler get its data?
A warehouse labeler takes its label content over Ethernet, serial, USB or wireless LAN. Whatever generates the SSCC and the load contents has to send them at the moment of printing, and the labeler prints and applies. We commission the machine against the data your system sends. The data side is the real work in most projects.
The question we ask first is what knows the contents of the pallet at the moment the load is finished, and what generates the SSCC. If the answer is "a person types it", the project is a data project before it is an equipment project. We commission the labeler against the data your system sends, test it against your actual label format, and tell you honestly if the data side is the blocker. We do not write or sell the software on the other end.
What do receivers expect on a pallet or case?
Large retail receivers set their own label requirements, and yours are the ones that count. For food, Walmart's page states that suppliers must put an SSCC-18 barcode on the pallet linked to an advance ship notice and use case labels carrying barcodes such as GS1-128.
That is from Walmart's food traceability requirements, and it applies to food suppliers; a 3PL shipping food for a supplier works to that supplier's obligation. The SSCC itself is a GS1 identifier, described on GS1 US's Serialized Shipping Container Codes page. Our GS1-128 and SSCC pallet label guide explains the label structure. We do not issue SSCCs; they come from your own GS1 company prefix. For any specific receiver, ask for their current labeling specification and work to it.
What do we not sell for warehouses and 3PLs?
We do not sell warehouse management software, label design software, desktop thermal printers, stretch wrappers, palletizers or any other packaging machinery. We do not do barcode grading work for hire. We sell labeling and coding equipment, have custom conveyors and stands fabricated to your specification, and service what we sell.
We also do not target parcel shipping label printing from a desktop thermal printer. That is a different product and a different buyer from a pallet or case labeler on a dock.
Should you automate pallet and case labeling, or apply printed labels by hand?
Automate when label position errors cause rejected loads, when labeling is slowing the dock, or when one person is tied to the printer. Keep hand applied labels when volume is low and loads are varied. A fixed pallet station is the simplest working answer when the end of line already has a conveyor.
Hand applied labels are cheapest to start and the most variable to run: position, height and face change with whoever is working. An automatic station gives you the same position every time, and that consistency is what a receiving dock scans. We say plainly when the answer is not a machine.
Frequently asked questions
Is this warehouse labeling software? No. This page is about labeling equipment: print and apply machines and pallet labelers. We do not sell WMS or label design software. We commission the machine against the data your system sends.
Can a pallet labeler print an SSCC from our WMS? Yes, it prints the label content your system sends over its data interface. The SSCC itself comes from your own GS1 company prefix, not from us.
How many pallets an hour can a pallet labeler handle? The Altech ALcode P is published at up to 180 pallets an hour on one face and 120 on two, depending on label size and applicator configuration. Your own rate and layout decide what you need.
Can it label two faces of a pallet? Yes, by indexing or turning the load, using a three axis applicator, or using a robotic arm. Which suits depends on whether your load moves and how much floor space you have.
Do you sell a shipping label printer? No. Desktop thermal printers for parcel labels are sold by other suppliers. We supply industrial print and apply and pallet labeling equipment.
Can you retrofit labeling to our existing dock? Frequently. The constraints are floor space, load stability at the labeling point and where the label data comes from. The line walk measures all three.
Do you service pallet labelers from other makers? We service Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment, and we stock parts for Altech, PackLeader, some Label-Aire and Tach-It.
How much does a warehouse labeling system cost? It depends on the configuration: fixed station or robotic arm, the print engine and integration assembly, the number of faces, load handling and the data integration. We quote itemized after walking the dock.
Get the dock walked first
Pallet labeling projects usually succeed or fail at the data handoff, so the assessment covers both the machine and the system behind it. We walk the end of line, measure load size, conveyor layout and space, and find out what supplies the label content. Call 253-709-5566 or schedule the end of line audit.