How SIGMA BRÄU Launched DataMatrix Labeling on a Bottling Line Running up to 10,000 Bottles per Hour
A craft brewery from Shymkent implemented automatic labeling and rejection directly on an operating line: without stopping production and without losing speed.
About the client
SIGMA BRÄU brews German, Czech, English, and American style beers in Shymkent: from lagers and pilsners to IPAs, stouts, and sour ales. The range includes dozens of varieties under the Sigma and Auster brands. Lagers are aged for 90 days, and some varieties are released in limited batches. The beer is sold in stores and bars, and the brewery also has its own Amber Bar venues in Almaty, Shymkent, and Atyrau.
The challenge
Mandatory labeling of alcoholic products required applying a unique DataMatrix code to every bottle and confirming that it was readable. The brewery could not stop the bottling line. Three challenges had to be solved:
apply the code at conveyor speed, from 5,000 to 10,000 bottles per hour, without creating a bottleneck at the marking stage;
verify every code immediately after application;
automatically remove bottles without a code or with an unreadable code from the line so that they do not reach the warehouse or go on sale.
A separate requirement: a wide product range. The line handles different varieties and formats, so the equipment must switch quickly from one to another.
Solution
The DMARK marking complex was integrated into the existing bottling line without rebuilding it.
Code application: [printer-applicator model, print type, installation location on the line].
Quality control: [type and number of cameras, model] that read each code immediately after application.
Rejection: [rejector type, for example pneumatic] removes bottles with printing or reading errors based on a signal from the inspection system.
Integration: [how the equipment is connected to the accounting system and to the line controller, how long installation and commissioning took].
Each bottle receives a unique code at conveyor speed, the system verifies it in real time, and defective items are rejected automatically, without any operator involvement.
Result
The marking equipment has been commissioned on the existing SIGMA BRÄU bottling line without any loss of production speed — up to 10,000 bottles per hour. The code application and verification process is fully automated, and marking defects are rejected in real time without manual inspection.
Further plans
SIGMA BRÄU and DMARK plan to further develop the system: the next step is aggregation — combining labeled bottles into cases and pallets and generating aggregation codes. This will ensure product traceability from the plant to the shelf.