How SIGMA BRÄU Launched DataMatrix Marking on a Bottling Line of Up to 10,000 Bottles per Hour
A craft brewery from Shymkent implemented automatic marking and rejection directly on an existing 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 lineup 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.
Task
Mandatory labeling of alcoholic products required applying a unique DataMatrix code to every bottle and confirming that it could be read. The brewery could not stop the bottling line. Three tasks 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 labeling stage; verify every code immediately after application; automatically remove bottles without a code or with an unreadable code from the line so that they would not reach the warehouse or go on sale.
A separate condition: 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 system was integrated into the existing bottling line without rebuilding it. Code application: [printer-applicator model, printing type, installation location on the line]. Quality control: [type and number of cameras, model], which read each code immediately after it is applied. Rejection: [type of reject device, 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, with no operator involvement.
Result
The marking equipment was 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 screened out in real time without manual inspection.
Next Steps
SIGMA BRÄU and DMARK plan to further develop the system: the next step is aggregation — that is, combining marked bottles into cases and pallets with the generation of aggregation codes. This will provide product traceability from the plant to the shelf.