The customer is a Canadian family-owned company founded in 1995.
The company specializes in bottling natural spring water and is renowned for its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
A distinctive feature of the company is its closed-loop recycling system.
Through its subsidiary, the company processes plastic bottles collected from municipal recycling programs and converts them into food-grade recycled PET plastic. This recycled material is then used to produce new water bottles, effectively creating bottles made from bottles.
The company’s efforts in sustainability have been recognized through various awards and partnerships, highlighting its role as a leader in environmentally responsible business practices.
The client faced rising maintenance costs, excessive consumable usage, and a need to improve production efficiency while meeting corporate sustainability targets.
CUSTOMER NEEDS
Modernize coding operations with a more reliable, environmentally friendly solution that would reduce waste, optimize uptime, and lower overall operational costs.
www.doverco.ca
THE CHALLENGE
The legacy inkjet solution, while functional, created multiple challenges:
High consumable usage: 22–45 bottles of additive and 7–13 bottles of ink consumed annually.
Daily maintenance: Required frequent cleaning of printheads, ink refilling, and messy handling of flammable fluids.
Ink circuit replacement: Necessary after a fixed number of printing hours, with costs ranging from $2,000–$3,000 in parts, plus downtime.
Unpredictable service interruptions, affecting line efficiency.
Reduce VOC emissions and contribute to sustainability goals.
THE SOLUTION
CO₂ Laser + Smart Message Optimization
To address these operational inefficiencies, we replaced the inkjet printer used for bottle coding with a CO₂ laser system—a move that brought immediate improvements in efficiency, cleanliness, cost, and environmental performance.
For coding the case packs, where laser wasn’t applicable due to material limitations, we implemented a state-of-the-art CIJ inkjet with a minimal environmental footprint and high reliability.
Reduced labor costs
SmartLase C600Inkjet Printer 9750
THE BENEFITS
By replacing a traditional inkjet bottle coding system with a CO₂ laser solution, the client achieved:
100% elimination of consumable use for bottle coding
Reduced operating costs and predictable annual maintenance
Virtually no downtime or messy service interruptions
Better code quality and higher line throughput
Alignment with sustainability goals and Industry 4.0 practices
“The shift to laser printing was a game-changer — no more ink, no more mess, and a significant step forward for our sustainability and efficiency goals.”
