Why Labeller Downtime Hits Hard
In high-speed bottling, every minute matters. One fault can stall production, waste product, and miss delivery windows.
With many plants losing upwards of £10,000 for every hour of downtime, a labeller that stops repeatedly isn’t just a maintenance headache, it’s a serious financial drain.
The truth is: most Krones labeller stops boil down to a handful of repeat offenders. If you can identify and prevent them, you could unlock a 30% reduction in downtime, saving as much as £3,000 per hour of avoided loss.
What Are the Most Common Krones Labeller Faults?
The Big Eight:
- Sensor Issues – Misreads, dirt, or misalignment stop the line.
- Label Application Problems – Wrinkles, skew, or poor adhesion from setup, wear, or bottle condition.
- Splicing Faults – Failed or mistimed joins between label reels.
- Vacuum Loss – Weak suction dropping or skewing labels.
- Mechanical Setup/Wear – Incorrect changeover settings or worn parts.
- Drive & Motion Errors – Overloads, overheating, or axis errors.
- Safety Interlocks – Guard or relay faults causing stops.
- Material Quality – Out-of-spec labels, bottles, or surfaces.
How Can I Prevent Krones Labeller Downtime?
- Standardise setups – Lock golden parameters for each labeller type.
- Track early warnings – Monitor sensor misreads, vacuum stability, and web tension.
- Schedule predictive maintenance – Replace blades/sponges by runtime, monitor servo loads.
- Control materials – Trace supplier batches to pinpoint defects.
- Equip operators with quick guides – Short, visual, station-side instructions.
Why Do Krones Labellers Lose Vacuum?
Common causes include leaks in hoses or seals, clogged filters, or failing vacuum pumps. Even small losses can cause labels to drop or skew, particularly on hotmelt and roll-fed types. A quick daily vacuum check can prevent unplanned stops.
Why Are My Labels Wrinkled or Misaligned?
This can be caused by incorrect application pressure, worn mechanical parts, bottle moisture, or web tension errors. Fixing the underlying cause is faster when you know your labeller type and typical fault profile.
How Can I Reduce Bottling Line Downtime Without Major Upgrades?
You don’t always need expensive machinery overhauls. Most downtime gains come from better setup control, predictive part replacement, and fast fault diagnosis—all of which can be done with the right on-site tools.
Why Plants Install the Labeller Uptime Assistant
At Lean Learning Collective (LLC), we help bottling plants cut downtime and stop firefighting.
Benefits:
- Faster fault isolation – Step-by-step fixes for your exact labeller type.
- Fewer repeat failures – Automated logging and trend tracking.
- Operator-friendly – Clear prompts in plain language.
- ROI in months – A 30% downtime reduction on a line costing £10k/hour to run could save £3,000 for every hour of avoided stoppage—adding up to hundreds of thousands in annual savings.
Final Word
Krones labeller faults aren’t mysterious, they’re predictable. With the right guidance, your team can fix them first time, every time, turning downtime into production time and measurable profit.
