CASE STUDIES
Discover how Only Imaging provides professional TTR solutions to global partners.
Case Study: Stopping Saltwater from Erasing Chemical Drum Labels
When exporting hazardous chemicals across the globe, the ocean is your biggest enemy. International maritime regulations dictate that if a chemical drum falls overboard, its hazard warning label must remain legible after months in the ocean. But you don’t even need a shipwreck to destroy a label—a simple rough sea crossing can do it.
The Problem: Port Customs Rejections
The Client: A global manufacturer of industrial lubricants and agricultural chemicals. The Issue: The client was shipping containers of 55-gallon chemical drums from Asia to Europe. During a rough three-week ocean transit, saltwater spray and extreme humidity penetrated the shipping containers.
When the cargo arrived at the Port of Rotterdam, European customs inspectors found that the GHS hazard labels and barcodes on the drums had severely degraded. The ink had bubbled and washed away in the salty, humid environment.
The Consequence: Customs rejected the shipment. The client was forced to hire a local third-party logistics crew to manually re-label every single drum in the port quarantine zone before the cargo could be released. The delay cost them tens of thousands of dollars and damaged their relationship with the European buyer.
The Diagnosis: Saltwater Degradation
The client was using a standard Wax/Resin ribbon. While acceptable for indoor warehousing, standard ink binders dissolve under prolonged exposure to sodium chloride (saltwater) and high maritime humidity.
The Solution: Only Imaging BS5609-Certified Resin
We intervened and upgraded their export packaging line to the Only Imaging Ultra-Durable Resin.
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Maritime Armor: The is specifically engineered to pass the grueling BS5609 Section 3 marine immersion test.
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Chemical Bonding: When printed on a synthetic Matte PET drum label, the resin fuses into a waterproof, salt-proof layer. It can literally sit in the ocean for 3 months, be scrubbed with sand, and still scan perfectly.
The Result
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Outcome: The client reprinted their export drums using the. On their next 10 shipments through the same rough maritime routes, they experienced a 100% customs clearance rate.
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Business Impact: They completely eliminated the exorbitant port re-labeling fees and secured their export compliance for all future European contracts.
Conclusion: Armor Your Ocean Freight
If your products cross the ocean, your ink needs maritime certification. Don’t let saltwater wash away your profits.
ONLY IMAGING is a leading supplier of labels, printing equipment and associate consumables, including TTR products in various widths and lengths. Please take the opportunity to learn more about our range of high-quality thermal transfer ribbons and explore our other products for any further questions you may have click Here.
