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Let’s set the scene: The year is 1893. Pepsi is introduced to the world for the first time as “Brad’s Drink” in New Bern, North Carolina. The zipper – referred to as a “clasp locker” – makes its debut at the Chicago World’s Fair. Inspired by views from Pikes Peak in Colorado, Katharine Lee Bates writes “America the Beautiful”. And on the banks of the Mississippi River along the St. Louis Levee, cargo piles up as it’s awaiting hand addressing…
In this Mississippi River cargo traffic jam, Andrew Jackson Bradley saw an opportunity for innovation. By November of 1893, he invented the first stencil cutting machine, the Bradley Stencil Machine, to aid in marking goods neatly and quickly to expedite the laborious hand addressing process of cargo. The stencil machine was an alternative to expensive brass stencils and reduced inconsistencies and labor associated with hand marking.
The Bradley Stencil Machine emphasized its ease-of-use -- with successful operation that could be achieved by nearly anyone with just 15 minutes of practice. The invention boasted new possibilities in the marking industry by making it simple to include a variety of shipment information including the name and address of the recipient, routing number, weight, description of contents, and even branding. This would only be the first time of many in Diagraph company’s 125-year history in which commercial business would be revolutionized.
Throughout the years since the creation of the stencil machine, milestones in innovation have continued to define Diagraph:
In 2018, we are celebrating our long-established heritage at Diagraph and our products that are known to last, last, and last. This commemorative year means a new, modern look for Diagraph that exhibits the strength and integrity of our quality craftsmanship, products and people. We are marking this moment in history as a meaningful stepping stone in delivering the next 125+ years of excellence to our customers through an entirely new approach to service and support.
We want to bring our loyal customers and employees along on this celebratory journey with us throughout the year. Check back for more deep dives into our past and announcements for what the future of Diagraph brings!
For Immediate Release – February 26, 2013 Contact: Dina Garland, dgarland@diagraph.com, 636.300.2035
Diagraph… Delivering Innovative Solutions that You Inspired!
Introducing Diagraph’s newest integrated valve print head that delivers a compact code with sharp definition. Need to print a simple text, date, time or shift code? Diagraph’s IV12 dot print head offers up to ½” print height with speeds, ink types and capabilities to handle a wide variety of coding applications. Designed for both case coding and primary product marking, the IV12 dot produces a compact code with sharp definition. Built to last, the IV12 dot print head is ruggedly made from a durable, sealed aluminum extrusion. Print height is up to ½”, including two lines of stacked print and print speeds up to 650 feet per minute. The IV12 dot system is capable of running up to 4 print heads from the same easy to use color touch screen controller. The low-cost single head system can be expanded when printing is required on both sides of the product. Diagraph does not just talk about innovations, outside the box thinking, and high up time reliability, we realize them. Learn More.
For more information, call 800-722-1125, send emails to info@diagraph.com or visit www.diagraph.com. To view videos of our labeling and coding product applications, customer success stories and demonstrations from the trade show booth, please visit YouTube’s Diagraph Channel www.youtube.com/diagraphitw. Also, please take a moment to “Like Us” on Facebook www.facebook.com/diagraphitw in order to receive announcements and stay in touch with what’s new at Diagraph.
Diagraph, An ITW Company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of marking, coding and la- beling systems and supplies, and has been in the product identification industry for over 100 years. Diagraph’s products include automated labeling systems, LINX continuous ink jet and laser coders, and large character ink jet and thermal jet systems. Acquired by Illinois Tool Works (ITW) in 2001, Diagraph has the resources and financial backing of a multi-billion dollar Fortune 500 or- ganization. ITW has 825+ business units in over 50 countries employing nearly 60,000 men and women worldwide.
TO CELEBRATE 125th ANNIVERSARY, DIAGRAPH INTRODUCES NEW GLOBAL STRATEGY DEDICATED TO MAKING MARKING, CODING & LABELING EASY
World´s Oldest Coding Company Stays Modern with Strategic Shift Across All Aspects of Its Business
Diagraph Marking & Coding (www.diagraph.com), an ITW Company, announces the rollout of a new global strategy tightly focused on making package marking, coding and labeling easy.
Brand Values
Diagraph´s new brand identity focuses every aspect of the company´s business on providing hassle-free marking, coding and labeling for customers. This is achieved through an unwavering commitment to three core brand values – reliability, partnership and simplicity.
Far from an isolated marketing exercise, the new brand values represent the culmination of years of careful listening to customer priorities and a comprehensive top to bottom overhaul of Diagraph´s entire business structure. Moving forward, all aspects of the company´s business (including new product development, customer service, billing, delivery and human resources) are being driven by a shared commitment to providing products that are easy to use and being a company that is easy to work with.
Top to Bottom Brand Reorganization
As part of this new strategy, sister companies within the ITW Marketing & Coding Group will be rolled into the Diagraph brand.
Trident, the inventor of the world´s only repairable and longest lasting piezoelectric print engine, and Norwood inventor of the world´s first hot stamp imprinter for the food industry will become part of Diagraph Marking & Coding. The Trident name, respected worldwide and synonymous with rugged industrial design will remain the product brand name for piezoelectric print engines. Norwood Marking Systems will be completely consolidated into Diagraph with all new thermal transfer technology being produced under the Diagraph name.
This strategic focus on making marking, coding, and labeling easy will be rolled out across Diagraph’s operations worldwide, including Diagraph Mexico, Diagraph Asia, and Diagraph’s European operations through Allen Coding. Additionally, the Diagraph Global Partner Network of certified distributors will benefit from forthcoming products, programs, and services– extending the benefits of this new strategy to all Diagraph technology users.
Strategy in Action
In the weeks and months ahead, customers will see the launch of a number of new products, services and logistical enhancements all designed to make product marking easy.
Printing systems have been designed for market-leading uptime. Interventions are minimal, tool-less where possible and simplified with the goal of minimal touches for routine items like message editing, consumable replenishment and filter changes. New product development is focused on machine level communications and connectivity, with an emphasis on simplifying diagnostics and increasing uptime through preventive and predictive maintenance.
A comprehensive service offering underscores Diagraph´s desire to partner with its customers in all aspects of their coding and labeling operations, allowing customers to remain focused on their business. Service programs have been designed to match the skill level of customer maintenance teams.Levels range from "DIY" to "never lift a finger". Pro-active need anticipation and one-call-resolutions are guiding goals behind all service programs.
Additionally, customers will notice Diagraph´s new modern logo, updated visual identity and newly updated website (www.diagraph.com).
Context: 125 Years of Thinking Ahead Diagraph, the world´s oldest product marking company, is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2018. The company has stayed relevant for over 100 years by anticipating industry trends and strategically realigning the brand to meet evolving market needs.
This approach has allowed Diagraph to remain at the forefront of global product marking needs with an impressive array of breakthrough technologies including: the world´s first stencil cutting machine (1893), the world´s first circular stencil cutting machine – the Diagraph (1902), the world´s first roll coder – the DiCoder (1969), the world´s first integrated valve jet technology (1986), the world´s first high resolution piezoelectric barcode print engine – Trident technology (1990), the world´s first centralized ink delivery system design for high resolution inkjet (1996), the world´s first automated cleaning system for high resolution inkjet technology (2002) and the world´s first all-electric automated labeling system platform (2008).
Diagraph´s new global strategic commitment to making it easy for manufacturers to make the perfect mark on their product represents a new chapter in Diagraph´s forward-looking leadership.
As we pause to fully appreciate the momentous occasion of our 125th year in business, we can’t help but look back on more than a century of important innovations and milestones that have put Diagraph directly at the center of major paradigm shifts in the way industry moves goods to market. You can reminisce on those milestones with us by reading our last blog post.
In the process of celebrating our past, we couldn’t help but look to the future. How are we going to write the next chapter in our 125-year-old story? This is a question that we asked ourselves leading up to this important anniversary. One thing we know for sure is that this chapter is not being written without the direct involvement of our customers as we have turned to them to help us chart a new course.
Our customers spoke, we listened, we deliberated, and now we are emerging in our 125th year in business with our plan for the future. Our plan looks less like an equipment manufacturing company and more like a strategic business solution partner. Our goal? Partner with customers in every aspect of their coding and labeling operations – providing a holistic approach that maximizes efficiencies for customers and drives tangible value throughout a long-term partnership.
As part of this goal, we are excited to introduce the Diagraph Solution Center. With our model, we leverage our full portfolio of coding and labeling solutions that are designed to be reliable, repeatable, and easy to use while at the same time helping our customers push past viewing coding and labeling assets as standalone equipment. We believe that these solutions can be powerful alone, but our customers can overdrive operational efficiencies when used together in combination with Diagraph’s comprehensive services that extend well beyond implementation.
There are four components of the Diagraph Solution Center model that help customers maximize efficiencies and drive value in their own businesses:
1) Solution Matching Services – Our team of product identification sales and service experts are dedicated to fully reviewing your coding and labeling operations to pinpoint opportunities where slight changes can provide big impacts on your production.
2) Diagraph Uptime Advantage – We design every product to deliver more uptime with minimal intervention requirements to ultimately give you what you desire most – the opportunity to focus on your own manufactured products, not down equipment.
3) On-time Delivery – Our philosophy here is simple: get what you need to support your coding and labeling operations, when you need it. We have teams in place to help you understand what a proactive on-time plan looks like for your business.
4) Predictable Service Support – Our happiest customers have service programs that are designed to meet their unique needs. We have doubled down on our commitment to working with customers to ensure that they have their very own service plan for success in place.
Through the Diagraph Solution Center, we are fully embracing the role of marking and coding experts, so you don’t have to be! Stay tuned as we dive deeper into each component of the Diagraph Solution Center model.
Learn more about the four components of the Diagraph Solution Center:
Every year the biggest show in packaging and processing raises the bar for innovation and consumer trends. Whether you're looking for a solution to production challenges or you're attending to absorb new industry information, experts from across the industry exhibit at PACK EXPO to share their latest and greatest products and services. This fall, PACK EXPO kicks off in Las Vegas on September 23rd through the 25th.
If marking, coding and labeling solutions are on your list for the show, visit Diagraph at booth C-4000. Our product specialists are ready to help answer your questions about product identification - from product coding to case coding - and material handling. We're here to help pair you with the solution that best matches your product coding application needs whether that is best accomplished with small character inkjet, high-resolution inkjet, labeling, thermal transfer or laser coding.
This year we are offering PACK EXPO attendees that have their badges scanned in Diagraph's booth C-4000 exclusive access to great promotional offers across all of our product lines. We're making it easy for you to upgrade your systems to the latest technology with major savings. If you are attending the show, be sure to stop by the booth to ensure that you qualify for these show specials.
To be eligible for any of these exclusive show specials, you must have your badge scanned at C-4000. These offers are valid for US customers only and redeemable through the end of 2019.
We're also offering free registration to Pack Expo to customers who use our comp code 35N95 when you register here.
As a key component in our Diagraph Solution Center model, the Diagraph Uptime Advantage focuses on delivering more uptime through our products with minimal intervention requirements. We believe that our coding and labeling solutions should be the least of your worries. This is why our equipment solutions are built to withstand the toughest of manufacturing environments and consistently produce high quality marks – print after print after print.
Our product solution portfolio is built around the principles of reliability and ease of use:
Whether you need entry-level thermal inkjet, high speed continuous inkjet, or high resolution, large format printing, we have a wide variety of inkjet coding solutions that are designed to be low maintenance, user friendly, and offer superior longevity.
Because the most common cause of issues with pressure sensitive automated labeling technology is linked back to pneumatic plant air, we have fully embraced an all-electric automated labeling platform that is designed with servo-controlled label dispensing technology and smart sensing controls to achieve precise label placement at high speeds. You get all of the performance without any of the hassle.
Diagraph’s thermal transfer printing solutions offer not only the highest resolution mark on web- and foil-based product packaging, but also the widest print area range, offering ideal solutions for printing simple product codes all the way to complex messages like ingredient panels and ingredient lists.
Using CO2 and fiber lasers, we can offer an eco-friendly and consumable free option to create permanent traceability codes on packaged goods. Laser coding is an excellent low maintenance option for manufacturers that are implementing anti-counterfeit measures or need a discrete code.
At Diagraph, we will help you formulate the ideal coding and labeling solution for your unique manufacturing environment, code durability requirements, and staff capabilities. This is just one of the many ways we partner with customers to deliver tangible value throughout a long-term relationship. How much time and money can you save by taking a new approach to your coding and labeling operations? Let’s find out together.
Learn more about the other three components of the Diagraph Solution Center:
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