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The Kitchenary:
Zero downtime,
no double handling.

How ALDUS Tronics and Videojet transformed coding and marking for a leading Australian maker of soups, slow-cooked meats and ready meals.

01 - THE CUSTOMER

Every Minute on the Line Counts.

The Kitchenary is a leading Australian food manufacturer specialising in chilled and ambient soups, slow-cooked meats, and ready meals, with an exciting new product range launching in June 2026. Operating in a high-volume, quality-critical environment, their production relies on precision, compliance, and zero tolerance for downtime.

Industry
Food Manufacturing

Technology
Videojet 1580 & 1880

Products
Soup, meats, ready meals

Location
New Zealand

The Challenge
  • Poor service reliability
  • Frequent production disruptions and downtime risk
  • Inefficient processes, including double handling of product
  • Inconsistent print quality impacting QA standards
These inefficiencies were hitting thoughput, labour costs and product integrity.

02 - THE ALDUS TRONICS SOLUTION

A Standardised, High-reliability Coding Fleet

Over a two-year partnership, ALDUS Tronics worked closely with The Kitchenary to completely transform their coding and marking operations.

Key Implementations:

Videojet 1580 & 1880 inkjet printers deployed across production lines

‍
Replacement of machines with a standardised,
high-reliability fleet

‍
Introduction of a traversing printer system across 3 packing lanes instead of multiple standalone units
Use of specialised retort ink technology for cooking validation


‍

03 - PROCESS INNOVATION

Moving the Printer Removed a Whole Step

Before:

  • Products were packed → sent through retort → manually reloaded → printed
  • Result: double handling, inefficiency, added labour

After:

  • Printing moved to the packing stage using a singletraversing Videojet 1880 system
  • Result: Products go directly from retort to final output, norehandling

This streamlined system significantlyimproved efficiency while reducing operational complexity.

04 - PRECISION QA

An Ink That Proves The Cook

A standout innovation was the implementation of temperature-reactive retort ink, which changes colour from dark green to blue after reaching required cooking conditions. This provides a clear visual quality assurance indicator, ensuring only fully compliant, safely processed products leave the facility.


[Date / Lot Code]
‍
Before Retort: Dark Green

→


[Date / Lot Code]
‍
Cook Verified: Blue

05 - RESULTS & BUSINESS IMPACT

Reliability You Can Plan Around

Reduced Downtime

Reliable equipment and responsive service have dramatically reduced production interruptions.

Reduced Downtime

Reliable equipment and responsive service have dramatically reduced production interruptions.

Ready to see if ALDUS™ Tronics has the right solution for you?