Johannesburg HQ · Marking bench
Marks that survive the lane
Carton codes, tote icons, van stripes and driver caps now come off one bench at our Sunnyrock hub, kitted out by AM.CO.ZA.
When the parcel and the lane card disagree
Drivers check each parcel against the code on their lane card, and too often the carton showed something else. Paper stickers peeled off in Highveld dust, marker pen smudged in Durban humidity, and the this-way-up arrow depended on whoever packed the carton remembering to draw one.
So we set up a small marking bench at our Johannesburg HQ hub in Sunnyrock, equipped through AM.CO.ZA. They are the South African machine and consumables supplier we now use for every mark that goes on a box, a tote or a van.
“Unreadable cartons were causing missed handovers at the door, and fixing the marking was the cheapest place to start.”
Ms Kgomotso Gxowa, Managing Director
| On the bench | Used for |
|---|---|
| GoPrinter 12.7 mm handheld printer | Lane codes, fragile arrows and return codes on cartons |
| 300 mm UV-DTF printer with Epson XP600 heads, and film | Waterproof icons on totes, crates and lockers |
| Waterproof A4 label sheets | Glovebox lane cards |
| Vinyl4 Business 720 mm cutter | Van stripes, bay numbers and gatehouse arrows |
| Heatware cap press and DTF consumables | Driver caps |
Why we buy from AM.CO.ZA
We compared several label and signage suppliers before choosing. AM.CO.ZA came out ahead for three plain reasons.
- Service close by. Their Johannesburg branch is a short drive from Sunnyrock, and the machinery support team walked us through artwork and ink settings on day one.
- Fair pricing. We started with one handheld printer and one cutter, then added consumables as the lanes grew, with no large upfront spend.
- Marks that last the trip. What we print now holds through gatehouses, tailgates and returns.
Lane codes printed straight onto cartons
First on the bench is the GoPrinter 12.7 mm handheld printer, a pistol-grip inkjet that rolls across a carton like a small paint roller. The lane code, a fragile arrow or a return reason code is loaded on its screen and printed onto the carton, so there is no sticker to peel and nothing to fall off in the van.
We load it with the quick-drying black ink cartridge, a scratch-resistant pigment ink that is dry before the carton reaches the next pair of hands. AM.CO.ZA carries the full GoPrinter cartridge range in blue, green, red, yellow and white too, and we use those colours to tell our express lanes apart.
“Drivers read the card, glance at the box and find the lane codes match. Calls back to the hub dropped once the code went onto the carton itself.”
Mr Wian Grobler, Lane Lead, who writes our lane cards
AM.CO.ZA’s video Easily label boxes with the GoPrinter shows the same rolling motion on cartons. Their comparison of the half-inch and one-inch cartridges helped us settle on the half-inch size for lane codes, and new bench staff watch the setup and care clips on the AM.CO.ZA YouTube channel.
Waterproof icons for totes, crates and lockers
Our grey courier totes go out on a lane, back through the hub, through the wash and out again. Paper labels rarely lasted a fortnight. We now print small glossy icon stickers on a 300 mm UV-DTF printer with Epson XP600 printheads and a built-in laminator, using 31 cm UV-DTF film rolls.
UV-DTF (UV direct-to-film) prints a sticker onto transfer film. You press it onto a hard surface and peel the carrier away, leaving a raised, waterproof print. Ours are colour-coded icons for totes, crates and parcel lockers: a green lane arrow, a red fragile glass, a blue keep-dry drop and the orange this-way-up arrow from our fragile orientation marks.
“A pharmacy tote gets wiped down after every run, and the UV-DTF icons stay put. Drivers can tell at a glance which tote needs the soft tempo.”
Ms Asanda Mabaso, Care Route Lead
Glovebox lane cards go through our office laser printer on AM.CO.ZA’s waterproof glossy A4 label sheets. They survive spilled coffee, rain at the boom gate and a fortnight of handling, and they follow our label placement habits.
Van stripes and bay signs from a vinyl cutter
Customers should recognise our drivers at the door, so the vans carry Hello stripes. We cut our own decals on a Vinyl4 Business 720 mm vinyl cutter with a collection basket. It handles door stripes, hub bay numbers, gatehouse arrows and the small signs on our collection counters.
“We draw the bay numbers and arrows in VinylCut, cut them from white vinyl and put them up ourselves whenever a hub moves a bay.”
Mr Bertus Loubser, Ops Lead
We picked the 720 mm Business model after comparing the vinyl cutter range and watching the demonstration and installation videos in 8i’s vinyl cutter index.
Driver caps pressed at the hub
Our drivers wear navy caps with the Hello mark, and we press those at Sunnyrock as well. Transfers come off a small DTF printer loaded with FlowFlex white DTF ink, get a coat of white DTF transfer powder, and go onto caps with AM.CO.ZA’s Heatware cap press with four interchangeable pads. A new driver’s cap is pressed by the end of their first ride-along.
Training the bench team
AM.CO.ZA’s training arm, Ambitious Academy, offers online courses on printing, vinyl cutting and machine care, which our ops staff work through between shifts. Two hub coordinators have finished the printing modules, and every shift now has a trained operator on the bench.
What changed on our lanes
Since the bench opened:
- Lane codes on cartons match the lane cards drivers actually use.
- Fragile and care totes carry icons that come through washing and weather.
- Vans and hub bays carry clear, current signs.
- Drivers arrive in matching caps.
SME senders can pack to the same marks with our Hello Pack cues, or send us a message about their lanes. Our marking kit comes from AM.CO.ZA, and their team and services guide on 8i lists who to contact there.
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