Over the years labeling technology has advanced so that most labels are now self-adhesive; they are attached to a large roll of slick surfaced paper, which is then loaded into the labeling machine at the point of application. The slick surfaced paper allows the label to be easily peeled off the roll and onto the bottle. Even though the self adhesive label is more expensive, it eliminates the separate glue station and related maintenance. In the end, it’s less cost per label.

There are several layers of complexity when it comes to labeling a bottle; the easiest is one that involves just one label, and no requirement for orientation (I.E. application of the label can be anywhere on the circumference of the bottle). Then comes the bottle that has a specific area for the label; this will require a mechanical device to orient / line up the bottle to the labeling magazine. Then comes the double label bottle, where there will be two magazines, each with there own roll of labels (front / back). There are variations of bottle designs which may require rotation of the bottle during labeling (if the label is a full wrap). Another fairly recent advance is the heat shrink neck band that is used to prevent tampering. This item is slipped onto the top of the bottle, and shrunk on using a heat source, usually steam. No adhesive required.

One of my first jobs at New Jersey Machine was to work on an experimental hot glue labeling machine. Hot glue is a very “aggressive” adhesive (it sticks items together almost instantly). Hot glue is used extensively for beverage containers where items move quickly thru the line (I.E. your beer and soda six-packs). But hot glue is dangerous; the results can be severe burns from contacting the glue on skin surfaces. Product development time is long, because adjustments to the machinery cannot be made quickly (the machine must cool down before the mechanics can work on it). In the end, this project was abandoned.

Besides the product labeling line, New Jersey Machine also had a line of boxing machines. These machines took a product and inserted it into a carton / box; many of our customers were candy makers (Hershey, Mars as an example). Although the public buys candy bars individually, they are sold wholesale to stores in boxes of 10 or 20. When a machine runoff was scheduled, the customer would send us hundreds of candy bars to use to set up and run off the machine for acceptance. After run off, these candy bars could not be sold, so they would be given to the employees (one of the benefits of working there). I remember bringing a big bag of candy home around Holloween time; we didn’t have to buy any that year.

An explanation: A “machine runoff” takes place after the machine has been built. This is when the customer comes into the plant and observes the actual performance of his machine. Usually a somewhat tense time, because if the machine does not operate to their expectations, they may not accept it; it means more time (and costs) will be needed to fix whatever they feel is deficient (I.E. less profit for us).

 

After working in the Springfield area for 25 years, travelling to the Upper Valley was quite a change. But the commute was not that bad once I reached I91. One thing I did discover (to my surprise) was that New Hampshire kept their roads much clearer than Vermont in the winter. And some of the winter commutes were, eh, entertaining, shall I say? I did not possess a four-wheel-drive vehicle at that time, and I consider myself a “conservative” driver. But some of those folks who do have four-wheel-drive are of the opinion that they can do anything in ice and snow. I have since bought two four-wheel-drive pickups, and can say that they are handy during those seasons. But I still don’t think I’m invincible. I remember one particular morning commute, when it was snowing and blowing, someone passed me in a white, full size Chevy Blazer. After getting past me, they proceeded to do a couple of 360’s in the left lane, then slid off into the median. Luckily for them that the median had no ledges at that point. I just kept on going…………..

New Jersey Machine was a labeling and packaging outfit, and their base headquarters was in, well, in New Jersey. The company was founded in the early 1900’s, and initially they imported and sold labeling machines from Germany. Of course this all changed when WW1 started. So they were forced into building their own machinery, based on the German designs. Over the years their product line expanded, and when I joined the company they had several models of labelers, and also boxing/ packaging machines. There were a few people here from the Springfield area, some of which I knew personally. I ended up commuting with John Kingsbury, a former Fellows electrical engineer. John Lived in Baltimore, and we would switch off driving chores every other week.

One of the big differences between this industry and machine tools was that everything was stainless steel or aluminum, very clean compared with the cast iron castings I was used to. They had their own small machine shop and welding area, which took care of most of their needs. The assembly area was at the rear of the building, which was located on Etna Road in Lebanon.

The basic labeling machine they sold was called the “Mustang”. At that time most labels were paper, and they were attached to the bottle using a cold glue. So a basic machine would have a label magazine, and a cold glue applicator. The bottle would be passed by the glue station, where it would be rotated as the glue was applied; then past the label magazine, where the label would be picked up. A stationary brush would make sure the label was firmly attached. The pharmaceutical industry was a big customer of ours; I remember a particularly difficult job on a pill bottle, and having to attach a small, prefolded booklet to the bottle. The printing on this booklet had instructions and warnings concerning the drug, but you needed a magnifying glass to read it…………….

In 1989 I was invited to join the Hitormis Gun Club; this institution was originally started by a few Fellows engineers back in 1930 as a way to promote company morale. It also became an important sales tool; customers, and perspective customers would be wined and dined to enhance future relationships. In the early days there was a tennis court (still there, but in poor shape). Old dusty hunting trophies are mounted inside the building. In the beginning only Fellows employees (following an embarrassing induction ritual) were eligible to join this club. Because of the decline of the local industries, membership is now open to anyone who is interested (with no induction ritual).

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Fellows, and knew quite a few people there. I would occasionally take a walk out thru the manufacturing and assembly area to see what was going on. At one point there was a 100″ gear shaper being built for a company in India. When they were running that machine off, they cut a gear that had an 8″ or wider face, and because they used cutting oil for coolant (not water), there was quite a fog in the building from the hot chips coming off the workpiece. Pretty impressive.

The J&L comparator product line had been moved back to town, and was being built in this building in North Springfield. Richard Smith was the assembly foreman, someone I had known for years. His brother, Nelson, had attended VTC with me, and we were hired on at the same time in 1965; Nelson had gone to work in Comparator Engineering in Plant #2, I had been placed in Plant #1. After Textron moved the comparator product to South Carolina in 1980, Nelson left the company. He eventually bought into a machine tool supply company, Stewart-Hunt, specializing in fluid power.

As the gear shaper orders for Caterpillar wound down, our work load decreased dramatically. I started to feel somewhat exposed, being the “Last One Hired”. It was kind of the same feeling I had before J&L closed, so I decided to look around for something else. It took a while, but I finally found an ad from a company in Lebanon, New Hampshire, called New Jersey Machine. They were looking for engineering help, so I went up for an interview. At this time I had been cultivating a beard, and did not know how it would affect the talk. The personnel director who conducted the interview was getting ready to retire, so maybe he did not mind the beard; but after my hire, several of the employees told me that the guy did not like beards…………