From challenging surfaces and proper application to high traffic and heavy equipment, warehouse floor labels face a variety of challenges. EIM’s FloorCode™ Streamline shields are designed for the most demanding applications, providing an extra level of protection to critical floor labels. That said, the effectiveness of FloorCode™ Streamline shields can hinge on several factors.
Follow our 10 floor labeling tips to ensure you maximize their performance.
The Importance of Floor Labels
Warehouses are getting larger and more complex. Floor labels bring order and clarity to these demanding environments. Benefits of floor labels include:
- Enabling faster pickup and putaway
- Reducing misscans and misroutes
- Maintaining inventory accuracy
- Improving safety and traffic flow
- Allowing for easier onboarding
Ultimately, floor labels improve workflow efficiency in warehouses—and products like EIM’s FloorCode™ Streamline shields protect these labels so they can perform effectively. Furthermore, they provide the flexibility that today’s dynamic supply chain requires.
10 Floor Labeling Tips
Keep reading to learn 10 best practices for labeling your warehouse floor. Or for a quick, visual summary, check out our infographic.
Floor Labeling Application Tips
Floor preparation: Sweep away any dirt and debris, then clean using a general cleaner. Avoid strong chlorine- or citrus-based cleaners, which can leave behind residues that affect adhesion and cause label edges to curl, bubble, and peel. Wait for the floor to completely dry before applying the label and shield.
Proper placement: FloorCode™ Streamline shields work best on smooth, even surfaces. For best results, don’t apply over floor seams and joints, or on rough, uneven surfaces like asphalt.
Apply directly: Apply the floor shields directly to the floor’s surface. Avoid placing floor shields over other markings, such as floor tape or painted lines—these underlying layers can shift, slide, or lose adhesion over time, weakening the bond of the floor shields. Underlying layers can also create a raised edge that’s likely to snag or tear.
Edge overlap: Leave about ½″ of laminate beyond the label edges when placing over a label. This allows the shield to create a tight seal to protect against moisture, dirt, and other contaminants as well as peeling from heavy traffic.
Press firmly: Ensure maximum adhesion by applying pressure to the FloorCode™ Streamline shields. You can use your hand or foot to apply pressure, but a forklift leg works great and requires a little less muscle.
Bonding time: Wait 48 hours before allowing forklifts, carts, or foot traffic on the new shield for optimal adhesion. Applying FloorCode™ Streamline shields so they’re undisturbed over the weekend is a proven best practice.
Floor Label Maintenance and Use Tips
Keep clean: It’s essential to keep a tidy warehouse floor for your floor labeling system to work at its best. Keep shields clean—and the labels underneath them scannable—with regular cleaning to remove dirt and grime.
Proper operation: The operation of forklifts and carts significantly influences the life of floor shields and labels. Dragging pallets can scratch and tear shields and labels, while a protruding nail can scratch a concrete floor—just imagine what it does to a five-millimeter polycarbonate shield.
Adaptive option: Layouts change, workflows shift, and inventory levels vary. FloorCode™ Streamline shields are easy to remove: simply place a small scraper blade under it and pull up at a 180° angle. This makes scaling and reconfiguring easy and offers a solution for today and the future.
Optimal application: Pairing the right label to your specific application is key to long-lasting performance. For example, FloorCode™ Streamline shields are designed to withstand busy warehouse environments, but they’re not UV resistant, making them best suited for indoor applications.
Maximizing Floor Label Performance
FloorCode™ Streamline shields are engineered to withstand high traffic and heavy equipment. Their thin profile reduces the chance of pallets catching or ripping the shield’s edges. While no label is entirely indestructible, with proper care, warehouse floor labels can last a significantly long time.
Electronic Imaging Materials, Inc.
FloorCode™ Streamline shields provide extra protection for labels in tough warehouse and logistics applications, but they’re just one of countless labeling products offered by EIM. If you have a tough labeling challenge, contact the Label Experts—we pride ourselves on providing solutions to your labeling issues and labeling the unlabelable. Or request samples and see for yourself how our labels raise the bar(code) from the competition.
