Bottom mark

Bottom mark - for porcelain a defined manufacturer identification

 

A floor mark on porcelain and ceramic tableware has to be defined from three different perspectives, since all points of view play an important role for customers and dealers.

  1. Legal definition
  2. Technical definition
  3. Motivation on the sales side

 

This knowledge is particularly important in the OEM business.

 


 

Legal definition of a bottom mark

 

Whoever affixes his name, his logo or his brand label to a food contact material or article, or has it affixed by a third party, assumes the clear legal position of the manufacturer in the legal sense. This means that the entrepreneur in question bears complete personal responsibility for legal certainty at all levels of the various responsibilities. In particular these are LFGB, product liability law as well as all laws, rules and regulations described in our paragraph legal norms.

If the distributor in question now believes that he is "off the hook" because his supplier is a Union producer or Union importer, this approach may be referred to as the "wood route". The respective distributor himself makes sure that there is a complete and unambiguous chain of evidence for his products. He must be able to allocate a precisely defined product to a single manufacturing process or a precise delivery batch without any doubt and provide proof of conformity himself.

As part of our OEM service, we advise our customers on how to set up such a chain of custody and what requirements must be met.

 


 

Technical definition of a bottom mark

Floor markers are nothing more than decorations. They differ classically, like the decors, in three or four groups

  • Underglaze
  • Inglaze
  • Onglaze
  • Sticker or Cold stamp

While underglaze marks are usually reserved for the porcelain manufacturers themselves, onglaze and inglaze marks can also be applied after the white goods have been produced. However, both processes require further, more complex production steps, especially if the bottom mark is applied at a different location than the white ware was produced. The porcelain must be transported and unpacked, rinsed free of grease and then provided with a decal by hand. It is then fired a third time, repacked and then delivered. The unit costs for such a process in Germany are around € 1.00 - plus porcelain.

There are providers who offer a subsequent floor stamp via a cold stamping process. This is not only below the level of a porcelain stamp, but also does not last longer than over the counter. Cold stamps are not permitted by law for the commercial use of porcelain and tableware, as they do not offer long-term traceability. After only a few rinsing cycles, the bottom mark washes out and gradually disappears. This is not only cheap, but also looks like it.

 


 

Motivation on the sales side

Especially food chains show us that private labels underline the entrepreneurial competence and make the product stand out from the direct comparability. In times of an almost unlimited supply of information via the Internet, this is a comprehensible intention. What works well with coffee cream and gherkins does not have to be a generally valid recipe for success. Porcelain is a very conservative product that is judged by consumers with very different criteria.

Brand, packaging and price play an important role, especially in the household porcelain segment. Therefore, every distributor should think carefully about which brand to choose for his products. The fact that Edeka, Rewe, Lidl or Aldi do not stand for traditional porcelain brands is also known beyond the borders of Germany. We support the brand image of our OEM customers with great dedication and professional support, as far as they are actually customer-specific developments. This also includes decorations, vignettes or our own packaging concepts.

Porcelain is often also a marginal or additional product that is offered together with the core range as a complementary component within an overall competence. Tea brands, coffee roasters or fashion labels are for example such companies. These brands have quasi automatically the acceptance of their customers to accept also a porcelain with an appropriate label.

 


 

Let us advise you what is best for your project. Do not go the wrong way, but use the Holst way.

We are happy to do it. That is our profession.

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