Just as the manufacturing industry was getting back on its feet from the recession in 2008, the coronavirus pandemic hit, throwing a proverbial wrench in the works. Supply chains were disrupted, businesses and warehouses were shut down, and employees were unable to work due to illness. These factors led to a steep decline in industrial production in the United States, a trend precipitated by a dip in orders and also manufacturing employment levels.
Now that the worst has passed, manufacturers are getting back on track and looking for ways to broaden their reach and stimulate much-needed revenue. Fortunately, advances in digital technology have continued to expand the tools available for increasing revenue streams. Digital printing on a wide format printer, for example, is giving manufacturers the ability to offer customers bespoke packaging and printing jobs, even on small runs of product.
Using a Wide Format Printer to Add Revenue Streams to Your Manufacturing Business
Digital printing using state-of-the-art wide-format printers offers a host of benefits for manufacturers looking to expand revenue and stay a step ahead of the competition. Having an in-house wide format printer opens the door to a number of advantages, such as:
- Keeping Up with Labeling Regulations and Requirements
Digital printing allows manufacturers to offer customers on-the-spot changes to relevant packaging in real time — while the product is on the production fill lines. Today’s wide-format print devices offer printing on a number of media, so printing directly on sturdy packaging is easily accomplished.
- Adding Speed for Supply Chain Benefits
Having a wide format printer in-house can offer the kind of speed that brings real benefits to the supply chain. By not having to warehouse packaging, manufacturers are able to reduce the cost of inventory storage and minimize losses due to obsolescence. They also have the opportunity to expand their market share by responding quickly to consumer trends with on-target packaging created on-the-fly.
- Increasing Safety for Specific Manufacturing Products
For manufacturers working with consumer products with key health and safety issues such as food or even children’s toys, ensuring that inks used in creating packaging are non-hazardous is a key benefit. Many wide-format print devices on the market feature water-based inks and some printer manufacturers, such as HP, ensure their inks don’t contain hazardous air pollutants and are also odorless.
- Maximizing Flexibility and Adaptability
As we learned during the recent coronavirus pandemic, businesses must stay agile to be competitive. An in-house wide format printer can help manufacturers be more adaptable to changes in the market, business trends, and consumer demands.
These printers can make updates to printed packages as easy as changing a text file and sending it to the device — no print plates necessary. That’s a plus as regulations and trends shift. Small batches of packaging are cost-effective with an in-house device, allowing you to expand your customer base to include smaller, bespoke jobs and to stay competitive by offering short-run designs.
Finally, by improving turnaround times and reducing inventory storage needs, you can optimize your manufacturing business for higher productivity — and increased revenue.
Doing Better Business Has the Right Wide Format Printer for Your Needs
As technologies evolve, our company has kept a finger on the pulse of the wide-format printer industry, partnering with two notable industry leaders — HP and Ricoh — to bring you a variety of devices that will fit your needs and your budget.
Using leading-edge technology, our suite of printers can offer your manufacturing business a number of advantages aimed at keeping you competitive and allowing you to develop new revenue streams that will help support your business through the markets ahead.
Having access to a wide format printer in-house that fits your specific needs — from flatbed and roll-fed models and laser or inkjet technologies — can be an important and cost-effective way to keep your manufacturing organization on the map.
Move your manufacturing business forward with new ways to generate revenue. Contact a representative from Doing Better Business and discover the many advantages of investing in a wide-format printer.