For any business relying on a consistent supply of components and consumables, clarity and reliability are essential. In the world of textiles and garment manufacturing, for instance, where a simple textile label can impact production lines, maintaining clearly defined relationships with your customers is an important part of service delivery for a print business. Service Level Agreements, or SLAs, are an important collaboration tool, outlining the specific services a provider will deliver and the performance standards they are obligated to meet. Let’s look at the main advantages of using an SLA in the label printing sector, and some potential pitfalls to avoid.
Adopting new technology is often essential for growth and remaining competitive in the label printing sector, yet each investment comes with a degree of uncertainty. Is this the right investment to take my business forward for the next 5, 10, 15 years? Will the technology become obsolete before it delivers a return on investment? What if interest rate rises increase my cost of borrowing? Can my business afford it?
Colours are indispensable when it comes to designing and printing attractive, memorable, and engaging labels and packaging. However, not all flexographic printing presses have the same capacity to handle multi-colour designs. Flexographic presses are typically available as one to 12 colours, with single-roller presses suitable only for black and white or greyscale printing. How do you determine the best solution for your print requirements?
It’s a big decision to invest in new print production assets, especially when it comes to the high costs associated with some hybrid printing technology. So it’s worth asking whether purchasing used machinery offers a practical path to expansion without the hefty capital expenditure of brand-new technology. Spoiler alert – buying used can be a good strategic decision, yes. However, to deliver the required performance and value, a used machine must be well maintained and capable of either upgrades or integration with newer technologies as they emerge.
Running a productive printshop is as much a matter of working smart as it is working hard. Even incremental improvements in material costs, machine repairs, and maintenance, for instance, can lead to significant long-term gains in productivity and profitability. Many printing businesses find that a few strategic alterations to their workflows are all they need to reduce waste and boost output, without putting undue strain on their production assets and staff. Here are some practical tips for improving productivity throughout your printshop.
