Print.IT Reseller - issue 63

LABELLING Paul Vogt, Channel Marketing Director at NiceLabel explores digital transformation in the labelling market, the channel’s role in this process, and how a transformed label management system can deliver tremendous benefit and revolutionise customers’ operations Delivering digital labelling solutions through the channel The food and beverage industry faces some unique challenges of its own where failing to produce accurate labels can have dire consequences could be very different from the printers in another store. These issues can result in inconsistencies as well as slower turnaround times all leading to increased costs and reduced competitiveness. The food and beverage industry faces some unique challenges of its own where failing to produce accurate labels can have dire consequences, in terms of health and wellbeing. Additionally, consumer expectations are changing as are regulations and legislation. Increasingly, today’s consumers want to know information about any additives and how the product has been manufactured, bred or transported to satisfy their sustainability responsibilities. This results in the industry needing to manage huge amounts of information on the label as well as having the ability to quickly and easily adapt as legislation and compliance rules change. The pharmaceutical industry is also hugely regulated and one where safety standards are essential. Errors due to inaccurate labelling can cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Increased compliance in recent years has resulted in a 65 per cent increase in drug recalls – half of pharmaceutical recalls are due to errors in product labelling or packaging artwork. Maintaining accuracy and accountability are hugely important when the impact of getting it wrong is so costly. In manufacturing, labelling is frequently considered a background process that doesn’t get any attention until it causes a problem. As a result, barcode and RFID labelling practices and software have become dated and many enterprises are failing to keep pace with changing business needs. Also, it is common for each distribution centre, factory, or other facility within an enterprise to produce its own labels for shipments, inventory control and other processes. Maintaining a system that supports a multitude of label templates increases inconsistencies and as a result, this can lead to customer dissatisfaction and confusion. By no means do the above examples address all the challenges across all industries. However, they will share many of the same issues and with every challenge, the bottom line is always affected. Challenges in the channel Many label management solutions are sold through a channel model, but this also poses challenges for resellers, VARs, integrators and distributors. For many years, partners have been faced with falling margins on both hardware and Certain technologies such as the inkjet printer and barcodes have revolutionised label management. However, maintaining accurate, up-to-date labels can still be a time-consuming, costly and complex process. Each industry has its own particular challenges, but maintaining compliance, quality and accuracy is a vast undertaking for any organisation. Managing the huge amount of data generated, ensuring the correct procedures are followed for label updates, and ensuring that the technology works can be hugely resource-intensive. For example, fashion retailers need to get merchandise onto the shop floor as quickly as possible, often this will include items that have been previously purchased and then returned to store. Having the means to produce and re-ticket labels quickly and accurately is critical. The longer garments remain in the warehouse, the bigger the risk they will be ‘out of fashion’ by the time they reach stores. However, stores often find themselves in a situation where their existing technology comprises of standalone label printers which may not be connected to a central database and PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 39 continued... Paul Vogt