4/2/2023 0 Comments Chaindive box art![]() ![]() While supply-chain issues exist, plan for alternatives to just-in-time ordering of print materials. From ink and paper to packaging and shipping, your print provider may have cost-effective suggestions that will create the outcomes you want while sidestepping potential challenges that could stand in the way of timely project completion. Be open to new ideas and strategies from your print provider and maintain communication. This goes for other aspects of print projects, too. To start, as an alternative to central production distribution, explore regional and local production opportunities that may improve the print process without degrading your brand. It’s easy to rely on old habits, but there are many viable options to consider beyond what you’ve done in the past. ![]() If you’re a member of the supply chain team and don’t have eyes on how your organization handles print materials, find the right people to start a conversation about what these projects involve and when, where, why, and how they’re completed. They may also have the technology to monitor print material inventory, track pricing, and manage delivery records for print projects. Whether you’re in marketing or administration or you’re involved in printing projects in some capacity, reach out to your internal supply-chain group to learn how they can bring their expertise to the process. To make sure you get the print materials you need, it’s vital to establish strong print supply chain processes and workflows. Tips to strengthen your print supply chain In many cases, this is not only more expensive but also distracts them from important work on strategic initiatives, creates unnecessary frustration, and may lead to mistakes when they rush the process. When the print supply chain isn’t well managed, staff members may create, print, assemble and mail their own pieces in-house at the last minute. Problems like this can affect your cash flow, lead to miscommunication with third parties about late fees and complicate accounting practices. For instance, if accounts receivable and accounts payable can’t send statements and invoices to customers, suppliers, and partners, then your business won’t receive payments. Some documents in your daily processes are vital to business operations. In such cases as short-term promotions, unanticipated delays can make printed materials irrelevant by the time they arrive. For example, if a signage package you’re waiting on takes five days to move from a centralized location to a retail store, the delay cuts into promotion time. This applies to any industry, but it’s especially true in retail. The sooner and more cost-effectively you can get materials into the hands of the people who need them, the faster you can grow your business. If you don’t have a supply-chain strategy in place, the result is disjointed workflows with no single place to track all project costs. From there, employees may pull what they need from the inventory and ask yet another group to handle shipping. One team may be responsible for content and design, while another works with the printer to place an order. Without print supply-chain management, it’s difficult to fully understand total campaign or project costs. Poor campaign visibility and ROI tracking Consequences of a neglected print supply chain can include: The impacts of poor print supply-chain managementĪlthough print supply chains are often overlooked, neglecting yours can have a bigger impact than you might think. Companies are also moving away from centralized production distribution in the face of remote and hybrid work and considering concepts like transactional and on-demand printing through local or regional distribution models that involve smaller, shorter, and more customized runs.įor these reasons, it’s become more important than ever to implement a supply-chain strategy to manage print projects from start to finish. Like every other industry, the print industry is experiencing material scarcity, rising costs, labor shortages, and unpredictable delays. Even primarily, paperless companies still rely on printed materials, such as statements, invoices, marketing and collateral, letterhead, labels, business cards, certificates, calendars, signage packages, architectural prints, and envelopes. When your organization discusses supply chain management, what’s involved in those conversations? For many companies, the focus is typically on factors like sourcing materials and managing inventory.īut there’s another equally important component in a holistic supply chain strategy: printed materials. ![]()
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