Labeling is big business! That comes as no surprise to the consumer as there are very few items one purchases that don’t come in some sort of a package and those packages are replete with logos and identifying brand colors as well as bar codes, ingredients, lot numbers, and expiration dates.
While the consumer doesn’t care what goes on behind the scenes in getting a product packaged, labeled and into the stores, those involved in the manufacturing and packaging of goods have their finger on the pulse of the printing and labeling industry. Griffin-Rutgers, which supplies printing and labeling solutions to its clients, wants to share some trends in the printing and labeling industry so you can make an educated purchase to best meet your needs in a cost effective fashion.
What’s happening right now?
Regulatory requirements and customer demands have led to changes in the packaging industry. Today more and more information is being required on packaging. This can be in the form of expanded product ingredient labeling to small format, high density codes carrying manufacturing data on medical device packages or connections to web sites. This leads many businesses to look for ways to improve their printing and coding capability and standardize their labeling practices as a way to be more efficient and to maintain consistent levels of regulatory compliance and product security. Brand manufacturers must also be constantly aware of the ever growing problems related to product diversion from their distribution systems and outright product counterfeiting.
Beyond actual packaging operations, companies involved in the packaging component (cartons, labels, sleeves, pouches, etc.) printing industry are looking for ways to complete their tasks in faster ways that are cost efficient, but also offer their customers the security of product information required in today’s dynamic environment. This need has brought a wide range of high resolution, digital printing technologies into use at all levels of packaging from simple date coders to full color, high resolution label printers for in-house use.
What are customers looking for in a print solution?
Griffin-Rutgers works with packaging firms that are looking for printing and coding solutions that can easily integrate with current systems to meet regulatory requirements and current customer expectations. All the while they must look forward to possible requests from future customers for new and greater print information needs. The ability to change printed information on packaging is crucial to keep pace with the demands of changing regulatory requirements, and the demands of expanding distribution systems needs for more and more encoded data. The best current solutions are computer-to-print systems that only require a change to a PC file in order to update package printing.
A labeling system that can integrate the newest print technologies to service the distribution chain at all levels is now considered a critical part of the entire product identification and distribution system for goods. The benefit of a printing/labeling system that provides an intersection of flexibility, security, ease of operation and cost efficiency will help meet current and future needs, and reduce the chance of mislabeling and the resulting costly relabeling of items. Digital print systems can also offer centralized control that is critical to supply chain print management, security and oversight.
How does technology impact printing and labeling?
Technology has led to advancements in every industry and printing and labeling technologies are no exception. First, technology has made both printing and labeling systems smaller and more reliable. This leads directly to reduced floor space requirements and more “up” time. Second, those involved in the decision-making for printing solutions know that finding systems that can interact with cloud based solutions are gaining traction.
Browser-based labeling is also being used by many companies that are involved in global businesses. With a browser-based printer and application functions, end users are able to have instant access to the functionality and specifications for a particular print and labeling job worldwide without having to perform onsite update changes.
If you’re looking for a printing and labeling technology that will work across both your in-house platforms and those that may be in an offsite area, or you simply want to uncover the latest information regarding printing, coding and labeling, contact Griffin-Rutgers.
We can be reached by phone at 800-237-6713 or email at custserv@griffin-rutgers.com.
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