Print Shop Cost Management: Six Resolutions for 2018

1. Print Shop Cost Management: Six Resolutions for 2018      Controlling costs can improve the profitability of your print shop substantially.           Resolve to pay closer attention to print shop cost management as you make 2018               plans for your business,                            Consider one or more of these six resolutions in your quest to rein in operating costs.  ​Study ways to reduce materials costs and waste.  If your shop has used the same brands and types of printing materials for several                 years, maybe it’s time to shop around. With newer, innovative printing materials for               wide-format printers and digital presses, you might be able to produce certain         products with fewer processing steps or lower ink or toner consumption.                                            And, keep in mind that the least expensive printing materials may not be the most               cost-effective options. If your print materials don’t feed properly through your printer           or produce inconsistent color, you can end up with a high amount of waste prints.                                Find a materials supplier who can recommend high-performance printing materials             for specific applications. If you are a regular customer, ask for discounts, favorable               payment terms, or fast delivery services that can help you reduce your annual           materials costs. Fast delivery reduces the need to maintain inventories for materials             your shop doesn’t use every week.                                                       Evaluate ways to reduce the cost of each print.   Can you make sellable-quality prints by using faster print modes or less ink? Does             your ​print-management software and equipment allow you to limit ink usage or         boost production print speeds based on the quality the project requires? Is every             press operator trained in all of the printing control options available to them?                                                 

2.    Explore ways to manage labor costs.  Can newer, automated equipment help your shop generate a higher volume of sales           with the same number of employees? Would smarter scheduling help reduce the             need for overtime? Should some work be handled by part-time, seasonal, or             outsourced employees? Are you using the most up-to-date, efficient methods of           paying employees?                                                      Can you identify which employees are more efficient and productive than others?             Should you be coaching and training the less productive employees to be more             efficient?                               Be alert for opportunities to trim factory expenses:  Can maintenance? It doesn’t hurt to get new quotes on insurance periodically.             Sometimes, you can qualify for discounts you might not have been aware of.    you   reduce   the   amount   of money you spent on utilities, insurance,                         Making your shop more environmentally sustainable can help you identify ways to           conserve energy and reduce waste. Upgrades to your lighting, HVAC systems, or           windows can help reduce monthly utility costs.                                  Use automated systems to trim administrative expenses.  How much time do your employees spend on repetitive tasks, such as data entry or             phone calls seeking proof approvals or missing job information? Can you use an             automated print management system to prevent duplication of effort or minimize           human touches?                                               Setting standardize the process of gathering and processing job-related information. It can             automate the proof-approval process and enable customers to track the status of         jobs in progress.     up   an   automated   order   management system can streamline and                                     The order-entry process you set up in the software should gather all of the               information needed to complete, ship, and invoice the job. It can also help reduce           the risk of costly miscommunications between your employees and clients.                                        

3. Reduce marketing and selling expenses.  Are you using the right mix of online, printed, and face-to-face marketing channels                 to retain current customers and reach new ones? Should you scale back marketing             methods that aren’t generating qualified leads?                            Do you have systems in place for maintaining lists of current and prospective               customers? Do your salespeople have enough current information about customers           to understand how close each prospective client is to making a buying decision?                        Can you reduce the amount of time it takes to produce estimates for each prospect?                 Would a web-to-print system help generate more more orders online?                   Cost Cutting Is One Path to More Profits  According to a a ​report published by the Center for Print Economics and             Management of the Printing Industries of America (PIA), “Printers can increase           profitability by analyzing their sales and operations, making business changes that             increase sales volumes, or lowering their manufacturing costs.” A PIA study of           commercial sheetfed printers found that profit-leading printers (those in the top         quartile of profitability) had significantly lower cost structures than printers in the           bottom quartile or profitability.                                                                                So yes, it can be advantageous to find ways to reduce your costs.   A robust, easy-to-use print MIS program, such as Ordant software,can help you find             ways to cut costs and improve operations. You can use it identify which products             and customers are most profitable, improve scheduling, and reduce estimating and           other administrative costs. It can give employees more time to focus the resolutions             above. The Ordant ​web-to-print module can help your business reduce selling costs           by enabling more products to be sold online. .                                                                         To schedule a demo on how Ordant software can help reduce administrative costs,               streamline your operations, and make data-supported decisions for 2019, visit           www.ordant.com