Labelling Solutions
Pre-press excellence drives competitive advantage in the label sector
Matt Francklow, MD of Creation Reprographics, talks about the importance of excellence in
pre-press set up in driving competitive advantage in the label sector
packaging design trends. Often the go-to sector for brands to drive their product differentiation, the industry utilises a myriad of print processes, substrates and techniques to create label stand out and differentiation, all with the aim of increasing retail sales. The short run, complex print and quick turnaround climate results in two main challenges in supply chain management for the brand owner and label printer - smooth workflow organisation and maintaining operational efficiency. Without these two key features in place, costs and waste increase as mistakes are made and lead times extend.
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PRE-PRESS SCIENCE FOR PEACE OF MIND Francklow states: “Pre-press is actually an exacting science now. Manual processes are being eradicated and digital workflows are becoming the norm. Good tradeshop selection must be considered as critical to a brand. Without a completely integrated pre-press workflow process, managing a product launch can be like knitting fog. At Creation, we have invested in Esko Webcenter, along with a number of other software solutions. This investment provides our brand clients, both large and small, with touch-of- a-button control, 24/7 access to jobs and complete transparency of communications. Brands can view their designs, authorise and initiate changes in real-time, save cost and drive efficiencies downstream.” Irrespective of the number of labels or print locations and languages being used, from uploading of artwork to shipment of a plate to the press, the entire process is completely automated. This eradicates unnecessary errors and bottlenecks in the execution of the job. For the brand, partnering with an outsource company like
18 April 2018
he label sector is highly diverse, fast paced and known for its innovation, speed of change and responsiveness to new
Creation and investing in integrated digital workflow management, can mean complete peace of mind. The experienced team provides a scientific approach to the measurement and control of colour-critical press and print data, with the objective of guaranteeing that maximum consistency is attained on any material, in every printing process, across multiple packaging formats, wherever and whenever printed. The digital asset management solution also ensures that the complete file library can be backed up and cloud stored within minutes for security. With the speed of product refreshes increasing due to retail competitive intensity, the need for efficient file management, data safety and consistent reproduction becomes critical.
PRE-PRESS VALUE ENGINEERING QUICKENS PRINT OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Traditionally the role of reprographics was internal to the printer – artwork design and reprographics activities feeding the plate manufacturing process, right next to the pressroom. With the sophistication and skills in plate manufacturing increasing, and the need for economies of scale in artwork and reprographics management, the outsourcing of graphics management made sense. However, today the tradeshop can offer so much more to the printer by truly partnering, according to Francklow. “We deliver pre-press value engineering to
support the printer’s operational excellence. Partnering right across operations, IT, customer service, marketing and sales, we have the capability to support printers to deliver improvements in print quality, productivity and lead times by reducing errors and waste in their pre-press and print processes. “From artwork design and press fingerprinting
through to production and inventory management, our team listens, analyses and
works with the printer’s entire business to create seamless processes from artwork through to delivery, saving them invaluable time and money.”
THE SCIENCE OF PROBLEM SOLVING Francklow states that the Creation team act as print problem solvers. “Our team treats print problem solving just like a classroom science experiment. We work hand-in-hand with the printer to identify and research common print issues, conduct experiments to see what works and what doesn't and analyse solutions to deliver answers to their print challenges. “This particularly comes to the fore when
addressing the implementation of Fixed Colour Palette Printing (FCPP) for brands. There are a lot of variables involved in making FCPP work in the first place in labelling and then maintaining it over the long term is another challenge in itself. “Our team supports printers to correctly
measure and analyse press performance against the required standards and help them to optimise their output on a consistent basis. From the reprographics through to the press, the Creation team works diligently optimising every step and process to deliver premium quality solutions on a consistent basis even when the stakes are high. FCPP challenges everyone from artwork origination to the press room but the benefits can be enormous.”
ARE BRANDS AND PRINTERS DISMISSING THE VALUE TRADESHOPS CAN BRING? “It’s clear that many brands and printers dismiss the value of the tradeshop in supporting them to drive competitive advantage. The tradeshop is much more than just graphics management and plate production. We truly understand where the problems lie, have the expertise in-house to quickly resolve issues (many of our staff were printers themselves) and we understand the needs of brands in delivering consistent, impactful labels on time to market. “The labelling industry pace of change is accelerating and Creation, along with other leading tradeshops, has the necessary skills, expertise and technology to derive competitive advantage for label manufacturers.”
www.creation-repro.com
www.convertermag.co.uk
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