Labelling Solutions
Mitigating labour shortages through labelling
Many printers may struggle to cope with the increased demand and there is not always enough physical space to accommodate industrial-scale barcode printers. TSC Auto ID’s new MB Series 4-inch printer was designed with both space-saving and productivity in mind. Its bifold media door design reduces operational space usage by 24 percent, making it ideal for restricted workspaces. Auto-switching emulation enables hassle-free deployment and, being able to accommodate 8-inch outside diameter rolls, not only enables it to meet high-volume printing demands but also improves efficiency, as the label rolls don’t need replacing as often.
LINERLESS LABELLING AND LABOUR SHORTAGES
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early three-quarters (74 percent) of UK manufacturers admitted to having experienced labour shortages this past year, a hangover from a perfect storm of factors like Covid, Brexit, inflation and the cost of living crisis. In Make UK’s manifesto for the new government, it claimed that 61,000 unfilled vacancies in manufacturing were losing the UK £6.5bn in potential output each year. The roles that manufacturers most commonly need to fill include mechanical, electrical, software and project engineers, as well as construction personnel and other skilled technicians. Make UK said the country needed an industrial strategy as a top priority, as the skill shortage was not only affecting growth, but also the ability to maintain daily operations and fulfil contracts.
Converting, like many other manufacturing industries, needs barcode labels and the demand for variable data label printing is only escalating. As a consequence, label printers are being pushed to their limits, which increases operational and maintenance efforts and compounds the labour shortage issue. Faced with such challenges, many businesses are exploring long-term solutions like artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, which require significant investment and ROI analysis. The successive crises have also led to a dramatic upswing in the use of AIDC technologies like RFID. During the pandemic, many companies adopted
advanced and automated printing and labelling technologies to maintain operational flow when their workforce was under capacity. It is enhancing daily operations like this that can mitigate the impact of labour shortages. Simply equipping operators with better tools enhances workforce efficiency and productivity.
INCREASED DEMAND FOR INDUSTRIAL PRINTERS
Research suggests that demand for industrial printers is being propelled by not just automation in manufacturing, but also traceability regulations in food and drink, hybrid retail strategies, e-commerce-driven logistics growth and heightened safety in healthcare. The skills shortage inevitably also has a bearing and choosing the right industrial printer can help organisations not only enhance productivity, but also navigate labour shortages with resilience and efficiency.
Optional accessories for the MB Series help further mitigate the impact of labour shortages. One such option is the MB241’s linerless kit, which offers a less wasteful, safer, cheaper and more productive solution for label printing.
The sustainability advances of linerless labels have been much documented, but they also help streamline business processes, an added benefi t when businesses are grappling with automation dilemmas and suff ering from skills shortages, rising customer expectations and costs. The cost of linerless is not dissimilar to traditional labels, but the added benefits are priceless:
• More labels per roll
• Lower distribution and storage costs • Improved uptime • A greener alternative; less carbon emissions and no backing paper being sent to landfill
• Meets health and safety regulations; less slip hazards
The acute labour shortages experienced between 2020 and 2023 might have eased slightly and AI and changing employer approaches hold new promise for the future. Still, there is no shying away from the fact that skills shortages put increased pressure on existing workforces, on their productivity and their wellbeing. Optimising daily operations with more effective tools like industrial printers offers practical and more immediate support. Test-drive TSC’s new generation of industrial printers by contacting your local sales representative.
26
Dec 2024 / Jan 2025
www.convertermag.com
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