How to Grow Your Manufacturing Business With Scalable Equipment | In-line Improvements #8 | InkJet, Inc.

Expansion is a complicated process, especially when one has to factor in all of the elements unique to manufacturing. There are material costs to reconfigure, labor requirements to reevaluate, and industrial processes to tweak. In many cases, companies must also examine their existing equipment to see if it can keep up with an increase in activity. If the hardware can’t meet the new requirements, the costs of buying new machines can be a substantial hurdle to expansion. 

To avoid these issues, many companies wisely invest in scalable equipment at an early stage. Capable of accommodating expansions in usage and output, scalable equipment allows businesses to boost their output without the need for hardware replacements. Here are three benefits of introducing scalable equipment into your operation to help grow your manufacturing business.

Better to Adapt to Increased Output Needs

Successful growth revolves around the ability to sufficiently meet market demands. As the basic principles of supply and demand state, to meet increased demand, you must increase the supply. If a manufacturing company has solid scalability, it will be able to respond quickly to market changes without experiencing the negative consequences often associated with production increases.

 Such consequences include:

  • Substandard product quality
  • More frequent hardware failure
  • An increase in defective products

The effectiveness of scalable equipment is determined by how well it can increase production without causing such problems. The Anser X1 thermal inkjet printer is a good example. Not only does the X1 offer higher printing speeds than the average thermal inkjet printer—300 meters per minute vs. ~120 meters per minute—but it can also command two production lines simultaneously. 

With the X1’s capabilities, line operators can easily increase their daily marking output and imprint products with supply chain-required markings like:

  • Barcodes
  • Data matrices
  • Expiration dates
  • Serial numbers
  • Lot codes

Prepare for Greater Product Diversity

When manufacturing operations begin to grow, not only does their output increase in volume but often becomes more diverse as well. Accordingly, when you’re considering how to grow your manufacturing business, you must be critical of how your company will be able to accommodate this expansion as well. 

For example, many smaller businesses rely on hand-labeling to outfit their products with the consumer information and traceable codes required by supply chain partners and government institutions alike. However, as output becomes more diverse, so do labels. Before long, physical label inventories can become excessively large, leading to a higher probability of human error and increasing labor needs. 

Scalable equipment like integrated print-and-apply labelers prevents these issues by digitizing label inventories. Print-and-apply equipment, such as the labelers produced by Evolabel®, can be connected to a larger IT system, allowing users to:

  • Create a digital label library for all existing products
  • Efficiently create labels for new products
  • Remotely control the labeler for reduced labor needs

With these benefits, manufacturing businesses can readily handle an increase in SKU count without the threat of human error.

3. Accelerate Market Response Times

Highly-scalable companies are able to increase their product output without incurring costs that undercut overall profits. This action is only possible when businesses have the right equipment at the right time. 

In many industries, market demands fluctuate rapidly, and the best way to be prepared for these changes is to already have hardware that can immediately scale up production. If one needs to bring in new equipment, it creates inevitable challenges, many of which hinder response time. For example, new machines:

  • Take time to install on the line
  • Require training to ensure proper use
  • May disrupt existing workflows

Scalable equipment allows operators to avoid these downtime-causing problems and instead maximize productivity when it’s most needed. 

Want More Guidance on How to Grow Your Manufacturing Business? We’re Here to Help.

Growing an operation requires careful planning and often isn’t easy. This is especially true when it comes to manufacturing, where one needs to consider how increased input will come to affect labor needs, material costs, and hardware effectiveness. Thankfully, InkJet, Inc. has the expertise necessary to help you determine how to best grow your business. 

With over 30 years of experience in helping manufacturers find the equipment that best fits their needs, InkJet, Inc. can help you too. Whether you’re looking for a thermal inkjet printer or print-and-apply labelers, InkJet, Inc. can improve your operation’s scalability and prepare you for growth. Call us today to learn about our portfolio of products and inks.

To learn more about how to grow your manufacturing business, contact us online today or call 1(800) 280-3245.

 

 

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