Many companies now print their products in bulk and warehouse them to use them on demand. As companies fine tune their marketing processes and gain a better understanding of their annual marketing requirements, warehousing print products has become a common business function.
These 10 advantages of warehousing your print products will change the way you look at your future marketing processes.
1. Cost
The cost benefits of warehousing can be determined by looking at a couple of different factors. The first is what does it cost to warehouse boxes of your printed materials? In some cases you’ll find that a print company will take on your warehousing costs as a value add for printing in bulk or at very low rates per square metre. The second factor, If you have multiple locations globally or across the nation then having central warehousing locations for distribution can save you a lot of money on shipping. You’ll need to consider how many printed pieces you intend to use for different campaigns and which ones can be printed in bulk and warehoused
2. Environmental Considerations
When you run any print job there is large quantity of stock (generally 500+ sheets per run) that is required as make ready. This make ready run is required to set the presses to ensure you print job comes up looking just right and that those colours pop off the page. When you consider printing in bulk there are less make runs required, which saves paper and reduces energy consumption. When you consider a warehousing option by printing in bulk you’re helping the environment.
3. Inventory Control
Having your products warehoused and ready for distribution provides you with the advantages of always having products in stock and ready to distribute out to the market. When you warehouse your print products you can control your inventory and distribute your products when and where you need them. If an unexpected campaign pops up and you have inventory, then you can meet that demand immediately, almost on the day if need be. Alternatively going back to the printing press can really delay your campaign and ultimately the loss of sales opportunities. Having inventory will allow you to control your needs in more streamlined process.
4. Space saving
Depending on the size of your business you simply might not have the space to store your print products. The initial advantage is that when you print in bulk you take advantage of the cost savings achievable. You may also require conditioned space for some printed products, so that over time your products aren’t affected by air and worse humidity. By warehousing your products you take advantage of having your products store with a professional warehousing provide and ready to ship on demand, which saves you the space at your office.
5. Joint Print and Product Opportunities
If you distribute products around the country or even globally then having centrally located warehousing solutions can really help you with your inventory controls, reverse logistics and the time it takes to deliver a product to market. When you warehouse your print products along with the products you sell you take advantage of economies of scale to distribute your products efficiently to the markets you serve.
6. Reverse logistics
If any of your printed products are likely to be returned with the order, then having a warehousing solution can really help you to manage your return orders. When a product needs to be returned you’ll be in a position to have the returned products sent back to your warehouse. This saves you both time and money by centralising your warehousing solutions.
7. Anticipate orders (print materials are always in stock)
When you warehouse your print materials you’ll always have items in stock ready to ship. Either printed materials that are sent directly with your products or print products that are used to continue to market your promotions to your customers. You can then match your projected orders with your stock to best manage your inventory control.
8. Businesses are able to gain the benefits of ordering large print orders
A warehousing solution is a key component in reducing the overall costs for your print materials. Its commonly known that when you print in bulk you reduce the cost per item to print. When you print in bulk you generally need the benefit or a warehousing solution to store your print products. A good print management company can offer you a warehousing and distribution program that will allow you to pocket the savings on printing your orders in bulk.
9. Some warehouse solutions providers can help you with packaging, labeling and shipping
A growing trend in the warehousing solutions market is to provide distribution services which includes packaging, labelling and the shipping of your products. When you consider warehousing your products ask if your warehousing partner offers distribution services as well. You may be able to centralise your warehousing solutions so that you can send products out on demand cost effectively to meet your customers needs.
10. Extended storing for long lead items
Some products have longer lead times than others and may need to sit on the shelf for an extended period of time before they go out to market. Have a warehousing partner can allow you to cost effectively manage and store your products over extended periods of time, so when your marketing campaigns kick in your products will be waiting and ready to deliver.
Have you considered warehousing your print and packaging requirements? Let us know how we can help you evaluate a warehousing and distribution service.