Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022
46
Enhancing Supply Ch
How digital printing optimizes t The pandemic might seem to be receding, but border and port closures, knock-on shipping bottlenecks, raw material shortages and other disruptions to the global supply chain are far from over. Climate change-related extreme weather, new market trends and emerging regulations all add complexity and uncertainty. It’s no wonder that supply chains are struggling to keep up with demand on any given day. According to the UN’s latest Review of Maritime Transport , shipping schedules are running at less than 40% reliability, down from 75% in the first months of the pandemic. On average, ships are docking 6-7 days late. That might not sound like much, but the impact on production schedules can snowball when supplies come from multiple sources. With global shortages in a wide range of raw materials and the long lines of
container ships waiting to enter ports, such as the 109-ship pileup outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA in January this year , it’s almost impossible to know from one day to the next what goods will arrive and when. In this environment, brands and packaging converters, like all manufacturers, need more versatility and resilience in every aspect of their supply chain, from sourcing of raw materials to delivery of final packaged goods to consumers. Supply chain executives need to be able to plan with more flexibility and shorter timelines. At the same time, they must evolve from the linear supply chain that was the norm before the great ecommerce
boom to a multi-channel model combining online sales and delivery with multiple brick-and-mortar retail scenarios like warehouse stores, chain stores and boutiques. The value of digital printing The use of digital printing for more jobs, including higher production volumes, is in sync with manufacturers’ need to improve performance and become more agile and responsive to market changes. Transitioning more packaging jobs to digital printing allows converters to offer brands agile solutions to optimize supply chains and to help unclog the pipes. Digital printing improves supply chain efficiency by enabling faster time to
With conventional printing, hefty expenses beyond the direct cost of printing can have significant implications for the supply chain. Most of them can be avoided or dramatically reduced with digital printing.
