INSIGHT Paul Vogt - NiceLabel
“Digital transformation has been both a boon and barrier for the channel. But looking at the digitalisation of the
labelling process, it is a definite opportunity. “ Paul Vogt, Channel Marketing Director, NiceLabel
Labelling goes digital
The humble label, often overlooked and rarely evolved, is critical part of operations for a number of industries,
from fashion and food, to pharmaceutical and manufacturing. For industries like manufacturing, labelling forms
the basis of a successful supply chain. Here, Paul Vogt, Channel Marketing Director, NiceLabel explains why
digital technology has opened up new opportunities for Channel
its own labels for shipments,
inventory control and other
process. is means each area of
the business has its own printer,
possibly with dierent software
and no consistent, centralised
way of managing them. is
leads to inconsistencies, overlap
and ineciencies.
Digitising labelling
Enter digital transformation
and moving the labelling
system to the cloud. Just as the
cloud did for other industries,
manufacturers of all sizes can
benet from the productivity
gains. No massive budgets
required. In the past, it was
enterprises with big pockets and
skilled IT teams that deployed
label management systems.
Now, with the digitising of
processes, advent of cloud and
software-as-a-service oerings,
there are fewer barriers to entry
for smaller organisations as less
hardware and investment are
needed.
e benets of digitalisation
are many; quality assurance is
streamlined because human
error (and as a result risk) is
removed from the process.
Traceability is improved with
audit trails available that detail
changes, who made the changes,
when a label was printed and
where – all essential elements
for compliance. Moving to the
cloud also democratises the label
design process. Previously the
domain of IT, label design is
made easier and accessible by
those with the right permissions.
Typically the digitised systems
include intuitive user interfaces
and are much easier to use.
Manufacturers today face
a host of challenges,
including increasing
customer demand,
supply constraints, changing
legislation and compliance, and
growing global competition.
As a result, many are looking
for ways to reduce costs and
standardise processes.
As the world transforms
digitally around us and
manufacturers prepare for the
onslaught of changes brought
about by IoT, isn’t it time they
considered applying that same
change to the labelling process?
Could manufacturers, their
suppliers and even the channel
benet from increased agility,
cost savings, and accuracy? Of
course they could.
Time for transformation
Especially seeing as labelling
technology hasn’t really
advanced much in the last
decade; it’s all about having the
right hardware (printers), design
software and the skills in-house
to make use of it all.
Manufacturers need accurate
labels for internal process ows
and to comply with customer
specications. All goods coming
into and moving out of a factory
need to be easily identied in
terms of what they are, where
they are going, and other key
data. Each product’s labels must
be traceable, compliant and
transparent
e challenge for
manufacturers is that this is a
costly process that takes time
and can be complex. Typically,
each factory, distribution centre
and facility must produce
But one of the major benets,
especially for manufacturing,
is that all processes can be
centralised – data is stored,
changed and approved in a
central location. at makes it
easier to share that information
and label designs to the areas
of the business (be it factories,
distribution centres, stores
or even suppliers) and ensure
they are correct, consistent and
current.
What does this all mean for the
channel?
Digital transformation has
been both a boon and barrier
for the channel. But looking
at the digitalisation of the
labelling process, it is a denite
opportunity. It hasn’t always
been easy for the channel to sell
labelling technology because
it is often based on proprietary
or niche technology. Resellers
also suer from low hardware
margins and lack of recurring
revenue. While the management
and platform needed for
labelling are software-based,
users still need printers and other
hardware to make it all work
together.
Being able to sell both
software and hardware to, not
only manufacturers but all
industries, presents tremendous
potential for channel partners.
e software element along
with relevant licensing also
means there is the chance for
a recurring revenue stream. In
addition, channel partners can
also expand their reach and
into new verticals by being able
to oer both hardware and
software.
60 | Comms Business Magazine | September 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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