Product coding - 4 key considerations

Here at Industrial Printer Services, we work across a wide range of industries that require products to be coded with anything from safe usage, best-before dates, or voltage information. For some businesses, it can be difficult to implement coding effectively and know what mistakes to avoid. We caught up with Engineering Supervisor, Ben Lewis, for his key considerations on how to code products consistently, using a cost-effective method.

What are the hidden costs?

Owning a printer isn’t simply the upfront investment of the machinery. It’s important to consider the additional costs involved that ensure the printer continues to run effectively. When looking at your investment take into consideration:

Consumables: Coding applications require two consumables: inks and additives. Keep in mind that cartridge volumes differ by supplier, as does the expected print time per cartridge.

Waste: To support sustainable initiatives, it’s important to consider printers that minimise waste and deliver quality from the first print. Things to consider are coders with automated printhead cleaning systems, smart consumable systems that minimise operator errors, and the importance of good quality ink. All this will help efficiency, whilst avoiding clogged printheads that result in waste.

Maintenance: It’s inevitable your printer will require maintenance at some point. Have a chat with your service provider to discuss your coding requirements to determine the coder most effective for your printing needs and that provides the expected level of hours of non-stop production before needing preventive maintenance.

Training: Although an expenditure you might not initially consider, training in the long term can help reduce additional costs highlighted above. Ensuring your team is effectively trained on the coding equipment can guarantee you’re using the right levels of consumables, that the coder is being used effectively to reduce waste, and you have the knowledge of how the machinery works to avoid call-out service where possible.

Don’t tie up your capital

Investing in new printing technology can be expensive, but it doesn’t need to impact your capital. Avoid upfront investment in coding equipment by taking advantage of the financial support available.

At Industrial Printer Services we provide various finance options that can make it affordable for businesses of all sizes.

The alternative is to use the government's CapEx scheme. Following the Chancellor's budget announcement, there is some welcome news for companies looking to make a significant capital investment until April 2023 with the introduction of a new super-deduction of 130% for qualifying capital expenditure. Currently, a company spending £10m would achieve tax relief of £2.6m in the year of expenditure, whereas they would achieve tax relief on £13m under the new rules.

This introduction of the super-deduction provides a real focus designed to stimulate business investment.

Do your research

As with any investment you should always carry initial research into the supplier you’re purchasing your coding equipment from. It’s important to protect the credibility of your own business by using a supplier with proven performance and a wide portfolio of inks to deliver an efficient and effective service. Any deficiencies in the printing quality could lead to illegible or missing codes that will impact the information provided to the end consumer resulting in them being unable to use your products safely. This will ultimately impact your brand and reputation and could result in potential fines from your customers or even the government.

What long-term support will you need?

If something goes wrong with the coder, you’ll need a qualified engineer to get the production line up and running again swiftly. But how do you know what support you will need? At Industrial Printer Services, we provide anything from an annual service, breakdown and repair, and 24 hr response time. Our team of qualified engineers is here to support customers with the ongoing maintenance of their industrial printers through our service contracts.

We hope these considerations offer a good starting point when contemplating what’s involved in purchasing your new coder. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us to let us.

Remember, if you have the substrate, we have the printing technology!