On the surface, web-to-pack printing looks a fanciful idea. But on the contrary, if done right, it can smooth the process and reduce costs for both shop and customer alike, and early adopters are already reaping the benefits.
“They said it was impossible…”
This might not be the most imaginative way of starting a story about a successful venture, but sometimes clichés are perfectly apt.
Take the web-to-print trend. When online print shops started popping up some 20 years ago, physical print shops scoffed at the idea, and yet today the sector is flourishing. Now, we are hearing the same cries of impossible”, only this time over the idea of web-to-pack.
Admittedly, printing on folding cartons is much more complex than on flat sheets. Serialisation, colour migration, and consistency are all factors in play. But related technology has made great strides in recent years.
“Highly automated machines, intelligent software, and a connected, digital value chain have smoothed the path towards online printing, including for folding cartons,” says Bernhard Schaaf, Senior Manager Digital Printing at Heidelberg. However, web-to-pack involves much more than simply attracting orders via a website. It is a paradigm shift away from the individual production of order and towards customised large-scale production using standardisation and automation.
“Through this, companies gain agility, speed, and efficiency. That is exactly what is required to keep up with the most urgent market trends and customer needs,” Mr. Schaaf says.
Speed is now the most important added value for customers, both in the B2C and B2B segments, especially in the face of personalisation, customisation, faster innovation cycles, and a shorter time-to-market. Accordingly, many web-to-print print shops now offer next-day delivery and status tracking, service customers are willing to pay a premium for.
Web-to-pack, then, certainly has potential, and Mr. Schaaf says those already offering the service are doing good business. “Smaller companies, in particular, want to generate more business with new customer groups with an open shop,” he says. “The demand is there.”
Mr. Schaaf cites the example of one company that offers web-to-pack printing on folding food cartons which achieved five-digit sales figures in euros within a very short time.
The key to the success of the method is the simplicity in approach to what is a technologically tricky process. The webshop offers a limited choice of carton formats and parameters, for example for spot colours and embellishment. The customer then configures their order online, uploads pictures, and so on. The shop receives a ready-to-go order that it can produce quickly and cost-effectively in gang runs and without changeovers, and the customer gets exactly what they want without needing to involve third-party designers and so on. This also enables reorders at the click of a button, or for minor changes to be made to an existing layout for future runs. This is just as suitable for large annual quotas as it is for small orders.
“Through highly automated processing from order receipt to invoicing, you can speed up the workflow organisation,” says Mr. Schaaf.
Standards ensure lean production, while the software-controlled workflow ensures short throughput times. The software organizes the whole process: it checks the job data, assigns the jobs to gang runs, and sends them to the corresponding production line.
“Fewer manual interventions mean fewer errors and costs, and therefore greater speed and flexibility,” explains Mr. Schaaf. “As pure suppliers, print shops are under threat in the price competition in the market. But a print shop that controls the data interfaces with the customer through an online portal has a clear advantage,” says Mr. Schaaf.
“One thing is sure: a company that does not want to place its own market position at risk must give its customers what they want. Web-to pack helps with this. The tools are available.