Doug Niemeyer, President & General Manager, TEKLYNX Americas01.20.23
Through 2023, we expect manufacturers to focus on responding to continued supply chain disruption by embracing automation technologies to speed up labeling processes, reduce errors, and improve workflow efficiencies. Additionally, we anticipate seeing them use industry consolidation and labor issues as an opportunity to reevaluate labeling processes.
Create a unified supplier network: Companies create simple, streamlined printing interfaces via a web browser secured with a username and password. Each supplier can only access the approved labels assigned to them. With a unified supplier labeling system, companies experience a much lower risk of labeling errors from their suppliers and benefit from maximum traceability with the ability to report on all past label changes and print jobs.
Implement automatic label approval: Configure automatic workflows to streamline and enforce an electronic label approval process from design, to approval, to print. Only approved labels enter production, ensuring only labels with accurate information are printed to streamline operations and reduce reprints or labeling-related recalls.
Modernize and consolidate labeling systems: Instead of managing a variety of labeling software brands or versions, upgrade your labeling environment, so every workstation is leveraging the same product and latest version available to support easily merging systems in the future. If a merged or acquired company has different labeling software in place or label data saved between disparate systems, work to consolidate those systems to streamline labeling processes and minimize confusion or errors.
Shift away from heavy customization: Move toward simplicity to avoid unnecessary complexity and constraints that make it difficult to integrate systems. When ERP system label printing integration is deep, upgrading your ERP or barcode label printing system can mean days or weeks of development time to ensure the existing system continues to work well with the upgraded system. With ERP labeling integration solutions that rely on light integrations, if an updated ERP system can continue to generate a flat file, your labeling software will continue to work seamlessly without development work.
Transition to the cloud: Leverage cloud storage applications such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive to give users the ability to save label files in a central location and print from anywhere. You can also use Excel Online or Google Sheets to print cloud data on your labels through database connections or use OData connections to access data from a cloud-hosted ERP or WMS. With cloud-hosted label printing, anyone who is given secure access can easily log in, scan or key in data, and print labels at any location. All cloud options increase agility and scalability.
Use RFID: With this year’s mandate by Walmart for their suppliers to have RFID labeled products, and others following suit, we expect to see more infrastructure around RFID label software and technologies and further advancements in this form of product tracking and data capture. The benefits, standards, data collection, and speed RFID brings into the supply chain will prove to be significant.
Automate label printing: Automated label printing is a critical necessity for creating efficiencies and reducing manual work that has proven ROI. Instead of relying on your employees to manually find, update, and print labels, let a label print automation solution do the work in the background. Label print automation software watches for updates, parses data from the business system, and initiates the label print job without any manual interaction or risk of human error.
As we enter 2023, it is helpful to build strong partnerships and collaborations with technology providers to access their expertise, resources, and perspectives to help you overcome manufacturing challenges and seize new opportunities.
For more information, visit www.teklynx.com.
Responding to supply chain disruptions
Disruptions to the supply chain are here to stay in 2023. Manufacturing companies are looking to implement approaches to increase supply chain visibility and traceability, automation, and quality control to save resources and more easily adapt to supply chain disruptions.Create a unified supplier network: Companies create simple, streamlined printing interfaces via a web browser secured with a username and password. Each supplier can only access the approved labels assigned to them. With a unified supplier labeling system, companies experience a much lower risk of labeling errors from their suppliers and benefit from maximum traceability with the ability to report on all past label changes and print jobs.
Implement automatic label approval: Configure automatic workflows to streamline and enforce an electronic label approval process from design, to approval, to print. Only approved labels enter production, ensuring only labels with accurate information are printed to streamline operations and reduce reprints or labeling-related recalls.
Responding to mergers and acquisitions
There has been an increase in industry consolidation, which has resulted in newly formed companies carrying a considerable amount of technical debt and disparate systems. This is leading manufacturers to modernize and consolidate systems, shift away from heavy customization, and transition to the cloud.Modernize and consolidate labeling systems: Instead of managing a variety of labeling software brands or versions, upgrade your labeling environment, so every workstation is leveraging the same product and latest version available to support easily merging systems in the future. If a merged or acquired company has different labeling software in place or label data saved between disparate systems, work to consolidate those systems to streamline labeling processes and minimize confusion or errors.
Shift away from heavy customization: Move toward simplicity to avoid unnecessary complexity and constraints that make it difficult to integrate systems. When ERP system label printing integration is deep, upgrading your ERP or barcode label printing system can mean days or weeks of development time to ensure the existing system continues to work well with the upgraded system. With ERP labeling integration solutions that rely on light integrations, if an updated ERP system can continue to generate a flat file, your labeling software will continue to work seamlessly without development work.
Transition to the cloud: Leverage cloud storage applications such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive to give users the ability to save label files in a central location and print from anywhere. You can also use Excel Online or Google Sheets to print cloud data on your labels through database connections or use OData connections to access data from a cloud-hosted ERP or WMS. With cloud-hosted label printing, anyone who is given secure access can easily log in, scan or key in data, and print labels at any location. All cloud options increase agility and scalability.
Responding to labor shortages
Labor shortages have taken a major toll on the manufacturing industry. To combat this, manufacturing companies are seeking out new tools and technologies to help streamline data capture and labeling processes or re-training labeling teams to increase productivity.Use RFID: With this year’s mandate by Walmart for their suppliers to have RFID labeled products, and others following suit, we expect to see more infrastructure around RFID label software and technologies and further advancements in this form of product tracking and data capture. The benefits, standards, data collection, and speed RFID brings into the supply chain will prove to be significant.
Automate label printing: Automated label printing is a critical necessity for creating efficiencies and reducing manual work that has proven ROI. Instead of relying on your employees to manually find, update, and print labels, let a label print automation solution do the work in the background. Label print automation software watches for updates, parses data from the business system, and initiates the label print job without any manual interaction or risk of human error.
As we enter 2023, it is helpful to build strong partnerships and collaborations with technology providers to access their expertise, resources, and perspectives to help you overcome manufacturing challenges and seize new opportunities.
For more information, visit www.teklynx.com.