Containing Costs in the Food and Agricultural Industries with Custom Labels (Part 2 of 2.)
On Tuesday, my post focused on the ways that you can turn a “commodity” like printed custom labels into a surprisingly large source of savings for your business with Superior’s Commodity Management Solutions.
The benefits I mentioned in that post were pretty applicable to almost any industry; I talked about how they streamline the process of ordering, storing and distributing labels across your entire enterprise, reducing the costs and simplifying the procedures for everyone involved.
But if you are in the food or agricultural businesses, you have even more ways to take advantage of the benefits of improved custom label practices. I’d like to share some of those with you today.
Agricultural Industry Labels Grow in Importance
Your product itself may be a “commodity” to some of your customers, but to those involved in harvesting, processing or distributing agricultural products, it’s your lifeblood. And the better you can track and manage every aspect of the process, the more success you will enjoy. Custom labels from Superior Business Solution Partners help you do that better.
Whether you utilize field or plant packing, RFID and barcode technologies are the price of entry today, and they had better be accurate. Your labeling options must be geared to brand many types of containers, including wood crates, wax-sided and/or UV-coated cartons, and reusable plastic containers with display-ready labels or tags. RFID control and tracking must be available bin-by-bin, and include all necessary compliance labels.
Food Industry Labels Boost Accountability
Specifically, in the food industry, custom labels play many important roles; finding ways to get them more efficiently and cost-effectively can make a surprising difference to your operation. In food packing and distribution, the ability to brand and identify bins and pallets, whatever they’re made of, is central to doing business. But other factors also come into play.
The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) has placed the issue of accurate and reliable labeling front and center. The ability to track products from “farm to fork” is absolutely essential in order to identify the causes of, and limit the damage from, any food-borne illnesses that occur. It adds safety for consumers and protects business for you, as facility problems are quickly determined and corrected while business disruption is minimized.
Whether packing happens in field or shed, and regardless of container type, PTI compliant labels must adhere to many surfaces and maintain that adherence across a full spectrum of moisture and temperature conditions that can be part of the supply chain distribution process. In many situations, labels can add traceability at the individual item level.
Custom Labels Get It There—and Get It Sold
When it comes to retail where products meet consumer, custom labels take on another important job: maximizing profit. Instant Redeemable Coupon (IRC) labels, when applied to individual products, can carry enticing promotions, multiple-purchase incentives, and time-sensitive urgency to help products sell as freshness dates approach.
One of our long-time customers has used them in just this way dramatically reducing losses—an important way to realize a maximum return on product inventory. (Our expertise and the creativity of our label partners made the process even simpler for the client’s sales force. Check it out here.)
Could Your Label Supply Chain Use a Lift?
If you watch much TV, you’ve seen a certain friendly little lizard encouraging you to spend 15 minutes saving money. With all due respect, I think you’ll get a lot more out of a 15-minute conversation about how our custom labels could improve your business. Why not give me a call, or contact me here? It could help you track products from farm to fork—and add profit to your bottom line.
