Digital printing: Less excess capacity and reduced stock

The switch to digital printing can also lead to improved inventory planning and, accordingly, to less overcapacity and lower inventory requirements. Textile service providers are turning away from larger print runs and moving towards varied and targeted short runs. This enables them to better adapt their products to customer needs.

Clothing can now be made on demand rather than in bulk, reducing the need for companies to spend less on inventory that may become a big seller or slow seller. These capabilities have created a whole new type of textile supplier – on-demand manufacturers. These companies are based on a Purchase Activated Manufacturing business model where production does not begin until an order is received and paid for in advance. There are no finished goods in the warehouse, only the bare raw materials.

 

If you want to know what other exciting news the digital printing and textile industry has to offer, you should definitely read the entire drupa Essentials of Print article here.

About the Author:

Ron Gilboa – Group Director Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends

Ron Gilboa is Group Director at Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, responsible for a team covering industry segments such as print on demand, packaging, large format printing, industrial printing and production operations. Ron is responsible for conducting market research projects, market forecasts, customized consulting assignments, strategy and planning work, and creating editorial content for product and market analysis reports. He has been working in the graphic arts, publishing and industrial printing sectors since 1980. After almost a decade at Eastman Kodak in senior marketing positions, he joined InfoTrends in 2013.

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