One day you might get a rush order and need to work around the clock until the next morning to fulfill the request. And if the print job is for an event, the customer is not going to be happy about delays, meaning you’ll get an earful about how they don’t need the signs anymore because they can’t go back in time.
Veryable offers an online marketplace for on-demand labor for manufacturing and logistics, so that businesses can meet demand quickly and precisely. We’ve worked with other printing companies who have made on-demand labor part of their strategy for handling the volatile demand they face.
In this article, you’ll learn how on-demand labor helps printing companies respond to demand volatility, what types of work on-demand workers do in other printing companies, and how to get started with on-demand labor in your company.
How on-demand labor helps address volatile demand in printing companies
Volatile demand runs rampant in the printing business. It’s the nature of the work, because people have come to expect a quick turnaround on printing. With a project-based demand like yours, having the ability to respond quickly to demand is key.
While people might assume that every printer works just like the self-serve kiosks at the supermarket, you know that certainly isn’t the case. On top of the skilled workers you need to operate your specialized machinery, you have plenty of additional work to put into each order that’s time consuming.
That’s where on-demand labor can help. If you need to rush an order and have setup and packaging work to do, then you can find on-demand labor to assist you for that order. That way your employees can focus on keeping the machines running and doing what they specialize in, while on-demand workers help rush the order by handling the other work that goes into the project.
Using on-demand labor, you can scale instantly to rush orders without delays and delight customers. And you’ll only pay for the work you need done, because on-demand workers are looking for short-term agreements. You can even pay by the piece so you can easily control your cost per unit.
Common tasks for on-demand labor in printing companies
- Kit packing
- Paper folding
- Paper cutting
- Envelope packing
- Loading and unloading orders
On-demand workers commonly tackle tasks that enable specialized printing machine operators to focus on their work and keep production humming. Since the machines are doing the bulk of the value-add work, you want to be sure they’re always fed with materials to print on. And whatever steps of the process come after printing will benefit from extra workers because the final steps are typically labor intensive and can be learned quickly.
Example of a printing company using on-demand labor to win
One printing company handled rush orders with ease and endured its busiest season by scaling up instantly in response to demand by using on-demand labor. When big orders came in, the manager would invite only the additional workers they needed.
Over time, they put the workers they liked into a labor pool and invited them first. That way, when the workers came in to help with a big project, they knew exactly what to expect and could hit the ground running. This gave the manager confidence that they could take on any order and deliver on time.
The same printing company then expanded into a third shift, and now uses Veryable across all three shifts to help cover unexpected orders and rush requests. The company has been using on-demand labor to keep lead times on target for two years now, and its leaders are satisfied with what they're able to accomplish using on-demand labor for operational improvements.
How to get started with on-demand labor
Getting started with on-demand labor is easy. You can sign up for a business profile with Veryable and post your first work opportunity today. You only pay when the work is completed, so you can control your cost per unit. Create your free business profile to get started.
