More and more businesses are bringing their label production in-house, as companies sought to diversify and expand their offerings throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
This, according to AM Labels managing director Tony Mariani, is exampled by a number of its customers beginning to produce hand sanitiser in order to meet a sudden increase in demand.
Mr Mariani said, ‘Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a significant increase in demand across our range of inkjet colour label printers here at AM Labels, indicating that many more businesses are moving their label production in-house.
‘The growth we have experienced during this period primarily came from supplying custom labelling solutions to many of the businesses across the UK that diversified and expanded their offering throughout the pandemic, such as a number of our customers who began producing hand sanitiser in order to meet the sudden increase in demand.’
Referencing some of the colour label printers AM Labels sells into the UK market, Mr Mariani highlighted particular growth for printers offered at lower price points.
‘The Epson ColorWorks C3500 and ColorWorks C6000 offer good print quality and excellent ease of use, with a low initial outlay. Low cost printers have advanced tremendously in recent years, offering the ability to replicate the print quality produced by conventional label manufacturers. A glossy finish with vibrant colours can be achieved, and some technologies can even produce a highly durable print with good chemical resistance, meeting the BS5609 British Standard.
‘The increase in sales that we have experienced across low to mid volume printers since March 2020 indicates that businesses are increasingly taking control of their labelling requirements by bringing their operations in-house.’
He added, ‘Purchasing an inkjet label printer offers companies the ability to react to market conditions and requirements instantly, by customising their label production on each and every label run, in addition to making label production a simpler, more cost-effective and profitable solution.
‘Businesses are increasingly opting to move their label printing operations in-house, and we therefore expect the demand for entry-level printers to continue to grow over the coming years. What’s more, we predict that developments in technology will also lead to a growth in demand for printing larger label runs, in-house.
‘As developments continue to be made in the label printing industry, inkjet printers are becoming faster and more innovative. In the next two to five years, we predict that the market will continue to develop, increasingly offering users the capacity to print on wider media with significantly faster print speeds.’
