Domino jets ahead

World economies might waver but bright spark companies keep their ‘foot on the gas’ pursuing growth plans, and global inkjet coding specialist Domino Printing Sciences is busy capitalising on technology innovation, strategic marketing and new pharmaceutical legislation.

Shelf ready packaging (SRP) has opened doors for the Domino C-Series leading into the packaging suppliers themselves. According to Domino sales manager Will Edwards, responsible for the UK and Benelux, the outer case coder offers flexibility for barcodes and case decoration and is ‘a good fit’ with SRP. Collating packs into corrugated boxes ready for the shelf is now expected of UK retail suppliers and increasingly of their counterparts in northern and southern Europe.

Case coding enables a brand manufacturer with numerous SKUs (stock-keeping units) and retail packaging variants to minimise the number of SRP designs.

It is a lesson in marketing that Domino is putting itself forward as a packaging partner earlier in the supply chain and as a result is netting new opportunities via the C-Series.

“We are going into the packaging suppliers because there’s a need for a generic case with logo and standard information and a manageable number of variants. The way it was before was not tenable,” explains Mr Edwards.

“Logo printing is still cheaper originating at the packaging supplier. In conversations and projects with the corrugated sector we need to demonstrate the potential savings by switching to working with Domino and offering customers ‘late-point identification’ with outer cases as generic as possible until they are filled and coded on the line.

“Domino has offered this capability for some time. And with packaging suppliers needing to deliver savings, ‘late-point identification’ is a trend in the market and fits with SRP,” he says.

More than ever, a customer will make a purchase based on the total cost of product ownership. Mr Edwards says: “Customers are a lot more astute and mindful given the economic climate. Conversations about the cost of consumables, coder spares, service and support began four or five years ago. In the C-Series, a feature will let you see the ink used per 1,000 cases.”

On speed rate of obsolescence, he says: “Typically we tell customers to plan for a replacement in seven or eight years. Yet some are kept running for 15-20 years helped by Domino’s modular and upgradable designs.

“We are responding to being driven by consumers and retailers, particularly in food and beverages,” Mr Edwards continues. “One eye is on quicker, smarter, easier to use. A minimum of 5% turnover goes into R&D and we are not stepping off the gas during the recession because it is transient, not permanent.”

The company has in its sights the ability to print code directly onto meat. Other niche concepts include - albeit several years ahead - RFID item tagging, which evinced this warning from Mr Edwards: “Bury your head at your peril!

“This is a technology-led industry and that’s a double-edged sword. We want to innovate but recognise ‘legacy’ products need support. Company policy is to support equipment for seven years after the last model has run off the production line. In reality, we will exceed that.

“Technology is running that is several iterations back; a challenge to us as well as customers. We take a gentle approach - to do otherwise would be inconsistent with our relationship with customers. We talk about trade-in, leasing and rental options, helping customers to move to the next step: new models will be cheaper to run with better availability and lower cost of spares.

“Sales into the pharmacetical and medical sector are an increasing proportion of our business. Incoming legislation calls for real-time information on product packaging. This creates a need for our products. We have key global pharma specialists and a UK pharma manager for a unique sector needing a lot of understanding.”

Suppliers are squeezing productivity out of their lines and faster run rates lead to consolidation. Key Domino customer Diageo closing a UK plant is but one example adding to a buoyant used equipment market.

Mr Edwards comments: “There has always been a second-hand market. We have been supporting it, actively buying back equipment and refurbishing it. While we don’t want to flood the market, we recognise some customers are strapped for cash. The advantage of Domino doing the buying and reselling is the issue of a warrantee and customer support.”