SGIA Journal Garment Edition Spring 2016 - 13

feature

Save Time and Make More Money
by Automating Your Business
If you are interested in cutting costs and
becoming more efficient, there is no better
way than by employing automation.
Many production aspects have been
automated in the decorated apparel and
sign industries. Some examples include
automatic screen printing and graphic
presses, automatic screen cleaning machines,
direct-to-screen imaging equipment,
folding, bagging, packaging and more.
Big companies have been forced
to automate in order to survive. With
shareholders and investors demanding
maximum return on their investment,
management is always looking for new
ways to slash costs, reduce labor and be
more efficient.
Small, independent shops do not have
the same pressure and therefore most do
not take advantage of all the software
products available that could help them
reduce labor, save time and streamline
their operations.
Just a few of the tasks that can be
automated include artwork creation,
artwork approvals, price quotes, social
media marketing, customer service and
collecting money. In tasks such as these,
you not only save money with automation,

but also cut down on human error, which
increases customer satisfaction and helps
meet deadlines.
Accountability and communication
also improve with automation. Software
that tracks ever y step of an order
throughout the process makes it easy to
identify bottlenecks or other issues that
slowed or stopped an order's production.
Using a network or cloud, supervisors can
see at what stage an order is at any time.
Workers at ever y level are held
accountable because what they did and
how long it took them is recorded. With
this kind of data, management can identify
areas that need improvement and who
needs better training.
If you are one of those companies
that has not fully employed automation,
your time is running out. The software
and technology are available - and at
affordable prices. Late adopters run the
risk of waiting too long and going out of
business while the aggressive companies
take advantage of the benefits.
While the software is an investment,
you'll find that the return is more than
worth it. Talk to companies that have
done it to find out to what degree. In the

constant quest to have the lowest price
and highest value, automation plays a
key role. By automating redundant tasks,
you reduce overhead, and this allows
you to offer competitive pricing while
maintaining your profit margin.
With companies like Amazon offering
product delivery in an hour, the pressure
continues to build to offer quicker
turnaround. This is another area where
automation can speed up the order/
production/delivery cycle and allow you
to keep pace with consumer expectations.
Here are a few key areas where business
automation software is available. There
are many more, which you will discover as
you research products that fit your business
and niche:
Customer Service

One of the greatest advantages of business
automation software is its ability to offer
self-service to clients. Using a web portal,
an account name and a password, buyers
can check on the status
of their orders, submit
questions, review
a r t work a nd more,
anytime they like.

By JP Hunt, Co-Founder, InkSoft

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SGIA Journal ■ Spring 2016 | 11
SGIA Journal Garment Edition Spring 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SGIA Journal Garment Edition Spring 2016
