This week, I'd like to share another example of how BPI Media Group's storefront solution has helped another customer. Last week, I told you about an educational customer, but this time I'm writing about a heavy equipment manufacturer.
History: This manufacturer of heavy equipment has 12 divisions with not only a nationwide but a worldwide presence. They have over 120 items each with individual sku #s, and this number is constantly growing.
Problems:With so many sku #'s for print material alone, inventory management of these materials was out of control. There are also over 400 users, so with that many people ordering, there was no procedure for order history or to know which division or department was ordering which materials, how often and how many. Having materials printed in six languages also presented a challenge, but with sku# assignment and management, this process was streamlined.
Solutions: BPI's storefront solution provided a way to track order history, set up a dealer log in (present on their website) with a single sign-on that captured their log in from the company website and allowed them to view the items, order either print on demand or from pre-printed inventory, and have a means of maintaining inventory control levels of every item. All 12 divisions of the company have their own stationery items branded to their location, so each location can now only see their location's stationery and only have access to order that. This eliminated the possibility of someone mistakenly ordering the wrong thing, which had been an issue in the past. BPI suggested packaging materials in packs of 25, so this made pick and packing easier and also makes inventory management easier as well since counting packs rather than individual pieces is much quicker and more efficient.
Results: Sku #'s are better managed, inventory levels are maintained and flagged when "getting low" for pre-printed materials, and a transition is being made to move all items to print on demand to keep any materials from being outdated or obsolete. This hybrid storefront (some pre-printed and some print on demand) was a great solution for them to utilize their existing inventory of print materials. With administrative controls and an approval process in place for business card orders, management feels as though the print budget is being better utilized and this has alleviated a lot of stress surrounding their print order.
One additional benefit this customer has taken advantage of is dimensional coating on their print on demand pieces. Dimensional coating adds a texture to the printed piece that is unique to the image. While it isn't right for all customers, it was a nice add on for this customer and has been a huge success for their trade show marketing pieces to help them stand out and have better conversations with customers and prospects who are intrigued by the "feel" of their pieces. If you'd like more information on how easy a storefront can be for you to use and manage your print materials, drop me a note here, and I'll look forward to talking with you!
Until next time...Elizabeth
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