By Maggie DeWitt
Today’s much-touted industry mantra of “add value” is certainly helping distributors and manufacturers generate lots of good karma and healthy profits. This month’s mystery product creates a new opportunity to do the right thing for customers when it comes to supplying value-added integrated products.
Check out the following clues and try to guess what it is:
• It is a manufacturing capability that creates an alternative to roll-to-sheet production methods.
• It is designed to accommodate the increasing demand for short-run jobs.
• It cuts costs while enabling more printers to differentiate through value-added features.
mystery product revealed
Integrated products, such as membership cards, return shipping labels, scratch-offs and magnets, are typically produced roll-to-sheet on forms equipment. Now, East Dundee, Illinois-based AddValue2Print has created finishing techniques for sheeted job production. Utilizing machines exclusively distributed in the Americas by FME-Forms Manufacturers Equipment, Maitland, Fla., and manufactured by Van de Bergh Engineering, headquartered in Belgium, the company developed its cost-saving alternative.
“AddValue2Print does not print—we offer affordable finishing solutions to short- to medium-run print sellers, which can help them move more product,” stated Ivan Verheye, president. “We are targeting commercial print jobs from as low as 250 pieces up to 50,000 pieces, printed either offset or digital.” He explained that most of the finishing equipment in the direct mail industry is primarily designed for long-run projects, yet the growing trend toward targeted mailings is driving shorter runs. “Many of these jobs are better suited for sheet-fed printing rather than web, and a good percentage fall squarely within the digital realm,” Verheye continued.
AddValue2Print’s finishing technique also takes minutes rather than hours to switch over between jobs. “A few hours of setup is really not a factor when you’re running five million pieces once a quarter, but it does become a serious cost consideration when printing only 10,000 pieces once a week,” Verheye commented.
He went on to say that the availability of affordable sheet-finishing solutions opens up the market to a whole new category of potential end-users, including small businesses; direct mailers offering discounts, sales incentives and frequent-user bonus perks; small fundraising organizations; and local merchants announcing sales and new product launches.
AddValue2Print also offers special laminate options that allow end-users to personalize integrated cards at a later date via laser and inkjet printers, and signatures may be added with ballpoint pen. The laminates are available in different thicknesses and styles, including gloss; matte; laser and inkjet compatible; holographic; dry lift; and dualam. In addition, UV coating services are available for extra color “pop” and scratch resistance.
For more information, visit www.addvalue2print.com.
Visit www.bfls.com/infocenter and enter #201
- Companies:
- FME-Forms Manufacturers Equipment