Could line matrix printers help revive supply chain profitability?

Could line matrix printers help revive supply chain profitability?

In the rush to embrace laser printers, few businesses factored that their total cost of ownership (TCO) could be up to six times higher than sticking with line matrix technology. But line matrix was perceived to be noisy, inflexible and expensive, yet, conversely, it is the most reliable, sustainable and cost efficient print technology out there right now.

And with retailers and manufacturers having to build greater capability and flexibility into their supply chain to enable them to meet omni-channel customer expectations, line matrix printers arguably represent one of the best ways to help stabilise costs and derive value.

Flawless operation by retailers is expected by consumers, even at busy times like Black Friday, and customers have little or no tolerance for bad performance, indeed 71%* said they’d switch to an alternative retailer because of poor online experience. And with retailers now having to offer more fulfilment locations, the probability of downtime at each is even greater.

Printers are a costly cause of downtime and what those in the supply chain should be asking themselves is ‘what is more important – higher print resolution or uptime reliability’. As printers age, they become more susceptible to failure, which increases the risk of downtime, particularly in mission critical areas. Line matrix devices are the most reliable of print technologies, they have the longest meantime between failures, a 24/7 duty cycle and operate in the most extreme of environments, especially those that aren’t climate controlled. Indeed, humidity, dirt, dust and extreme temperatures are not friends of laser printers!!

In this multi-channel age, businesses may have laboured under the misapprehension that line matrix was inflexible yet it can print fully formatted dynamic documents with data driven layouts, logos, barcodes, content etc. In fact, you can print to a line matrix printer from any ERP or application system and can simultaneously deliver black & white or colour versions of the documents to digital archive, email, web etc.

Line matrix printers also offer the longest lifespan – up to three times the life of laser printers – which not only improves their TCO but also their environmental performance. Datatrade has customers who are using line printers way beyond 12 years and even when machines are deemed to be at the ‘end of life’ they’re often refurbished rather than scrapped.

There are any number of reasons why line matrix printers could help revive supply chain profitability but the three most prominent benefits are:

·      the lowest TCO

·      flexibility and capability

·      green credentials such as requiring less energy and consumables

Even businesses who already use line matrix printers should take a look at later models as there could be even more benefits to be had from upgrading. “These new machines are 20% more reliable than previous models and could save you a further 26 hours of downtime a year,” says Pete Laplanche, director at Datatrade.

He sees demand for these industrial workhorses only getting stronger, particularly in businesses that need to increase productivity while reducing overheads.

*Source: JDA Software